Before we start, I would like to keep this thread for resutls only. If you wish to comment or discuss, or maybe ask questions, I would like to direct you here, where you can do so - Click click
And now, without further ado, let’s get into the action.
#Championship points : 932
HowlerAutomotive’s SD16 is powered by it’s original v8 engine, displacing in 5 liters, and producing 613 hp, sent to the wheels via a 7 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires
#Championship points : 920
GridGhost’s Scarab is powered by the Solo 24v v6, displacing in 3 liters, and is turbocharged, producing 549hp, sent to the wheels via a 5 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires
#Championship points : 892
Squidhead’s MRZ-3 is GB62 v8 powered displacing in 6 liters and is naturally aspirated, producing 605 hp, sent to the wheels via a 4 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires.
#Championship points : 824
Matti’s Endurifto is running it’s original v8 engine, displacing in 4 liters, and is naturally aspirated, producing 501hp, sent to the wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car is running semi slick tires
#Championship points : 684
Airjordan’s Belfaw is v8 powered, displacing in 3.5 liters and is naturally aspirated, producing 497 hp, sent to the wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car is running semi slick tires
#Championship points : 641
Madrias’ Knight is powered by it’s original i4 engine, displacing in 2.6 liters, and is turbocharged, producing 441hp, sent to the wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires
#Championship points : 607
Strop’s Maesima GTC Concept is V8 powered, displacing in 4.7 liters and is naturally aspirated, producing 621hp, sent to the wheels via a 4 speed gearbox. The car is running semi slick tires.
#Championship points : 596
STM316’s Venice is powered by GB62 v8 displacing in 6 liters is naturally aspirated, producing 595hp, sent to the wheels via a 5 speed gearbox. The car is running semi slick tires
#Championship points : 572
4LGE’s rax is powered by a 5 liter v8, and is naturally aspirated, producing 530hp, delivered to the rear wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car runs sports tires
#Championship points : 562
Szafirowy’s Luna is powered by the GZ70 v8, displacing in 7 liters, and producing 587hp, sent to the wheels via a 5 speed gearbox. The car is running semi slick tires
#Championship points : 495
Dorifto Dorito’s Paradox 3 is powered by Solo 24v v6, displacing in 3 liters, it is turbocharged and is producing 530hp, sent to the wheels via a 5 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires
#Championship points : 488
RK38’s MRZ-3 is powered by the original i4 displacing in 2.5 liters, it is turbocharged and is producing 618 hp, sent to the wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car is running semi slick tires
#Championship points : 484
John Waldock’s Paradox 3 is powered by a Dimension JK i6 engine, displacing in 3.3 liters, it is turbocharged and producing 685hp, sent to the wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires
#Championship points : 468
Vri’s Hadron is running a JD31 i6, displacing in 3.1 liters, it is turbocharged, producing 577hp, sent to the wheels via a 6 speed gearbox. The car is running sports tires
We are in Japan, the homeland of drifting, and the first round is happening at the same track that all the pre-season tests were done. We are using the D1 official style Odabia Tokyo Drift configuration. The track consists of a short acceleration, followed by an initiation into a right hand sweeping bend. Mid bend we have the judges stand and also the first touch and go, which the drifters have to perform while being very close to the judges stand. Upon exiting the right hand bend the competitors will have to transition to a tight left, gradually accelerating out of it to prolong their trajectory so they can exit the section at the same place they initiated into the first corner. The most dangerous part of the track is naturally the touch and go clipping point, where the concrete barriers can end your race day in an instant.
