Since the last round of NZDRIFT at Pukekohe which was only our second competition we had done in the new RX8 we discovered a few things that we needed to change as it was a real struggle to battle through the field to the podium. Firstly the steering, I found that after fabricating a RX7 FD steering rack into the RX8 it felt a lot better to steer however the steering lock was still no where near effective. In drifting one of the top judged criteria's is BIG angle so the team got to work and stripped down the front end fabricating our own hub up-rights and a few other little secrets to ensure the RX8 would now play the game. The other main problem was our gearbox. We have blown two FD 5speed boxes both times we have taken the RX8 out. We always knew the factory FD box was not going to handle the torque and power from the 3rotor turbo set-up but needed to make do until we find a budget to help with another HKS sequential box. I had a plan, Redline Performance called HKS Japan (where our sequential box is being repaired from our dramas in Japan) and got them to prioritize our box and air freight it back to NZ. This way I would be super confident with a super strong and competitive RX8 for the D1NZ grand Final. The gearbox showed up on the Tuesday before the event this was not all good news as when Chromey went to pick up the box it was minus the shifter!!! EEEK with bit of a panic I made a quick call & HUGE thanks to Dodsons Motorsport and Adam Richards for kindly loaning their HKS shifter from their HKS S15 which would be the only one in the country! A new kit from Lokey, fresh lick of Gloss black paint from I.T.S then I spent the night laying up all the graphics and logos. The car was now ready for battle.

On Thursday we hauled the rig up to Whangarei and had the car pre-scruitineered that afternoon. We then unloaded the RX8 and had it on display at a local night club Danger Danger for the night. I was greeted by kids eager for posters and autographs. I was then picked up by fellow drift buddy Gaz Whiter and he took me down to scope out the track. First impressions and I was blown away! top work to the D1NZ crew they had done a fantastic job of transforming a pier and entrance road into a fully marked drift course that would end up claiming damage to a huge percentage of the competitors. I was stoked when I found out that the outside barriers would be the clipping zones similar to the USA style where you need to get the rear of the vehicle as close to the wall as possible, I really love this technique.

Friday: Testing & Qualifying

Everything was going to plan although the weather wasn't looking any good when we woke up Friday morning.

I had worked out the points table so I knew what I had to do if I wanted to claim the championship.  I had to qualify 1st and win the event and hope that Gaz would finish 8th or lower. Or ultimately for Gaz to finish 7th then it would have been a tie in points which would of then gone down to a sudden death battle for the championship!
We went out for testing and I couldn’t believe how good the RX8 felt with its new goodies.  Not wasting any time I started testing the judged line and felt confident rubbing the rear against the barriers. As this is the first time driving the RX8 into a rear clipping zone I rapidly discovered how much over hang I had behind me.  I was shocked to see how many people had come to watch, the crowd was huge after all it was a Friday afternoon with heavy showers.  I had alot of people commenting that the car was looking impressive out there.

I was in the last group for qualification with with Gaz, we had 5 laps to impress the judges.  I knew I couldn’t afford any mistakes but it was important that I got top qualifier for my points so decided to take qualifying balls out as hard as I could, I completed my 5 laps flawlessly!  We then had to wait till Saturday morning for the results! But it was worth the wait - I qualified 1st and by quite a large margin too!

Saturday: Finals

I was glad to wake up to sunshine and a good breakfast ‘mushrooms on toast’ then head down to the track. I couldn’t believe the amount of people lining up at 7.30 to get in the gates that don’t open till 9.00.
The team washed down the car and threw on a new set of Goodyear Asymmetric to prep it for 3 laps of practice.  The track was drying out quickly and by the time the D1Rookies had finished their top16 battles I could see the track had a lot of grip. There were some spectacular crashes in the Rookies but it amazes me how confident and fast at learning some of these drivers are.  I think it is a great idea having them compete with us as they can watch, learn and get needed advice from the pros.  This is great for the sport.

Top 16:

Here I would meet Sean Yearbury, a Driftcorp Whangarei local who is now based in Australia and showed the dedication by flying over to compete in the D1NZ final round. Now the higher Qualifier will always chase first so Sean would lead the fist pass. Full throttle up to third gear then initiate into the first corner. I was hard on him throughout the entire section and rewarded with a 7-3 advantage to me. My turn to lead, we take off again full throttle and initiate into the 1st corner still full throttle I slide the rear out to the outer clipping zone and start railing around the barriers then 'CRRRSCh' before I knew it I was facing backwards. I had hooked up on an empty broken barrier which sucked me in, tore the rear off the car, and spun me around front first smashing it too pieces. I was gutted I knew the chances of the championship were now in pieces back at that bloody barrier. Congrats Seany who took it all the way to 3rd on the day made your trip worth while. I would now park the car up and watch the rest of the day unfold as now Fanga and Jason Sellers had the opportunity to pass me in points knocking me off the podium all together. I ran to the track and just managed to catch Fanga have a spin in his first battle against Crazy Will Cook. I knew then that I was a definite podium position for the championship for myself and it was now up to Sellers to perform who battled his way to a well deserved 2nd overall for the day. We then would wait for prize giving we waited anxiously as they added up the points. Nor Sellers or I knew who would grab 2nd overall. "SELLERS" congrats dude you definitely deserve it you drive that car of yours incredibly and hope the best for you in 2010. Also Congrats Gaz for taking out the Championship I know how cool that sudden death match would have been. Gaz actually finished 7th so it was my fault it didn't happen, Hahaa.

Team DRIFT

This is the first time in New Zealand for team Drift. This is very popular in Japan and is heaps of fun and a real spectacle to watch. Teams can be of 3 or more cars and you are judged on how close you can keep your team together, maintaining the drift through the section plus add a bit off personal flare. Fanga, Jason Sellers, Shane Harris and I teamed up as the 'BLACK TAXIS' This was a highlight of the weekend, before each run we would have team talk and discuss what we thought would look effective and work out if we could make it possible. Including drifting the entire judged section together but linking in a large donut mid track causing 4 up train donuts then powering off out of the section and also another run where Fanga and I flew into the mid section over 100kmh and through our cars into super 6 360's only metres away from each other. With our ideas and being able to pull them off cleanly 'BLACK TAXIS' drove home with the 1st ever win for team drift. I can't wait for the next one!

So overall I am super stoked to place on the podium for the championship.  It has been hard as we jumped into an untested car half way through the season but I am really happy with the cars set-up now.  Chromey, Damion and Warren your knowledge is much appreciated.  We are now focused on NZDRIFT series where we are placed 2nd overall.  Round 3 is at Taupo on the 30th August.

Thanks again to all my supporters, Sponsors Red Bull, Goodyear, Redline Performance, Castrol, HKS, Turbosmart, TengTools, DC, Weds, Tein, Fusion, Lokey, PPRE, magwarehouse.com, Any Maz Spares, Classic cover insurance, BOP Polishers and the Family and team - BRING ON 2010!!!