This weekend at Knockhill we look forward to hosting round 2 of the 2015 British Drift Championship. This year’s event will take place over two-whole days on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June, and will see some of the UK’s and Europe’s top drifting talent on show; alongside a healthy spattering of local lads.
David Waterworth and Marcin Mucha will debut their new cars this weekend; a Viper V10 powered Chrysler 300C and a 600bhp Honda S2000 respectively. We caught up with David and Marcin ahead of the weekend at a rain-soaked Knockhill last week. Check out the video below for a glimpse of David and Marcin’s new wheels for this weekend. We also had a quick Q&A with David ahead of the event as he looks forward to taking on the “hill”.
“There’s not many tracks around where you get to throw yourself off a hill at 100mph; you get a real buzz when it goes perfectly. However, if you don’t get it sideways from the outset you can forget about it, you’ll more than likely end up in the gravel,” said Waterworth.
David and his Dad spent the best part of three months putting the car together. Hours and hours of time spent, after work, will finally be rewarded this weekend when the Chrysler turns its wheels in anger for the first time.
“This will likely be the last drift car I’ll build, so l wanted it to be a bit different… and a bit special. The Viper engine is so powerful, we needed a really strong chassis to cope with that and the Chrysler has been making inroads into the Australian V8 Supercar series, so we though, why not?
“The standard of competition in the BDC now is sky high, some of the cars that are coming into the series are sensational,” continued Waterworth.
That said; David is still a firm believer that the ability of a driver can make up for any shortfalls on the mechanical side. A scenario perfectly highlighted at last year’s BDC round at Knockhill. Where Pro class driver Martin Battye propelled himself into the BDC history books by winning not only his Pro class category, but by also claiming the Super-Pro class win ahead of Steve Biagioni.
“That’s the best thing about drifting. Yes the car helps; how it’s put together can certainly give you an advantage. However, a lot of it really is down to the driver. You can have a lesser spec car, shall we say, and still be able to compete at a high level if you know the car and can drive it to its absolute maximum on track. You know, there are no second chances in drifting, if you don’t nail each and every run you won’t be successful,” concluded Waterworth.
David and Marcin will face stiff competition when the British Drift Championship arrives this weekend. There will be 5 previous Champions on the entry list:
2010 Champion Steve ‘Bagssy’ Biagioni; 2011 Champion Matt Carter in his Team Falken R32; 2012 Champion Paul Smith from Team Japspeed; 2013 Champion Mike Marshall in his unique BMW E92 M3 and reigning Champion Shane O’Sullivan in the Team Japspeed S15.
There won’t be however, an appearance from Shane Lynch this year. He had been all set to debut his new drift machine this weekend – a Team Japspeed Nissan 370Z – but last minute band commitments have derailed his participation, for another year.
Teenage drift sensation, and round one winner, Jack Shanahan will be back for another crack at the ‘hill’ behind the wheel of his Nissan S14; and other front runners will include Mark Luney in the 1000bhp Lucas Oils Supra , Danny Eyles in the Team Japspeed Subaru and Simon Perry in the debuting Lassa Tyres Drift Team R35 GTR.
Local interest, will also come from a few of the faces we had here on Tuesday night for a spot of filming – kindly supplied by Hummingbrid Imaging Ltd. Fraser Stark in his BMW E30 Touring was certainly spectacular on track on Thursday night. Check out the video of his best bits – impressive stuff all round.
Also practicing on the night was Lewis ‘Geldy’ Geldart in his Silvia Interceptor S14. Geldy, from Perth, currently sits third on the Pro-Am standings and will be looking for BDC victory on home tuff behind the wheel of his 430bhp brute.
Also attending on the night were Jack Symes in his BMW and Steven Donnelly in his brand new RX7. Steven has only driven the car a handful of times and was pleased to get another run, on the ‘hill’, before the weekend’s action kicks off.
“It was incredible, I was amazed at how well the car felt with the new chassis setup compare to what it was like before. It really has got me excited for the weekend,” exclaimed Steven.
The action this weekend, as we pointed our previously, will now take place over two days with Pro-Am competition taking place on the Hill on Saturday and the big boys waiting until Sunday to run the Hill in full-blown competition. The Pro drivers will also be out in force on Saturday for a number of practice sessions. Track action starts at 9am on both days with the BDC finals set for approx. 5.30pm each day.
So, if you are a BDC newbie; what can you expect to see?
Well first off, if you can see through the vast plumes of smoke, you’ll get to see some super-fast sideways drift action on one of the most spectacular circuits on the BDC calendar. You’ll also see and hear some of the best drivers from up-and-down the country compete side-by-side on track – screeching and squealing there way through the 3-corner complex of Duffus, Leslie’s and Scotsman corner. You’ll see a vast array of stunning machinery boasting upwards of 1000bhp and you’ll see drivers shred up to 20 tyres each over the course of the weekend. It’s super-quick, super-smokey action; the likes of which can only be seen when the British Drift Championship arrives.
Tickets for the event can be booked online (subject to pre-booking discounts). Alternatively, tickets will be available at the gate all weekend – subject to the following prices:
Saturday: Adult £12, Conc. £7 and Family £31
Sunday: Adult £15, Conc. £10 and Family £40
Weekend: Adult £18, Conc. £10 and Family £36
Kids under 12 go free all weekend.