The situation in the pits is pretty upbeat and positive, even though few cars are having troubles, and some arriving late. Among the late entries are Team Ninja Horse, who have totalled their fully built car right before the season start at private testing, and have quickly built a new drift car, with the help of Maesima, who provided extra body of their GTC Concept, now wearing a ridiculous bodykit. Some of the cars looked very good in practice runs, with the favourite for the race being team Stellar Drift, and their Prodigy SD16, a SOF prototype racer turned drift car. Also a huge crowd magnet is STM316, who privately built a Puttzalong Venice, a relic from the past, now sporting a huge v8 engine. So let’s see how our competitors do in the qualifying
Strop’s team had to remove the excessive aero before the event, since it was not compliant with the “0 downforce” rule, which has damaged Team Ninja Horse’s chances, and made the car less predictable, the same happened to Team SRD and their Shack Endurifto, which had legality issues pre-season. While quite a few cars saw some cutting works done to provide for the required cooling. Never the less, the qualifying was under way. Howler automotive set the pace clocking in two almost identical runs, displaying superb amount of stability, and quickly set the tone very hard to follow by the ret of the field. Airjordan tried to get similar results in the second run but clipped the concrete on touch and go, ripping off the rear bumper, and damaging the bodywork severely. Luckily there was enough time before the top 16 to fix the car. Same problem caught Strop, who did almost exactly the same thing on the second run, where he knew he had to put it all on the line to get a good qualifying position. Gridghost on the other hand managed to greatly improve on his first run by leaving a deep scratch on his rear bumper while kissing the wall all the way through the judges stand, leaving the crowd cheering, securing a well deserved high position. 4LGE did almost exactly the same for team Skid X, with a long and smokey wallride all the way in his first run. But the second run proved a bit more tricky, with the wallride ending in a too deep of a clip and the car crashed flat on it’s side into the concrete barrier. The damage was extensive, but once again, there was plenty of time before tomorrows’ runs, so the team will definetly fix the damages. There were many problems for a few others, most noticeably Maesima’s home team, who have created a monster of a car, but taming that monster was a completely different story, and much of the same happened to Vri and team Northstar Drift, who could barely control the Hadron.
With the last nights’ qualification runs done, and many teams scratching their heads in amazement, while others facepalming hard. Few teams spending the whole night rebuilding their cars after the crashes, half the field did not get any sleep. This is also the moment where we have to introduce our judges for the season. Judging the speed of the run is Keiichi, who has logges some serious time drifting in the mountains (No relation to DK Tsuchiya san). The angle and style of your drift will be judged by Ken, who is somewhat of an internet sensation and a true legend of going sideways in style (No relation to Mr. Block). The third judge, who is in charge of your drifting lines is James, who’s a legend at driving sideways with the consistency of a copy-pasting (No relation to Mr. Deane). (these names are just to easier associate the judges, and not to say “judge 1” all the time).
First run : Squidhead vs John Waldock.
John had both runs pretty decent, but sadly, he could not match the 6 liter Maesima which underwent serious setup changes after the pre-season testing. All 3 judges went with Squidhead
Second run : Airjordan vs Strop
Strop has decided to thread carefully after the crash he had in the qualifying and it paid off. He had a very clean run both as the lead and as the chase, but so did Airjordan. While Keiichi demanded an OMT, both Ken and James thought that Airjordan has come out a winner out of the battle.
Third run : Madrias vs Dorifto Dorito
Once again very good runs by both drifters, clean and accurate. Keiichi was on the side of DoriftoDorito, while both Ken and James preferred Madrias’ run.
Fourth run : Szafirowy vs STM316
In the battle of two v8 powered privateers, we’ve seen one of the best tandems of the day, with both drifters providing great entertainment and close door to door action. Keiichi pretty much exploded with shouting as he saw Szafirowy’s entry speed, while both Ken and James were equally impressed with the style and consistency of both drivers. After much arguing, and watching of the replay the judges came back with a verdict. Keiichi : Szafirowy / Ken : STM316 / James : STM316. (by the way, if this was qualifying, Szafirowy would inch it on the speed alone, but with the “2 out of 3 judges” mechanic we’re using STM takes the win. It also would take just 1 point of score from Ken or James to send this into OMT).
Fifth run : 4LGE vs VRI404
This run was not very much of a fair fight, as 4LGE’s Taore RAX started it’s smokeshow on the entry. Keiichi was very impressed by the entry speeds displayed, while Vri’s hadron could barely keep up, let alone get on RAX’ door. Ken clearly stated the victory of 4LGE, with James asking for an OMT, since both cars were quite out of shape and demanded a lot of corrections during the drift.
Sixth run : Matti vs RK38
Matti is a very strong contender in this championship, and this was proven instantly by the jaws dropping on both James and Ken, the speed could use a lot of work, but it was enough for the judges to give the victory to Matti. RK38 did get a praise from Keiichi, but that was not very much of a consolation, since both Ken and James thought that the runs were some of the worst they’ve ever seen (result of having somewhat low drivability score)
Seventh run : Gridghost
Gridghost had a by run, unopposed he claimed his spot in the top 8, proving for a good show while he did his run, all judges praising the speed, style and the consistency of the driver.
