Round 1 ReportOulton Park - 16th April 2011
The Pirelli European Drift Championship kicked off its 2011 season in spectacular style at Oulton Park on Saturday, when eight of the best Drift teams in the country went head-to-head for the first time this year. Carrying on from where he left off in the final two rounds of 2010, Paul Conlan was the man on form this weekend, taking his BC Racing Nissan S15 to victory after a commanding performance.
Saturday's event at the famous Cheshire circuit also hosted the opening round of this year's Time Attack series and the ever-popular Modified Live tuning and performance show. For the PEDC, the day commenced with practice sessions during the morning which, as usual, proved to be highly entertaining, with a few drivers pushing the limits - and sometimes beyond!
With this the first event of the year, spectators were reacquainted with some familiar cars and drivers, as well as being introduced to a few newcomers to the PEDC. The line-up for Saturday was as follows:
Driver Car Sponsor Paul Conlan Nissan S15 Silvia BC Racing Brett Castle Nissan S15 Silvia Sumo Power/NISMO competiton.com Declan Hicks Toyota Cresta HEL Performance Tim Marshall Nissan 350Z SVA Imports Andy Cooper Nissan S14a RMS Karl Farrar Toyota Cresta Drift Taxi Vince Noot Nissan PS13 Kleers Steve Will BMW E36 M3 SuperPro
The heats
For the heats, drivers are paired up to compete against each other, with each getting two runs: one as the leader and the other as the chaser. The panel of judges, who are looking for the best car control, track position, style and speed, then decide which four cars will go through to the semi-finals.
First to go were Tim Marshal and Karl Farrar in two contrasting cars. Whilst Marshal's SVA Imports Nissan 350Z has around 600bhp on tap, Farrar's Team Drift Taxi Toyota - which he acquired just a few days before the event - delivers around half that power and weighs more as well! Farrar's spin on the first run handed the advantage to Marshall and, even with a good second run, it wasn't enough to make-up the deficit.
Next to take to the tarmac were Castle, in his new, lightweight 500bhp NISMO Competiton.com Nissan S15, and Cooper in his agile S14a RMS-sponsored example. Still getting to grips with his high-revving Sumo Power-built car, Castle clipped the grass on the first run and had to recover from a spin. In the second it was Cooper's turn to have to back-out after a similar manoeuvre, which meant the judges ordered a re-run - or an OMT (one more time) as it is known in the sport. Although narrowly avoiding another spin on the first run, a perfect drive on the second was enough to give Castle the edge and he too was through to the semis.
Heat three between Paul Conlan and Vince Noot was to provide one of the closest battles of the day. With speeds almost identical and their performances similarly matched for both runs, it was another call of OMT by the judges. Unfortunately for Noot, his Kleers sponsored Nissan PS13's power steering belt threw itself off at the end of the second run and, despite his team's best efforts, it could not be replaced within the regulatory five minutes in time for the re-match - an outcome that meant Conlan went through by default.
Another to be elevated straight to the semi finals was Declan Hicks and his HEL Performance Toyota Cresta, when his sparring partner Steve Will - who was scheduled to debut his 700bhp SuperPro-sponsored BMW M3 turbo - had mechanical problems before the start.
Semi-finals
The first of the semis saw Castle and Marshall go head-to-head and, with two experienced campaigners both in purpose-built, powerful and lightweight machines, the scene was set for a great battle. However, it was not to be. On the sighting run Marshall spun off the circuit and onto the grass after hitting what looked like coolant lying on the surface of the track. Initially appearing to be a minor off, running over hidden ruts had caused too much damage for the 350Z to continue and consequently, Castle found himself in the final.
Two drivers who have regularly been seen battling against each other were next to go: Conlan and Hicks. Yet again, the spilt liquid on the track caused a problem, this time causing Conlan to understeer and narrowly miss a barrier. Fortunately, no damage was done and unfased, he went on to beat Hicks in the first run and, with the two drivers equally matched in the second, the outcome resulted in a Castle and Conlan final.
Fifth & sixth-place shoot-out
With third and fourth places decided in the semis, there was still the matter of fifth and sixth place to be resolved. This came down to a shoot-out between Farrar and Cooper. Both admitted to be uncomfortable with the Oulton Park course and made the same amount of minor errors in the first run. On the second, Farrar pushed a little to hard and suddenly found himself pointing in the wrong direction, his spin immediately handing fifth place to Cooper.
The final
Two experienced drivers in two very different Nissan S15s meant that the final outcome was impossible to predict. Castle pushed hard in the opening run to put some distance between him and his opponent, but a need to straighten near the end of the course handed the advantage to Conlan.
Eager to make amends, Castle again looked good at the start of run two, but then the same thing happened as it did on the first. Conlan kept his cool throughout both passes and therefore emerged as worthy winner of the first Pirelli European Drift Championship round of 2011.
Teams now prepare for round two on 15th May, when the championship heads north to the Knockhill circuit in Scotland.
This year's Pirelli European Drift Championship is sponsored by: Pirelli, Cosworth, Sumo Power, NISMO Competition.com, BC Suspension, Kleers, K-Sport, SuperPro and Santa Pod Raceway.
Results1 Paul Conlan - Nissan S15 Silvia2 Brett Castle - Nissan S15 Silvia3 Declan Hicks - Toyota Cresta4 Tim Marshall - Nissan 350Z5 Andy Cooper - Nissan S14a6 Karl Farrar - Toyota Cresta7 Vince Noot - Nissan PS13DNS Steve Will - BMW E36 M3
2011 Pirelli European Drift Championship Calendar Round 1: 16 April Oulton Park Round 2: 15 May Knockhill Round 3: 25 June Brands Hatch Round 4: 26 June Brands Hatch Round 5: 31 July: Cadwell Park Round 6: 28 August Anglesey Round 7: 25 September Snetterton
