We’ve been to Snetterton before, of course, but it’s still one of our favourite venues. Where else will you find such fast sweeping curves, the biggest model shop in Europe, a big Sunday market with all the spectators it brings – not to mention the fast food!
But enough of fast food – focus man! After a long Winter break with only a sprinkling of indoor events to keep us occupied and in training, we returned to Snetterton for round 1 of the 2007 Drift Series.
By popular demand, we stuck with the very successful circuit layout we used in 2006. This employed the best of the curve combinations the modular track offers for big circuit drifting, running anticlockwise from the start line, full power through the big, sweeping left hander past the watching crowds outside the model shop and into the tricky, slow 180 left hairpin. The course then sweeps right through two back to back 90 degree right handers, taken as one but with an easing of the steering between the two. This leads to a very tricky 90 left which needs a late apex so that you exit on the left side of the track allowing you to grab a big power drift to the finish line without straying off the right side of the track…. if you see what I mean!
As I mentioned in the 2007 preview article, D1RC now runs two driver classes, Pro and Club. The rules are exactly the same for both, as are the equipment regulations, but the Club class allows the newcomers a chance to compete at their own level without the intimidation of the more experienced drifters. That was the idea anyway. Some of the new guys could be mixing it with the Pros in no time! The recent purchase of a very large communal D1RC pit gazebo also ensured that the drivers all helped one another both on and off the track which, again, puts everyone at ease. Gone are the stresses and strains of TC racing!
After an overnight rain storm (remember June!) the track dried out quickly and by 8am the drivers were out practicing on a dry surface and that, luckily, was how it remained for the day. Following the D1RC AGM which was held at the 2007 ‘Shakedown’ event earlier in the month at Colchester MCCC, two new rules were being tried out. These allowed a slightly lower turn motor limit of 18 over the previous 19 and introduced a second control tyre, the HPI T-Drift. Most drivers kept with their trusted Yokomo D1SP 19t motors, the torquey option, or the Checkpoint Moneymotor, the 19t high rev option but a few tried the now eligible Orion 18t Drift Machine motor which seemed to fall between the two for punch and speed. As for tyre choice, both were available but most arrived with the Yokomo ‘rings’ pre-mounted so they tended to dominate practice, with some notable exceptions.
Time Attack practice followed with the notable absence of Eddie Turner who is focusing all his efforts on the Drift competition this year. Things looked close between dad, John Turner and Brad Hurr, both missing the competition from Eddie and Adam McEwen, always a threat, who was short of a race chassis for this meeting. Drift practice session 2 ran into the cell/lunch maintenance break which saw most drivers disappear in to Aladin’s cave that is the recently expanded model shop. It’s around twice the size it was in 2006 and, if that isn’t enough, there are rumours of a second floor being considered!
With pockets somewhat lighter for the experience, we returned to the track to commence Club qualifying. The new drivers knew the ropes from the Colchester ‘Shakedown’ so this ran very smoothly – thanks guys – with no one disgracing themselves. The top five were 5th Karl Grey 88pts, 4th Luke Conte 91pts, 3rd Masaya ‘Maz’ Yumeda 92pts, 2nd Michael ‘Rat’ Fryett 93pts and 1st Ben Kemp 94pts. It was close!
It was then the Pro drivers turn to show how it was done……so no pressure then! It was a close battle again, the top five emerging as 5th Steve Davies 96pts, 4th Brad Hurr 97(0,0) pts, 3rd Phil Warner 97(93,90)pts, 2nd Stu Cave 98(97,95)pts and 1st Eddie Turner 98(97,96)pts. Just one point separated the top two drivers after three scored runs!
While the drift drivers took a short rest, the Time Attack guys took to the track for 30 minutes to set just one, quickest lap. Brad Hurr and John Turner traded places for the full session, John pausing every few laps to allow his inappropriate CS22 tyres to cool! This was his downfall, with Brad putting in consecutive fast laps emerging the winner with a 10.48 lap to John’s best of 10.77. William Strachan made up the top three places with a 13.81. One thing all the Time Attackers found was that swapping from a drift chassis to a race chassis in a matter of minutes, then back rather scrambled the mind set. No wonder Eddie is giving TA a miss this year!