Eight run : Howler automotive
If anything, Howler decided not to hold anything back even though he had a guaranteed spot in the top 8, the run has been even better than the qualifying ones, once again earning praise from all 3 judges.
With only 8 racers left the competition started heating up. Luckily no mistakes were made during the top 16 that would cost anybody a spot, so we were setting up for a great show in the first round of this season. Some teams were pretty calm and confident, while some others quite nervous, sizing up the opposition. But as the afternoon turned slowly into early evening, Odaiba once again has quieted down, no more Japanese show girls’ dancing numbers, no more stunt riders, no more interviews, only the thunder of 4 thousand horsepower ready to destroy each other in one on one battles.
First run : Matti vs Airjordan
This seemed a tall order for Airjordan, with Matti perorming very admirably in the previous runs. As the first run came about and Matti following Airjordan we saw a great initiation from both drivers, but sadly while Airjordan initiated into a huge smokey drift, Matti initiated straight into a wall, crashing into the concrete barriers with the front of his car, as the rear gripped up on him. The car seemed fine, and drove off, but the hit with the front suspension was going to cost him dearly. The second run Matti led, but clearly there was some serious damage to the car. Judges noted his dedication and even the walltap, but the tap destabilized the car and sent him into a frenzy of corrections, which again did not help his score. Overall the judges felt like the second run should go to Matti by a tiny margin for showing true determination and enough skill to drive a crashed car, but the first run was clearly a result of a huge mistake, and Airjordan’s consistency won him the spot in the semifinals
Second run : 4LGE vs Squidhead
The run between 4th and 5th qualifiers was to be a close one, with both cars lining up for the start. We all knew by now that the Taore RAX is a powerhouse and a smoke machine, but we also knew that it was a very tricky machine to drive. Squidhead’s MRZ-3 was less of a monster, but also treated the driver a lot better. The first run with Squidhead leading has shown a pretty decent battle, with 4LGE following close, but making a lot of corrections, and having to move off the required line just to keep the drift going. The second run has shown just how much good handling does for a driver, with Squidhead following close enough, but making a lot less mistakes, nailing a near perfect run. At the end of the day, no matter how much Keiichi argued about greater speed of 4LGE, both Ken and James thought that the higher angle and consistent lines would take this run. Squidhead moves on to the semifinals
Third run : Gridghost vs Madrias
The first opponent that Gridghost encountered, team FireStorm and Madrias at the helm. The first run was set up as Gridghost was to follow Madrias. Upon initiation both cars looked solid, with Storm Knight holding it’s own against the Scarab, but as the transition came and the speed climbed Madrias has made a mistake at the final part of the final left hander, crashing straight into the barriers, damaging the chassis, intercooler, radiator and most of the front right suspension. Sadly this was it for the car, and Gridghost moved on by default.
Fourth run : Howler Automotive vs STM316
This run did not bring many surprised, as both drivers demonstrated their abilities to the limit. STM has shown us that while underfunded and driving a land yacht, a privateer can log in seriously decent runs, but sadly it was not enough to phase Howler Automotive. In the first run it was buisness as usual, clocking in another perferct run in the SD16, but the second run was something different all toghether. Not only did the speed shock the crowd, but the fact that Howler scraped the wall on the first right hander AND on the return trip with the other side of his bumper sent people into a frenzy. This was by far the best run possible, and it would take SERIOUS luck and skill to beat it.
As evening descended on the improvised parking lot drift track, and more of the show was presented to the audience, cars underwent final checks as they ran into the semi finals.
There were only 2 runs to do, but the competition also sorted out 4 best drivers of the day, so we were in for a treat.
Run 1 : Gridghost vs Airjordan
This was very confusing to watch, and very entertaining. At first with Gridghost leading we saw a perfercly executed run in the front, with an extremely close follow by Airjordan in the following position. As the roles switched we saw… exactly the same thing. All 3 judges were consulting the replays and reaching a verdict, and eventually they did. Keiichi : OMT / Ken : OMT / James : OMT
This was to be settled later
Run 2 : Howler Automotive vs Squidhead
As the second run was lined up, people waited for their opportunity to see another perfect show by Howler Automotive. As Howler led into the first corner Squidhead had serious trouble keeping up, and the amount of smoke from Howler automotive’s tires did not help. Shockingly to most the SD16 prototype of team Stellar Drift lost it on the transition, and spun out, with Squidhead drifting past and finishing his run without any problems. Second run had the drifters switch places, and while Squidhead did not look as good as Howler did, he did score a clean run, with Howler following extremely close behind. The judges once again went into the decission making room. Eventually as they returned the verdict was reached - If not for the mistake in the first run, Howler automotive would win, but a mistake is a mistake, and SD16 did not complete the full run, so Squidhead moves on to the finals.
