Going into the final round of the Maxxis British Drift Championship no fewer than five drivers were in with a chance of clinching the pro class title, and after a nail-biting final against Team Japspeed’s Danny Eyles, it was Phil Morrison of the Driftworks team who emerged the winner.
An unexpectedly sun-drenched Knockhill played host to the 2010 season finale in front of a crowd of some 3,000 plus drift fans. All the championship contenders – including Simon Perry, Declan Munnelly and Maxxis MA-Z1 Drift tyre runners Shane Lynch and Mark Luney – qualified in the Top 16. Using a borrowed car, Shane’s Japspeed team mate and 2009 BDC champion Steve Biagioni made it into the top 10 in qualifying, ending a season of ups and downs in the developing 500bhp Subaru Impreza WRX on a positive note.
Manufactured from a specially developed high temperature silica rubber compound, the MA-Z1 Drift tyre gives more grip as the heat rises, enabling drivers to carry greater speed around the course. The tyre provides the lateral grip and mid corner acceleration that is essential to success in drifting – yet doesn’t delaminate or suffer from chunking – and also generates the all-important smoke that brings valuable extra points. The MA-Z1 Drift propelled Maxxis-sponsored drivers to victory in both wet and dry conditions on a variety of circuits, proving itself one of the sport’s stand-out performers this season.
At the knockout stage of the final round Mark Luney’s Supra suffered an engine failure, taking him out of the Top 16 and dashing any hope of lifting the championship title. Declan Munnelly quickly dispatched David Waterworth, while Simon Perry won out over Gavin Cummings by the narrowest of margins to move into the final four, but it was the pairing of Team Japspeed’s Shane Lynch against Phil Morrison that was always going to be the crowd pleaser. Phil, on top form in his recently-rebuilt S15, took the win and in doing so eliminated Shane from the championship race, but there was better news for Team Japspeed when Danny Eyles beat Jarack Frederico to take the final spot in the semi-finals.
Morrison subsequently moved past Munnelly and in what proved to be one of the biggest upsets of the day Eyles powered through against Simon Perry. Despite missing out on a place in the final, Perry beat Munnelly to finish third, which meant he was still in with a shot of the championship if Danny beat Phil. With neither prepared to give an inch, One More Time was called and then an uncharacteristic spin from Danny gave Phil an early advantage and he made the most of the opportunity to win the round and become Maxxis British Drift Champion.
In the end Morrison clinched the title by just three points from Perry, with Munnelly in third on 87 points. Mark Luney and Shane Lynch shared fourth spot, just a point behind, and Danny Eyles was sixth with 82 points.
In the semi-pro class Ian Phillips – who had the championship sewn up in round four – continued to dominate proceedings, taking victory on the day with an 8-2, 6-4 advantage over Mark Lappage. This gave him an overall score of 134 points, extending his margin of victory in the series over runner up John Glaister, some 56 points behind, while Matt House finished third
on 63 points.
“It’s been an incredibly exciting season for Maxxis in our first year as title sponsor of the British Drift Championship,” says Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
“Ian Phillips certainly had the measure of his peers in the semi pro class, but in the pro class it was a totally different story with everything to play for right up to the final round. The Team Japspeed drivers and fellow Maxxis runner Mark Luney showed what the MA-Z1 Drift is capable of by posting several victories during the season and our congratulations to Phil Morrison on a well-deserved victory. We look forward to many more close battles among the very best in UK and European drifting in 2011.”
