Time Attack – Round 7 - Pirelli European Drift Championship – Round 7 - Modified Live End of Year Finale
The final event in the 2011 Time Attack, Pirelli European Drift Championship and Modified Live calendar takes place this Sunday, when the events converge at Snetterton in Norfolk for the season’s grand finale. And in all five Time Attack classes and the Pirelli EDC, it’s going to be a battle to the last, as all titles are yet to be decided.
For the past few seasons Snetterton has been the venue for the end-of-season shoot-out, but this year will see the first time that the revised circuit will have been used by the Time Attack series, following the track’s major revision at the end of 2010. Sunday will see the ‘200’ layout in operation, which provides a lap distance of exactly two miles.
This weekend’s event is in contrast to the previous round of Time Attack, when teams performed at the tighter and more technical Angelsey circuit last month – an endorsement that the series provides competitors with a varied and challenging calendar of events. For the Pirelli EDC competitors, the competition will take place on Coram Curve and Murray’s Chicane.
Making guest appearances at Snetterton this weekend will be current World Touring Car Championship front-runner Robert Huff, who will be trying his hand at Time Attack behind the wheel of last year’s Pro-Class championship-winning Mitsubishi Evo V. Huff will also learn the art of Drifting in the Sumo Power/NISMO Competiton.com Nissan S15. His experiences will then be drafted into magazine articles and published later this year.
Time Attack
A win in the Pro-Class for Paul Doyle and his K-Sport Subaru Impreza at Angelsey elevated him into third place with a total of 464 points. However, even with 110 points up for grabs for going fastest in qualifying and winning the final, it’s going to be a tough task for Doyle to knock either of the drivers ahead of him off the top two steps of the end-of-season podium.
A second place in North Wales enabled Gavin Renshaw to maintain his series lead with 527 points – but only just – as the NR Autosport Mitsubishi Evolution driver heads to the final round with a slender five-point advantage over his main rival Marcus Webster. Following a clutch problem last time out, Webster is taking no chances and has had a new sequential gearbox and a bigger turbo fitted to his Midlands Performance Nissan Skyline R32.
The battle for the Club-Pro Class is also far from decided as the teams with slightly less modified cars prepare for the final round. Currently, it’s Mark Pollard who heads the charge in his Metro 6R4 on 534 points, with Walter Morris and his Midlands Performance Nissan Skyline R32 on 517 and now the only man who can mount a challenge for the title.
The outcome of the three Club-Challenge classes will also be decided on Sunday afternoon: In the 4WD category, John Mather’s win in round six was enough to put him and his Pro-R Subaru Impreza on the top spot with 607 points, ahead of Andrew Barbour and his Mitsubishi Evolution in second on 573. In the RWD section, it’s going to be another three-way battle between the Mazda RX7 of Umar Masood on 593 points, Jimmy White in his Vauxhall VX220 on 516 and Ronnie Amis in his Sierra Cosworth on 497.
This just leaves the FWD category, which is currently being led by 2010 Champion in this category Bo Nielsen in his Forge Motorsport Vauxhall Astra VXR. With a score of 627, he has a far from comfortable 31-point advantage ahead of second placed Gerry Atkinson and his Seat Leon Supercopa on 596, with Dave Thorpe and his Honda Civic in third on 551.
Pirelli European Drift Championship
It could not be closer going into the final round of the Pirelli European Drift Championship, with the season’s two front-runners: Paul Conlan and Brett Castle level-pegging on 5000 points. And, with the potential score of 1000 for the winner, Declan Hicks is also in with a chance of the title, as he heads to Snetterton with 4900 points.
So far this season Conlan has taken his BC Racing Nissan S15 to three victoies, with Castle in his similar Sumo Power/NISMO Competiton.com machine scoring two. Although not having won a round up to now, Hicks and his HEL Performance Toyota Cresta has been the most consistent of the competitors, whilst the only other winner this year has been Steve Will in his SuperPro-backed BMW M3. However, Will’s season has been punctuated with a number of problems and therefore he currently holds seventh place.
Still with an outside chance of claiming the title is Vince Noot, who currently lies fourth in the Kleers Nissan PS13 with a score of 4000. Fifth is Andy Cooper in the RMS Nissan S14a, whilst Karl Farrar in the Toyota Drift Taxi is sixth, Will seventh and Tim Marshal and the SVA Imports Nissan 350Z in eighth.
Modified Live
Once again, the UK’s leading celebration of modifying and tuning culture joins the Time Attack Series and the Pirelli European Drift Championship to provide a truly spectacular day-out and something for anyone who has even the slightest interest in anything to do with cars.
As usual, the show will feature individual exhibits, club displays, trade stands and other attractions – including a touch of glamour! There’s also the fiercely contested Show ‘n’ Shine competition, sponsored by Kleers and a chance for visitors to take a not-to-be-missed trip in a ‘Drift Taxi’ on Snetterton’s new ‘100’ circuit.
Always looking to bring new ideas and spectacle to the circuits, Sunday’s event will also host a round of the Pick-up Truck Championship, plus – in between the competitive action - there will be on-track demonstrations by Racing Trucks and Drag Cars.
Gates open as the warm-up and practice sessions for the Drift and Time Attack competitors start at 09.00. Following a packed day-long programme punctuated by live action demos and Pick-up Truck racing, the Time Attack and Pirelli EDC finals take place in the afternoon, with the event concluding with passenger rides in aid of ‘Help the Heroes’.
Daily admission tickets are available from the event website at an advance price of £17.00 per adult, or alternatively they can be purchased at the gate for £22.00, whilst children under 13 go free.