Run 3 : GridGhost vs Airjordan OMT
For the OMT run Airjordan instantly applied the pressure on Gridghost, who had been leading. At the first corner Airjordan initiated violently, and perfectly stuck to Gridghosts’ doorhandle, who in turn had a bit of a problem holding the drift and nowhere left to go. The rear bumper clipped the concrete barrier and the car pushed Airjordan’s Belfaw off the line, both cars stopping not even finishing the first run. The run however did leave serious marks on Gridghost’s car, while Airjordan just had cosmetic damage. The second run has shown us the extent of the damage to Gridghosts’ Scarab, as Airjordan pulled away, leaving the Scarab trying to maintain some level of drift, but failing. Not only was the suspension damaged, the engine also seemed to lose power. Gridghost did eventually make it all the way across the track, but the result was obvious. Airjordan goes into the finals.
The first ever finals of the PTKD16 were upon us, and two unlikely finalists lined up on the start line, both overcoming serious challenges and praising their luck. For the first run Squidhead of team Kraft Haus Technik would lead, and Airjordan of Team Smooth Racing would follow. As the start was allowed both cars raced to the first corner, initiating violently. Perhaps too violently as Squidhead’s Maesima MRZ-3 spun out of control and rear ended the concrete barriers, allowing Airjordan to pass him and finish the run. The judges proposed to postpone the second run to see if it KHT’s car would be able to finish the race, but Squidhead knew better. Team KHT withdrawn their car from the second run, leaving Airjordan to run alone and win the first round of PTKD16 at Odaiba.
We are in Atlanta, Georgia, and the first round of the North American stages is one that’s got a bit of a history. The layout is universally disliked by the drivers and the crowds, and many judging mistakes were made here.
The layout is simple enough. The drivers start with about 100 meters of acceleration, and then initiate into a left / right chicane. The main concern is to remain on a small enough angle and accelerate out of the corner hard enough to manage to clip the rumble strip touch’n’go 1, while increasing the angle into the touch’n’go 2. This is the most difficult part of the track, as after the T’n’G 2 the speed drops off and the drivers continue to turn back into the chicane and finish exactly where they started. There are mostly no barriers close to the track here, except for the start/finish area, but the gravel traps can prove more than enough problems.
The practice sessions were done, and teams were getting ready to either redeem for round 1, or improve on their best. It all started good enough, when at about half the first runs were made we got to see Szafirowy get way out of shape on the re-exit out of the chicane and hit the concrete wall. There seemed to be problems with the rear suspension, so the second run was nowhere near the full potential. This was not, however the most problems people encountered during the qualifying session. First we saw RK38’s maesima get way out of control on the first touch and go and run into the gravel trap at a speed way over 100 kph. It dug in and flipped two times. Luckily the driver was not harmed, but the car was completely totalled. Soon after Airjordan’s Bellfaw caught understeer on the exit of the second chicane, and ran front first into the barrier, smashing the front end and cracking the engine block. Once again, the car was totalled. Many people saw this and went with safer second runs, while others pushed harder, to improve their chances, seeing the competition thinning out. Strop ran extremely hot and once again, the exit of the second chicane threw a racer off. This time extreme oversteer on the transition saw the car spin and rear end into the concrete barriers. Sadly most of the car’s geometry went in that impact and it was not deemed safe to continue.
(just a disclamer, I was considering a re-roll, but that would mean the competition would be “nerfed” and in my opinion unfair. RNG is brutal sometimes. Sorry to all who suffered here)
With so many cars out of the competition, we had a lot of by-runs, single runs by people who’d go into the next round unopposed, if nothing bad happened.
Howler, Squidhead and Gridghost went with safe dependable runs, while Matti went with another full on practice run trying to find the best lines and control points on the track scoring great praise from the judges. Madrias had less luck, as he hit the cones outside Touch’n’Go 1. All in all no damage was done and all the by-runners advanced to the next stage without a problem.
