For information on the event please take a look at the IDC website here.

Paul will be piloting the Japspeed Lexus IS200 at the Peterborough Showground venue and will be doing his best to destroy as many Maxxis tyres as possible while treating the crowd to as much tyre smoke and noise as he can.

Having just been remapped to 560bhp with 600 lb/ft of torque, you can be sure that Paul will be making short work of his tyre supply thanks to Lexus’ savage 2JZ-GTE engine setup – we’ll see you there!

More information on the King of Europe series can be found on their website here: http://www.kingofeurope.net/.

Corbeau seats are renowned for being excellent value while not compromising on safety – the most important factor in any race car.

With four cars to kit out we opted for eight of Cobreau’s carbon kevlar Pro-Series perches. With the option of custom finishes and embroidery available, we decided to try something extra special.

While the S15s piloted by Shane Lynch and Shane O’Sullivan received Monster Energy themed seats…

…the Scooby and Paul Smith’s S15 were treated to Maxxis themed items.

The carbon kevlar is not only extremely strong, it’s also very pretty to look at too!

We’d like to thank Corbeau for providing us with such an awesome set of seats to kit out our cars with – they’ve made the world of difference compared to the relatively plain perches that we had before!

If you want to kit out your car with a pair of Corbeau seats be sure to take a look at their website: http://www.corbeau-seats.com/.

With the first round of the British Drift Championship having taken place just a week before there was a big rush to get the car prepared and shipped back to the Emerald Isle in time for the event.

Saturday was reserved for practice for the Pro class drivers while the Semi-Pro drivers ran through their qualification runs and top 32 battles.

Come Sunday and the weather had decided to show its hand and unleash the heavens across the picturesque Mondello circuit. With the rain being on and off throughout the day it made for a continual challenge for the drivers in order to adapt to the conditions each time they hit the track.

Sunday’s itinery included a final practice session…

…and was quickly followed by qualifying. With Shane suffering from a minor fuel cut/boost issue some quick thinking in the pits was required in order to make sure Sully could complete his runs safe in the knowledge that the car would be completely under his control. The result was 13th place – not the best that Shane could have hoped for but at least he was safe inside the top 16.

Next up for the top 16 drivers was the Super Lap competition, where the drivers have just one lap to score as many points as possible in order to confirm their positions for the battles. Sully took no prisoners and a storming run found him at the top of the leader board, securing 1st place from a very competitive James Deane by just one point.

The first top 16 battle saw Shane line up against Mike Deane in his PS13 (sporting a very unique S14a front end conversion). A victory here saw Sully progress through to the top 8…

…where he then had to fend off the attentions of Nigel Colfer. Another victory for Shane saw him progress to the top 4…

…where he would face Gavin Lenihan. A brace of nail biting battles resulted in a victory for Gavin, meaning that Shane had one final battle left in order to decide the third place finisher. Unfortunately for Brendan Stone an engine failure meant he could not compete in the battle which resulted in Sully automatically securing third place on the podium.

Considering the pressures that the team had to face in the run up to the event and the mad rush between getting the car back from Lydden Hill to Japspeed HQ and then over to Ireland (with a last minute turbo swap in between!) we couldn’t be happier with the result.

The next round is at Punchestown on May 24th-26th, and with the second round of the Maxxis British Drift Championship taking place just two weeks afterwards we know it’s going to be another mad rush!

The Scooby and the V8 S15 were the first to arrive having been trailered down on a mammoth journey from Japspeed HQ. The Scooby certainly turned a few heads with its new 3.5″ Shotgun system installed, and that was before we’d even started it up!

Brett Castle showed up shortly after so he could give the Scooby a once over and give his brand new race suit some time to wear in. He was so chuffed with it that I have my sneaking suspicions that he even slept in it that night…

Paul Smith was the next to arrive, having thoroughly enjoyed the endless traffic jams on the UK’s fantastic motorway network…

With the start of the season creeping up on many competitors there were a few drivers frantically trying to prepare their cars in time for Saturday’s practice sessions. Among these was Gaz Taylor from Team Rampstyle, who we were happy to lend a hand to by welding his diff at the last minute!

With three of the cars parked up and ready to go it was time to retire to the hotel, but where was Shane O’Sullivan’s S15? We were about to find out…

Come Saturday morning and a few sore heads were being nursed thanks to the arrival of the Irish pairing of Shane O’Sullivan and Shane Finn the night before. Nevertheless we got straight back to work, but we were still a car down…where was Sully’s S15!?

The car had originally been due to be mapped on the Thursday before the event but, due to a few delays and a few last minute jobs that needed doing, the mapping session was delayed and, even on Saturday morning, we still didn’t know if the car would make it in time.

There were two practice sessions scheduled for each class on the Saturday and anticipation was high as the Super Pro class headed out for their first runs.

