The 2011 season was the defining make or break year for team RMS in the Pirelli European Drifting Championship. With two podium positions including taking win at the Snetterton finals, the hard work of the team and support of the sponsors has more than paid off and confirming our intentions to push harder and do more in 2012. I’ve tried to sum up this fantastic year below although if you have been following my blog it should all sound familiar!
Much effort had went on before the season began, with the car taking on its all new black, green and blue look thanks to Blackwater Graphics. We also had fantastic support in terms of logistics and ferries from motorsport travel experts Nutt Travel taking the stress out of our travel arrangements. I’m very pleased to say Nutt Travel are returning to support the team in 2012.
Northern Ireland’s largest car advertising website, Used Cars NI.com, also provided great support throughout the year including featuring the car in their weekly magazine. Thanks to Conor and the team at Motoglass for providing lubricants and consumable parts, and to Norman, Jeff and the team at Kerrs Tyres for fitting the fantastic Pirelli PZero Corsa tyres that Pirelli supplied to the championship this year.
Despite the fantastic support, I was still competing in my ‘home built’ 420bhp Nissan S14a, the average horsepower of the championship cars was well over 500bhp, so with no performance budget we focussed on improving the suspension and handling setup and really push my driving abilities.
And so we hit round 1, and with my new damper and antiroll bar settings I was struggling to get to grips with the car. With a few more tweaks the car had never felt better and by the time round 2 at Knockhill was over we had a fantastic 3rd place in the bag.
Back home in June and I was again invited as the only drift car to do a demo run at the historic Cultra Hill Climb. Only a week after the our result at Knockhill it was great to engage with our local audience, and I can only apologise for the black lines I left running the whole length of the Cultra Estate!
The middle of the season back at the European Championship met with mediocre results. Our car setup for Knockhill just didn’t translate to Brands Hatch and I then narrowly missed the podium at Cadwell Park. We did do some filming at Cadwell so keep an eye on the blog over Christmas!
Anglesey we had our first major performance issue in the ignition system, forcing me to nearly retire and running my final laps significantly down on power. We knew Snetterton was coming, and the revised circuit meant true 110mph+ drifting so the pressure was on.
And it was the Snetterton final where it all came together. Spark issues resolved, more aggressive suspension settings dialled in and ultimately a make or break attitude to my runs meant I qualified second place. One more time in both semi-finals and the finals meant for a nerve wracking finish, but perseverance and determination held true, and that’s when I won the final round of the Pirelli European Drift Championship, 2011.
Big thanks to the team, sponsors and event organisers for making it all possible.
Stay tuned, 2012 looks to be awfully exciting. Join my blog at blog.reallymeansounds.com and ‘like’ me on my facebook page for the latest information.
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