Run 1
STM316 vs DoriftoDorito
Both drifters went all out, with both runs demonstrating a textbook examples in both following and leading. Keiichi wanted to give the runs to DoriftoDorito, but both Ken and James thought that the more consistent and less corrected runs of STM were better. STM316 moves on, into the top 8
Run 2
4LGE vs Vri404
Both cars have a history of extreme temper issues, with 4LGE’s RAX being probably the most monstrous car on the grid. The first thing that got the judges riled up was 4LGE’s speed through out the corner. Vri’s hadron could not keep up with the yellow smoke machine in front of it. The first run has shaken the Northstar Drift Unit team, and nerves proved to be the biggest problem, as we could see Vri trying to pick up speed everywhere on the track, sacrificing the angle. So while Keiichi was voting for 4LGE, and James wanting an OMT run, Ken was not impressed with lack of smoke and gave the run to 4LGE
Run 3
Szafirowy vs JohnWaldock
A good performance by the privateer team of Szafirowy got him pitted against a well funded JHW racing team. The first run saw John leading, both cars went door to door through the chicane, but as it was time to hit the first touch’n’go John Waldock went for the e-brake technique to prolong his slide, while Szafirowy’s Luna could do the same on power alone. This however was not something Szafirowy expected as he found himself barrelling down into the rapidly slowing down Paradox. Contact was pretty hard, as Zavir Luna went front left wheel first into Dimension Paradox right hand door. Both drivers recovered from the crash, John receiving a speed boost which helped him, while Szafirowy had a lot of corrections to do.
Sadly the contact has damaged Szafirowy’s suspension, so when it was his time to lead the car did not behave as good as he wanted it to. Keiichi still gave him the win on the speed factor, but while Ken and James thought that both of these drivers shown similar enough runs for an OMT, the contact has tipped the odds in John’s favour. John moves on to the top 8
Run 1
4LGE vs Gridghost
This run has shown us what two good drifters in two great cars can achieve. The crowd was on it’s feet, the judges were on their feet, and a confusion has set on the track as both drivers nailed their runs, 4LGE somehow gaining control over his beast of a machine, both guys set high speeds through out the course, showering the track in thick layers of smoke and rubber. James thought that Gridghost did have a better handle on the situation, but both Keiichi and Ken demanded a OMT.
Run 2
Squidhead vs Madrias
A very solid run by Madrias in the lead almost ended up badly for him. Both drifters again have shown serious commitment to making the best show they can, Squidhead pretty much rubbing his Maesima on Madrias’Knight, but at the re-entry to the chicane Squidhead lost is, and went straight on, almost taking Madrias out along with him. A crash into the concrete barrier has seen the car unable to start again, and the win went to Madrias.
Run 3
4LGE vs Gridghost OMT
This carried on for a while. The first OMT run was very much the copy of both 4LGE vs Gridghost initial run, again, providing a LOT of entertainment and photo opportunities. Both lead and chase runs were spot on, and the judges in their confusion could not do anything but ask for another OMT
Run 4
Howler Automotive vs STM316
As before, this was a pretty clear cut battle. Nobody doubted STM and his car, his skills were already proven, but Howler automotive was just on another level in all respects, speed, smoke, angle and control. It seemed Team stellar drift wanted to attone for their mishap in the previous round at Odaiba, and that just pushed them on to better their results.
Run 5
Matti vs John Waldock
Unlike previous runs, this one was pretty clear cut. John has performed admirably in both runs, but Matti’s runs had both Ken and James on their feet. The speed of the cars also factored in, as Matti was able to pull away in the lead run, while keeping very close in his chase run. All three judges had to give it to Matti and his Shack Endurifto.
Run 6
4LGE vs Gridghost OMT 2
Sadly for 4LGE his power output and the car being able to spin the wheels easily did come at a price, the rear tires accumulated a lot of heat in the first OMT battle, so when the second one came about he started out strong and finished in the gravel pit, as he ran in to the trap backwards right outside the second Touch’n’go. Gridghost has shown consistency on the other hand and once again nailed a run, cementing his status as one of the top runners in the championship.
Gridghost moves on.
