And Time Attack Series
The UK distributor for Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama has signed an agreement to become an official tyre supplier to the first D1 Drift championship in the UK, the 2006 D1GB series. This follows a successful partnership with the D1 Drift exhibition event which visited the UK for the first time in 2005.
Drifting is widely seen as the fastest growing form of motorsport in the UK. It’s based on rear-wheel drive cars powersliding, or oversteering, through a series of corners and in 2006, will feature at Silverstone, Rockingham and Knockhill race circuits in the UK. Drivers are marked on a variety of criteria, including the entry speed to the corners, the transition from one corner to the next, the angle of the car’s slide and extra points for style, such as the amount of tyre smoke generated during the slide.
The competition itself is based on a sixteen-car knockout, with pairs of cars each tackling two runs side by side, one leading the other before swapping, until the final pair are left. Drivers earn additional points for getting alongside or even passing the opposition.
Yokohama is also an official tyre supplier to the Time Attack series, which runs alongside the D1GB. The concept is for drivers of highly modified road cars to try to set the fastest lap time at each circuit the series visits. Private drivers will be invited to battle with a selection of the performance tuning industry’s most respected car builders.
The Time Attack competition is split into a series of classes, meaning comparable machinery will compete head to head, rather than trying to overcome significant power advantages.
Yokohama has a well-deserved reputation for innovation and this partnership with the D1GB and Time Attack series’ is proof positive of that. In addition to supplying tyres and branding at every event, Yokohama HPT, the UK distributor for Yokohama tyres, will also offer a tyre changing facility to competitors at each of the five rounds.
“We’re delighted to be involved in the first official D1 Drift series in the UK,” said Yokohama HPT Managing Director David Seward. “We were a sponsor of last year’s exhibition event at Silverstone and it was a natural continuance for us to be an Official Tyre Supplier in this year’s D1GB championship. Drifting is a very exciting and dramatic form of motorsport and it is a perfect fit for Yokohama, both for the products themselves and the company in the UK.”
2006 D1GB & Time Attack
Round 1 - May 28th (Sun) Rockingham
Round 2 - June 17th (Sat) Silverstone (National)
Round 3 - July 1st (Sat) Knockhill Race Circuit (Dusk race)
Round 4 - August 20th (Sun) Silverstone (National)
Round 5 - September 17th (Sun) Rockingham