As the afternoon drew on, the market crowds gathered to watch the twin car finals. This year we are lucky to have the 1/1 scale European Drift Championship and ex-D1GB commentator Maz Yumeda on our team and he was invited to take the microphone for the benefit of the spectators. I hope the spectators enjoyed the experience, because the drivers were not so sure! Hearing, in real time, that you’ve just missed an apex can be very off-putting but if Maz is still game, we’ll be employing his dulcet tones for the rest of the series.
As the Club drivers took to the rostrum it was Paul Renshaw and Will Strachan who broke the ice with a 10/0, 10/0 going to Paul, Will just not quite able to hold off a couple of spins. Luke Conte and Karl Grey were next out, Luke taking the first run 7/3 but a zero score spin gave Karl the second run 10/0 and a place in the ‘final 4’. Adam McEwen and Maz Yumeda lined up next, Maz taking the first run 10/0 and the second 7/3, Adam having a less than perfect day. Shaun Hall and Mike Fryett were the last of the ‘Great 8’ qualifiers out, an infringement giving Shaun a 10/0 first run. Mike fought bake but his 8/2 response was not enough.
Ben and Karl opened the semis with a 10/0, 0/0 going to Ben after nerves seemed to get the better of Karl in the first run, only to see both spin out of the second! In the other semi, Maz and Shaun ran a 7/3, 10/0 going to Maz on both runs.
The 3rd/4th battle saw the closest of first runs going to Shaun 5.5 to Karl’s 4.5 but in the second run Shuan let his narrow lead go with a 10/0 to Karl. This just left Maz and Ben to fight it out for the win. Maz took the first run with a slightly cleaner line 6/4 but in the second run Ben, now under pressure, lost a drift and dropped a 10/0 to Maz. For most of our Club drivers, this was their first competition experience and it was very clear from their performances that the Pros have plenty to fear in the future!
Speaking of the Pros, it was now their turn to strut their stuff! The top eight qualifiers readied themselves, the first on the line being Eddie Turner and Paul Edwards. After the two runs Eddie emerged the narrow winner, both drivers taking good lines but Eddie just cutting the apexes finer and drawing away slightly, a 6/4, 6/4 decision going to Eddie. Brad Hurr and Steve Davies were next out with another close battle going to Steve 7/3, 5/5. The following Phil Warner / Ritchie Hood battle didn’t go to plan for unfortunate Ritchie, giving Phil the ticket to the semis 10/0, 10/0. This left John Turner and Stu Cave to fight it out for the last place in the semis and fight they did, Stu taking the first run with a narrow 6/4 but on the second run, as the two cars entered the slow 180 hairpin, Stu was unable to slow and nudged John into a spin, giving away a 10/0 to John.
The Pro semis opened with a dead even first run 5/5 between Eddie and Steve but the second run gave Steve the decider, 10/0, after an untypical spin from Eddie. The second of the semis saw Phil and John on the line, giving us the closest battle of the day with a ‘one more time’ 7/3, 3/7, 6/4, 10/0 eventually going to Phil.
This left the Turner family, John and Eddie, to fight it out for 3rd/4th place, Turner senior being swiftly despatched by junior, Eddie 10/0, 8/2. After a fanfare to catch the attention of the remaining market goers, Phil and Steve assembled on the line for top honours. As the higher qualifier, Phil led off and both drivers drove a good line through the course but Steve just had the edge with a 6/4 lead into the second run. The pressure was now on Phil to do better still but there’s pressure too when you are holding just a narrow lead! Maybe this is what got to Steve as he lost a drift and ran off course, giving Phil the 10/0 he needed to steal away the win, an exciting final to end an exciting day.
It was some consolation then for Steve to pick up the Best Drift Body trophy with his immaculate S15, very well deserved,
and Stu collected best chassis with his very modified 3 Racing / Tamiya TA05 hybrid.
The D1RC team were to meet at Colchester MCCC on the 30 June for round 2 of the series but, as I write, this is being rescheduled for August after the good old British summer gave us monsoon weather conditions for the event! The next meeting is now, therefore, rounds 3/4 at the Japanese Auto Extravaganza weekend 21st & 22nd July. Here’s hoping for some of that all too rare stuff they call sun. Remember sun? Hope to see you there.
Gallery of some of the cars from round 1
John Turner
D1RC
4 July 2007