Run 1
Matti vs Gridghost
Matti has come on strong in Atlanta and was not going to let down, with Gridghost being a worthy opponent. The first run saw Matti lead, and Gridghost following in the Scarab. Both drivers went for an aggressive approach, team SRD’s Endurifto pouring on the smoke, as he exited the chicane into Touch’n’go 1, with Gridghost very close behind, pretty much scraping his bumper against the Shack. At the Touch’n’go 2 Matti slowed down for the right hander when Gridghost made a mistake and pushed Matti’s car’s rear wide. Matti managed to salvage the drift and transitioned into the exit, Gridghost, however stopped in the middle of the track. Next run Gridghost attoned for his performance in the first run, laying down a perfect lead, with Matti following very closely behind, applying great pressure. As the run came to an end judges reached a verdict - Matti moves on to the finals.
Run 2
HowlerAutomotive vs Madrias
This was between Team Stellar drift and factory backed team Fire Storm. No matter the financial support, beating Howler in his SD16 prototype was no small feat, but when the going gets tough, Madrias lines up to chase Howler. Sadly a close follow was not an option, as Howler put down serious speed through out the course, Madrias following in the distance, concentrating more on his lines and angle, laying a good foundation and a safe run. As the roles switched, Madrias’ lack of speed has worked as a disadvantage, allowing Howler to follow close while maintaining great angle. Both drivers were to be commended on their runs, but the judges verdict was Keiichi : Howler / Ken : OMT / James : Howler
HowlerAutomotive vs Matti
Both finalists lined up, Howler taking the first lead role. As the flag dropped both gunned for the first corner. Howler automotive displayed great determination, and while it was visible that Matti’s car was not up to par on Howler’s speed, he did keep it close enough to be taken seriously. On the second run, with Matti leading, he provided a serious smoke show, while doing absolutely no corrections to his line, nailing a perfect, even if so slightly slower run, Howler following very close, to the point of minor scraping, but did require a few corrections. The result was as following : Keiichi - Howler Automotive / Ken - Matti / James - OMT. The crowd went wild chanting “One More Time”, and that settled it. The final would have a re-run
HowlerAutomotive vs Matti OMT
Both drivers lined up for the second time, once again Howler Automotive leading the first run. Once again, Howler looked strong, nailing down a serious run, but this time Matti banked it all, pushing the car to the limit. Unlike previous run where you could see him concentrating on doing a good safe run we saw extra commitment. As the first Touch’n’Go came into view Howler did the usual acceleration and then gradually decelerated, while Matti came in extra hot and burned off extra speed by yanking on the handbrake and performing a reverse entry while inches away from SD16. This level of driving had everybody on their feet, and Howler Automotive had a serious run to peform to match that. However that was a problem, since Matti’s car was noticeably slower, so in order to keep close Howler could not really unleash the full speed potential of the car. Granted he kept on Matti’s door the whole run, but the judges decided that it was not enough to offset Matti’s performance in the first run. Matti takes the win
We are at Irwindale, the house of drift, USA. The legendary track of running walls, high speed entries, and high speed crashes. To improve on what we think is a great show, we’ve decided to run the 3 wall layout, in which there will be 3 walls to scrape. Naturally the configuration is very hardcore. Upon the start the drifter will have to take as much speed as he can to carry into the first left hand sweeping bend, which is on the banking. The touch’n’go is pretty much the whole wall here, and while the judges do not expect you to scrape it all, they do expect you to be close to it. The track then demands a transition and a clip at “clip 1” area with your first bumper and another transition into the left hander, again with the wall being the touch and go zone, this time with no banking. A clip on the exit signals for acceleration to transition ONCE (not to manji) into the right hander with another wall ride. As you can imagine the entry speeds will be in excess of 140, and the wall itself is usually run at about 90 kph. So watch yourself.
The first runs happened pretty uneventfully, with only a couple of drivers performing at a level not regularly seen from them. While DoriftoDorito managed to display great skill of wall scraping, Szafirowy has shown that the V8 Luna is extremely good at picking up speed through the transition into the 3rd touch’n’go. The second batch of runs has shown much of the same, both DoriftoDorito and Szafirowy playing it safer than usual. John Waldock was the first to feel the real danger of Irwindale, as he transitioned into the 2nd touch’n’go he touched a bit hard, and went side first into the wall. A whole wall scraped later, he emerged out of his car surveying the damage. Luckily it seems that the damage is minimal and the team will be able to perform at their best during the Top 16. Second to run into problems was RK38. The poor guy had the car that was a handful at the best of times, and Irwindale is the case of “the worst of times” The first clip marker saw him spin and run rear first into the concrete wall of Touch’n’go 2.