While the Japspeed cars had only been treated to minor refreshment and a couple of upgrades over the winter months, many others had put together brand new builds for the season and, as such, were unknown quantities.

Thankfully, all was well with Paul Smith’s and Shane Lynch’s cars, with both throwing down some very impressive runs from the off.

With it only being the second time he had driven the car Brett was understandably cautious with the Scooby in the beginning, although it didn’t take him long to truly find his feet and step it up that extra notch that would be required to compete at the sharp end.

With a bit of downtime between practice and the scheduled qualifying start time Josh set about making some progress on the soon-to-be-released Team Japspeed video from the event.

The BBC were also on hand to interview Shane for an upcoming TV programme covering the theft and subsequent recovery of the Scooby back in 2011, which will definitely be compelling viewing upon its release.

While the day may have started off fantastically weather-wise the heavens opened with force in the afternoon and, due to the adverse weather conditions and the fact that the organisers were quickly running short of available track time, Super Pro qualifying was delayed until the following afternoon. An open practice session was available at the end of the day for those who wished to use it and, as Sully’s car had finally arrived at the track having been mapped, he wasted no time in getting out there and set about tearing the clipping points apart with his wing.

We awoke on Sunday to glorious sunshine which was a result in its own right considering the weather we’ve had recently!

With a tight schedule to adhere to and a lot of drifting to be done the organisers wasted no time in getting the Super Pro drivers out onto the track to lay down their qualifying runs.

With each Super Pro driver only being granted two qualifying runs due to the time constraints the pressure was really on and there was no room for error. The drivers were noticeably nervous and, although his two runs were fast, smooth and accurate, Paul made a few minor errors that you could definitely account to nerves. In the end though he needn’t have worried as he found himself securing 3rd place in the rankings.

With minimal practice and a car that he hadn’t driven for many months Shane O’Sullivan was another driver that could be seen feeling the pressure as he lined up at the start line.

Again, he needn’t have worried, as his balls out style and bravery found him securing 5th place.

Shane Lynch was as cool as they come as he lined up for his qualifying runs in his V8 S15 that had been sounding particularly thunderous all weekend. His calm and collected style resulted in a 6th place qualification result and a direct path through to the top 16 battles.

The stakes were high and the driving was close, so much so that just one small mistake would make or break a driver’s qualification hopes and dreams. Unfortunately for Brett his lack of experience in the notoriously hard to tame Scooby was his downfall and a couple of small mistakes were all it took to see him eliminated at this stage.

With a whole host of big names through to the top 16 it could have been anyone’s name on the trophy at the end of the battles. With everything to play for the top 16 Super Pro drivers lined up to see if they could step their game up to the next level and emerge victorious.

Shane O’Sullivan was the first to do battle but unfortunately a terminal turbo failure saw him forced to succumb to the S15 of David Waterworth.

Shane Lynch’s first battle was to be against Ciaran Sinnot and, with Shane having been at the top of his game all weekend, it would have taken a brave man to bet against him. Unfortunately a small mistake on Shane’s behalf while following Ciaran saw the judges siding against him and the result being that he was knocked out in the first round.

Paul Smith’s first battle was against Jody Fletcher; a battle that he won in convincing style. With the team’s hopes now resting on Paul’s shoulders the heat was on for him to deliver the result that we all wanted to see.

His next battle saw him lining up against Ciaran Sinnot and, having seen Ciaran knock Shane Lynch out just a few minutes earlier, the bar needed raising once again. Paul being the fantastic driver that he is rose to the challenge and progressed through to the Semi Final where he would be up against Mark Luney in the Lucas Oils Supra.

With Mark being one of the most respected drivers in the championship this was set to be an absolutely fantastic battle, something that was very apparent judging by the tension in the pits and in the crowd. A couple of small mistakes on Mark’s behalf saw Paul progress by the slimmest of margins, resulting a slot in the final battle alongside Simon Perry in his Lassa Tyres R33 Skyline.

This was going to be a fantastically close pairing and the crowd were not to be disappointed. With both drivers at the top of their game throughout the course of the weekend the result could have gone either way, with both battles being extremely close. However, the judges had been able to make a decision from their vantage point after weighing up the ever-so-small errors made by each driver.

With a verdict reached it was Paul Smith that took the win and the top place on the podium ahead of Simon Perry and David Waterworth, topping off a fantastic weekend for Paul and the rest of Team Japspeed!

With his 2012 title to defend neither Paul or ourselves could have asked for a greater start to what is shaping up to be the most competitive season of the Maxxis British Drift Championship yet! We would like to thank Maxxis, Monster Energy, Exedy, Samco, Quaife, Factory Moto, Rock Oil, Corbeau for all of their support and of course all of our fans that were cheering us on!

The next round is at Pembrey on the 8th & 9th June and we are all eager to see if Paul can continue his winning streak. We can’t wait!

