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Marshall on form Round 2 of the 2008 championship got underway this weekend at Knockhill in perfect conditions! The top 16 showdown was a awesome from start to finish, some ups some downs bet actions packed fun all the way! Final standings for the first round below. The Gallery has been updated so check it out!
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Earlier than in previous years, The Japaneseusedcars.com European drift championship headed north to Knockhill, Scotland for the 2nd round of the 2008 championship.
Knockhill is a rollercoaster of a track with the first corner being totally blind dropping down the hill then a quick transition into the second left hander. A short straight section which feels like it goes on for ever when you’re in the driving seat followed by a 90° right which is the end of the judged section. Lots of entry speed and even more courage is what is required to be ‘king of the hill’
The practice session gave all the drivers a chance to get reacquainted with the track after a years break. Declan Hicks in the Universal Turbos/RHD Japan Soarer was the man to beat from the outset. He was showing great speed and angle whilst tracing the perfect line. The championship regulars also showed great promise also. BDC wildcard driver, Mike Gaynor showed some great performances in the underpowered BMW surprising many.
Qualification began and due to the new seeding system for 2008, the top 6 drivers in the series are automatically qualified into the top 6 positions leaving only 10 places to fight for. Top of the pile was BDC wildcard Mike Gaynor. He was really starting to stir things up a little as the championship regulars started to worry about the presence of this young talent. Remarkable improvements by both Paul Conlan and Scott Armstrong were noted but most surprising was Declan Hicks. Due to a clutch problem, Declan only managed to qualify in 16th position meaning he would have to face the leader of the championship, Brett Castle in the first round.
A short break between the qualification and finals gave Declan Hicks a chance to get his clutch issue sorted and take on the champ with full strength. An intense battle followed with no clear winner after two runs forced a “one more time” decision. Brett Castle never has any luck when he comes to Knockhill and this year was no exception. He missed a gear on the entry to Scotsman corner and straightened the car giving the advantage and win to Declan Hicks.
Alan McCord faced fellow Northern Irish driver Paul Conlan. Conlan looked a changed man at this round coming down the hill with 110% commitment. He managed to hold McCord to sudden death but the following runs gave McCord the chance to show his experience and took both runs. Although out at an early stage, there was something very promising about Conlans performance and some great performances can be expected from him and the Predator Motorsport team for the rest of the year.
James Russell and the DCY Skyline straightened in the first run giving Polish hero Maciej Polody a big advantage. Russell managed to take the second run but not enough to turn around the advantage allowing Polody to advance to the next round.
Mike Gaynor took on Tim Marshall in the next battle. Marshall had the power with his Chevy V8 powered Skyline but Gaynor was not giving in. The first two runs saw Marshall with the speed, but Gaynor with the drift angle. “One more time” was called and the Apex Performance/K Sport skyline would chase once again. Gaynor ran wide and lost a lot of momentum allowing Marshall to dive down the inside. Gaynor made his transition for the final corner but didn’t give Marshall the cars width that he is entitled to in this situation. The result was a crash between the two drivers giving Marshall the advantage. Gaynor tried his best to turn it around but a spin in the 4th run secured victory for Marshall.
Ben “Bon Bon” Broke Smith took victory over James “Bladey” Grimsey in the GBH Motosport 180SX. The Driftworks chaser was showing incredible speed and Grimsey struggled to keep up with the pace causing mistakes in the first run.
Peter Barber faced Daniel Eyles and held his own in the first run with a 5-5 decision. Barbers FD3S RX-7 struggles to get good drift angle and it ultimately cost him the win over the Japspeed Skyline.
Local Scottish driver Kieran Cameron struggled through out the day with some issues both mechanical and mental. A big mistake against Paul Smith saw him drop out of contention and to finish off an unlucky event for the Glasgow based drvier, he fell off the track in the second run giving the victory to Smith in the Japspeed/Abbey Motorsport S15 Silvia.
Scott Armstrong put in his best performance to date but spun both runs giving the win to Mark Luney in the SVA Imports 350Z.
The first pair for this round would be Hicks Vs. McCord. McCord had to straighten his steering in the first leg whilst chasing to give the advantage to Hicks. McCord help his own in the second leg but it was only enough to give him a 5-5 result meaning that the Toyota Soarer of Hicks would find it’s way to the semi final.
Maciej Polody had been having car problem all day but it seemed they had been sorted in the last battle. Unfortunately his mechanical gremlins had returned upsetting the handling of his S14 200SX. Two spins by Polody gave Tim Marshal an easy route to the semis.
Ben Broke Smith showed another powerhouse performance, this time seeing off Daniel Eyles. Eyles lost his drift whilst chasing and gave a huge advantage to “Bon Bon” and was unable to stop the Driftworks Chaser in the second run.
Paul Smith struggled against Mark Luney with two spins. This allowed the SVA Imports Z33 350Z to advance to the semi finals.
Semi finals
The first semi final was between Declan Hicks and Tim Marshall. After the first run there was nothing between the two drivers. Into the second run and it would be turn of Hicks to chase. He kept good distance but ran wide and off the track giving the win to Marshall.
Mark Luney would face Ben Broke Smith in the second semi final but struggled in the first run having to correct his steering. Although he took an advantage as he lead the second run the deficit was too much to turn around.
Two drivers remaining, Marshall and Broke Smith, only one would take the win. Ben Broke Smith was carrying huge angle and speed down the hill but misjudged the distance between the two cars forcing him to slow down slightly and straighten up the car. Bon Bon put in a very fast run to gain an advantage over Marshall in the second run but not enough to force a sudden death decision.
The Apex Performance/K Sport Skyline was declared the winner with a very happy driver and team ready to congratulate him on his performance. Marshall was by no means the best driver of the day but certainly the most consistent proving once again that even a single small mistake can cost you the win.
So onwards with the championship and back to England where the driver’s next challenge will be Silverstone. Moreover, they will have to face the mighty Team Orange from Japan. Can Kumakubo and Tanaka take the win and prove Japan dominance over global drifting or can the local drivers put up enough of a fight and fend off the challengers? We’ll find out on June 1st at the Japanese Tuning Show.
Championship standings after Round 2
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