With the third round of the PTKD soon coming to a conclusion, and most of the competitors already done measuring each other up and knowing who could do what, it was time to give it all before the big re-shuffle of the setup revisions. The battle board was set and the drifters lined up for their first runs at the American House of Drift. First up were the By-runners, who would go through unopposed into the top 8.
By-Runs
Howler Automotive - An insane run, once again from team Stellar Drift, as Howler ran the walls perfectly leaving deep scraped in two out of 3 Touch’n’Gos.
GridGhost - The heavy hitting privateer has opted for a safe but solid run. No problems encountered.
Run 1
Matti vs RK38
Maesima’s home team had problems through out the first two rounds, being unable to tame the turbo beast of a car they’ve created. Matti’s Endurifto on the other hand ran like a charm and scored high. So for this run it was not a fair fight. Matti has logged in an extremely juicy run, while RK38 tried to keep up. Sadly, that kind of performance comes at a price of being on the edge and RK38 has fallen off it. At the second transition into the third Touch’n’Go the MRZ-3 has spun out and hit the barrier. That mistake cost him the battle, and Matti moves on to Top 8
Run 2
Squidhead vs Vri404
Team Kraft Haus, seemed to have a good setup for this track, as the high speeds demanded a lot of power and a lot of grip, both of which the car had. The naturally aspirated v8 also gave the car ease of use. Vri and team NorthStar Drift Unit has opted for a high boost engine, which made the car more difficult to drive. Never the less, Vri has shown a decent battle against Squidhead, managing a good lead run, but as chase run came about, the faster and better handling MRZ-3 has stuck on the Hadron through out the whole track. Judges have given Squidhead the win.
Run 3
Airjordan vs JohnWaldock
Airjordan and team Smooth racing have been performing admirably so far, while John and team JHW Racing have been on and off, which we saw mirrored in this battle. The Smooth Belfaw ran at insane speeds, at a very controlled drifts, producing massive smoke. John tried to keep up, but the car was just not fast enough. So while Ken wanted to see another run and voted OMT, both Keiichi and James have given Airjordan the win
Run 4
Szafirowy vs Strop
While Szafirowy’s Luna v8 was a force to be recogned with, Strop’s CTC concept was a dark horse that could either perform greatly, or throw the driver off. The lack of proper testing or a good setup has set team ninja horse back in the first two rounds greatly. This was by far the best battle we’ve seen today. Both cars running into the wall at maximum speeds. Stop leading, and Szafirowy straight on his door, smoke pouring from the back of their cars producing clouds. As the roles changed the whole thing had the crowd on their feet yet again, Strop not wanting to fall back pushing Szafirowy hard. After a little thought Keiichi gave the run to Szafirowy… both other judges demanded a One More Time
Run 5
Dorifto Dorito vs STM316
Both competitors have seen mixed results, not under, nor over achieving. STM’s Venice was a crowd favourite though, demonstrating that a garage built old school car could compete at a very high level. Dorifto Dorito had to give it all in his Paradox to stand a chance. This was a very mixed battle, STM providing the angle and smoke, while DoriftoDorito had opted for speed and lost a few points on the lower angle. Both drivers demonstrating great stability and control of their cars. Keiichi voted for DoriftoDorito, and Ken wanted the win to go to STM316. James was the deciding judge and he went with One More Time.
Run 6
Szafirowy vs Strop OMT1
If anything, this was an even worse run for clarity than the previous one. The angle, speed and the stability through out the run were pretty much identical and on point. Both drivers given us the perfect lead, and then the perfect chase. Judges could only look at each other and shrug. After a few minutes of discussion another OMT was requested.
Run 7
DoriftoDorito vs STM316 OMT1
Yet another OMT, this time by Dorifto and STM. This one, went a bit more straight forward at first. The first run with STM leading saw STM initiate too closely to the wall at TnG 1, which promptly had him slam into said wall with the side of his car. Dorito has passed him and went on to perform a single run, with Dorito following him half the track away in a limping Venice. The car has seen a bit of damage, but the run was easily given to Dorito. The battle was over, or so we all thought. Sadly the clarity went out the window as we saw Dorito spin out on the transition at the first clip point. The judges couldn’t reach a verdict, so it was OMT for the two drivers once again, this time STM having the disadvantage of a damaged car.
