Round 2 ReportKnockhill - 15th May 2011
Last weekend saw Paul Conlan take his second Pirelli European Drift Championship win of the season in round two at Knockhill. Driving his BC Racing Nissan S15 he snatched victory from Declan Hicks in his HEL Performance Toyota Cresta in the final, which was so close it required a 'One More time' run-off.
PEDC joined the Modified Live Tuning Show and Time Attack series for its annual pilgrimage to Scotland and where the UK's leading Drift drivers battle it out through the long, down-hill right-and-left of the Seat Curves, followed by the right-hander now called The Scotsman. Because of the un-sighted entry and the falling-away nature of the first corner, the Knockhill Drift course is regarded as one of the toughest in the country, as speed, angle and track position are all critical elements for a good run.
Heats
With two of the eight invited drivers; Tim Marshal in the SVA Imports Nissan 350Z and Steve Will in his SuperPro sponsored BMW M3, unable to make it to Scotland, local driver Kieran Cameron stepped-in with his V8 Chevrolet-powered Nissan PS13, bringing the entry to seven. Therefore, with an odd number of entries, having qualified in first place, round-one winner Paul Conlan was automatically elevated the final without having to compete in the heats.
The first of the heats was between Vince Noot in his Kleers sponsored Nissan PS13 and Andy Cooper in his Really Mean Sounds Nissan S14a. Noot led in the first run but, going too deep into turn-one he nearly spun, which in turn caused Cooper to 'straighten'. The second run saw Noot pursue with a little too much speed and, to avoid contact, had to brake hard - a move which meant that Cooper had done enough to go through to the semis.
Next to go were Cameron and Brett Castle in the Sumo Power/NISMO Competiton.com Nissan S15 Silvia, who was still struggling to overcome the handbrake problems that had hampered him in the opening round. As it turned out, he was still able to do enough to edge ahead of Cameron and secure a place in the semi-final.
The last of the heats was between Declan Hicks and Karl Farrar in his Toyota Cresta 'Taxi', which he had previously used to give Drift rides to the public. Hicks delivered a perfect performance in his leading run, even though Farrar stayed on his bumper - despite his 200bhp deficit. The second run saw Hicks go wide and drop a wheel off the track, which forced the judges to ask for a 'One more time'. Hicks delivered two faultless runs and, although in contention, Farrar could not quite match the consistency of his rival.
Fifth and sixth place shoot-out
The runs between the two drivers who had just missed out on a place in the semis were unable to take place, as Cameron's car had developed a problem with its power steering and, with his V8 engine requiring its fair share of taming, the Scot felt he could not continue. This meant that Noot was attributed with fifth.
Semi Finals
The first of the Knockhill semis saw a re-match between the Oulton Park finalists Conlan and Castle. The big difference this time was that of the weather, the unpredictable Knockhill climate seeing the two Nissan drivers having to perform on a soaking wet track. The inconsistent grip levels caused Castle to spin on his first run and then saw Conlan understeer off the track on the second, provoking another 'one more time' scenario.
Both attacked hard in the re-run, with nothing in it for the first pass. But, in the second it was Castle who suffered understeer - albeit only slightly - but it was enough to put Conlan through to the final once again.
The other finalist was decided between Hicks and Cooper. An evenly-matched performance in the first run saw them level-pegging, but a slight hesitation from Cooper and a need to re-apply the handbrake halfway through to continue the drift, was all that was needed to elevate Hicks to the final.
Third and fourth place shoot out
The final step of the podium was contested by the two loosing semi-finalists, Castle and Cooper. A strong start followed by a wide exit meant that Castle had to clutch-kick his car back into a drift, which meant he needed to fight back in the second run. However, Cooper kept his cool and, when Castle put a wheel onto the dirt, that was all that was needed to give the Really Mean Sounds driver the honour of a top-three position.
The Final
With Conlan currently the man on form and Hicks showing supreme consistency, it was anyone's guess as to who would walk away with the winner's spoils. A super-close first run with neither driver faltering did little to decide the outcome. And the same applied in the second, with both cars bumper-to-bumper for almost the whole length of the course.
Unsurprisingly, the judges ordered a 'one-more-time'. Once again, for the first run there was nothing in it, but in the second there was no doubt that Conlan was on a mission and looked at one point as though he would pass Hicks. It was a performance that impressed the judges and, even though it was a close call, Conlan was declared the winner for the second time in succession.
Competitors now prepare for the third round of the Pirelli European Drift Championship and the series' annual visit to Brands Hatch, which this year takes place on 26th June.
The 2011 Pirelli European Drift Championship is sponsored by: Pirelli, Sumo Power, NISMO Competition.com Kleers, Cosworth, K-Sport, SuperPro, BC Suspension, HKS, Samco Sport, Blitz and Santa Pod Raceway.
Round 2 Results1 - Paul Conlan, Nissan S15 Silvia - BC Racing2 - Declan Hicks, Toyota Cresta - HEL Performance3 - Andy Cooper, Nissan S14a - RMS4 - Brett Castle, Nissan S15 Silvia - Sumo Power/NISMO competiton.com5 - Vince Noot, Nissan PS13 - Kleers6 - Kieran Cameron, Nissan PS13 -7 - Karl Farrar, Toyota Cresta - Team Drift Taxi
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