Saturdays of BDC rounds are set aside for practice and qualifying, and in the practice rounds Shane Lynch was laying it down run after run in his S15.

Paul Smith also had no troubles with consistency in his S15, with his angle and speed both being spot on.

Brett Castle made his official debut in the Scooby and his wealth of experience immediately shone through as he tamed the notoriously unruly Impreza.

A BBC film crew was also present to interview Shane and to film the cars…we will reveal more information on this at a later date.

And finally, back to the aforementioned drama. It’s well known that there is often a last minute rush for the teams to prepare their cars in time for the first round of the championship, but this weekend Shane O’Sullivan moved the goal posts when it comes to cutting it fine. I’ll go into more detail in a subsequent post, but the car eventually arrived at the track just in time for the free practice laid on for the Super Pro drivers at the end of the day (due to Super Pro qualifying being postponed due to time and weather constraints). Shane wasted no time in getting out on track and immediately showed why he is one of the finest drifters in the BDC by hitting every clipping point, every time, in torrential weather.

With two rounds of Super Pro qualifying scheduled for tomorrow (along with the top 16 battles and a much better weather forecast!) here’s hoping the guys can repeat their successes of last season.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Ali

The logistics behind four drift cars are never easy, and since Thursday morning mechanic Andy has been all over the country picking up cars and drivers.

The new 3.5″ shotgun system on the Scooby made short work of waking us all up this morning.

Brett showed up later in the afternoon to give the Scooby a once over…and to try on his new race suit!

Paul Smith arrived to a beautiful sunset over the Kent countryside, which was a welcome change of pace having spent most of the afternoon avoiding torrential rain.

With an early start in the morning it’s probably best that we get an early night…but with the formidable Irish duo of Shane O’Sullivan and Shane Finn of Drive-N-Style due to arrive at our hotel within the hour I can guarantee it’s not going to be the quietest of evenings!

Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow.

Ali

Hi Brett! To kick things off, when did you first start drifting?

2001 (that makes me feel old!). I was part of the original UK drift events which, back then, were known as UKD1. We used an operational aerodrome that we had to have dowsed down with water by a tractor!

How much has the sport grown in the UK since you started?
Given that we don’t have tractors wetting the track anymore for us any more – very far! It’s been great to have been part of the sport as it’s evolved from day one up until now. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, made some great friends along the way and got to do what some people can only dream of.

What is the highlight of your drifting career?
Getting to the top two with Kumakubo when he came to the Silverstone D1GP. Then to beat him and come first was crazy good!

Which drivers are you looking forward to competing against?
I’m looking forward to competing against some of the guys that I go back years with, like Buff and Stiggy. Likewise though, it will be good to go up against the newer drivers that I’ve never had the opportunity to drive with, like Simon Perry and Steve Moore.

Have you driven all the tracks on the 2013 Maxxis BDC Calender?
Out of the tracks on the calendar I’ve only competed at Knockhill and Teesside before. Teesside was quite a few years ago when I won the JDM Night Fight which was brilliant fun. Knockhill is probably my worst track. It’s always such a mission to get there, the weather has always been bad and something always goes wrong with the car I’m driving. It’s my Knockhill curse!

Which track that you have driven in the past are you most looking forward to driving again?
Knockhill! It would be great to drive there and come away with something other than a broken car!

Do you class your self as a drift super star?
My wife and kids do but I’m just hoping I haven’t lost my touch!

The Scooby has undergone a number of changes over the 2012 winter period in preparation for the 2013 season. It’s had a hard life since its first inception back in 2010 and some much-needed TLC was required! First up was a freshly rebuilt 1JZ engine, the provider of the wild soundtrack that the Scooby is renowned for.

With our workshop engine crane in use elsewhere (in other words, sat on my driveway!) we had to get creative, so in stepped Dave with the Japspeed forklift…

…and the 1Jz started heading towards its new home.

Almost there…

…bingo!

As the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed, the front end has also been on the receiving end of some fairly substantial modifications.

The entire headlight, intercooler and front bar setup has reworked into a one-piece, removable assembly that means the front end can be removed in minutes by removing just a couple of bolts and disconnecting the intercooler pipework.

Brett couldn’t wait to get out there and give the Scooby some grief, but first it needed mapping.

The car was soon transported to Protuner where expert mapper Greg Gush was ready to create the best map possible to get the infamous Scooby back up to speed and ready to shred some Maxxis rubber.

The car’s shakedown was to be our test day at Lydden Hill (which you can read about here). As Sully’s RB S15 was still in pieces back in Ireland, steering duties between the Scooby and the Lexus were shared between Shane and Brett.

The day was a great success for the team and Brett quickly got comfortable with both cars, proving that his vast experience in high powered drift cars is not to be sniffed at.

With the first round of the BDC just a few days away we can’t wait to see how Brett and the rest of the team get on. After all, we’ve got a championship title to defend!