Run 8
Madrias vs 4LGE
This promised to be a good one, as another popular driver 4LGE lined up. The monstrous power of the Taore Rax meant that he’d either have a tremendous run, or a tremendous crash, both of which was great entertainment. Madrias had a more tame car, which was probably a safer bet. Never the less we were about to find out who’s way would prevail. We were expecting a lot of smoke, and we got it, but unexpectedly it was mostly from Madrias’ car, the Knight. 4LGE just was not on the ball today, and while his speed was just great, the amount of corrections he had to do, and the lack of smoke and angle have sealed the deal on both runs. Madrias and team FireStorm would move on to the Top 8
Run 9
Szafirowy vs Strop OMT2
This round settled it between the two drivers. Szafirowy led the first run, and as usual performed greatly, with Strop right on his door handle, providing for great entertainment. Sadly this did not last long, as both cars entered the third TnG Szafirowy hit the wall with his rear bumper pretty hard. The replay has seen the bumper give up and allow the car to make contact with the wall with it’s wheel, damaging it badly. Szafirowy has somehow salvaged that run, but it was clear that he has made a huge mistake. Second run Strop was leading, and while we expected him to run safe and move up, for some reason he decided to go all out,and it cost him. The transition into the second TnG right after the first clip caught him out, and the GTC concept understeered hard, crashing straight into the wall, and ripping the car pretty much in two. Strop, luckily, was alive and well, but the car was not, the front frame split and the engine was pretty much lying on the ground. A mistake of this magnitude ended his competition there and then and Szafirowy moved on to Top 8
Run 10
DoriftoDorito vs STM316 OMT2
The last pair to get the winner was decided in this run, with DoriftoDorito having an advantage, as STM’s car was damaged. The first run we clearly saw the Venice losing it’s edge, having a lot of corrections and unsteady drifts through out the course. While STM managed to hold it together and log a decent run, Doriftos’ was just plain better. On the second run we saw Dorito going for a safe approach and just go with a dependable and good run, simply following STM closely behind. STM, sadly, could not do much with his car not tracking right. Dorito gets the win.
With the deck shuffled just enough to be familiar and fresh at the same time it was time for the Top 8 battles. No by-runs here, so everybody had to pull their weight.
Run 1
HowlerAutomotive vs Madrias
Howler has once again demonstrated how to enter the corner as a leader. Sadly he could not demonstrate how to drift through the TnG zone, as the first wall run ended abruptly for him, due to the contact with that same above mentioned wall. The Prodigy SD16 has slammed into the wall with it’s left side hard and scraped it all the way through. Madrias and his Storm Knight have shown a decent run and had a huge advantage now. The second run had Madrias lead, and while Howler had a quick inspection of the car and decided to run, the damage was evident, the Prodigy prototype not being at it’s best left Howler without his main weapon -the best setup car in the grid. He did perform very well, and even got a slight advantage in the second run, but the judges thought that a mistake that big in run 1 is enough for Madrias to win this battle.
Run 2
Gridghost vs DoriftoDorito
Dorito was having a great weekend, and Gridghost was aiming to stop it. With the first run led by Dorito, Gridghosts’ chase was amazing, sticking close, and mimicking Dorito perfectly. The switch was made and Gridghost was to lead the second run. However the nerves were on the edge and it seems Gridghost couldn’t cut it today, as we saw him spinning out after the second clip point, during the transition into the third TnG zone. As the judges consulted they were ready to reach a verdict - this would’ve ended in a OMT run if Gridghost did not make a mistake, and DoriftoDorito moves on to the Semi Finals.
Run 3
Squidhead vs Airjordan
Both of these drivers were strong competitors, and both finalists of the first round in Odaiba, where Airjordan walked away with the win. Here, however they were both just top-ish mid runners, meeting in the top 8. To have a chance at the crown both were ready to go all out. Another great run was made by this pair, pouring tons of smoke, laying down proper runs, and not giving an inch. Both Squidhead and Airjordan managed to run clean leads and perform close and tight chases. The judges once again could not really reach a verdict. Keiichi was certain that Airjordan was better, but Ken and James not so much, so an OMT run was requested
Run 4
Matti vs Szafirowy
Unlycky for Szafirowy, probably the fastest guy on the grid, he came up against Matti, who was probably the most aggressive guy on the grid. The lead run by Szafirowy saw him run away with it, losing Matti in the smoke, but judges saw through that, deciding that it came at the cost of angle. Matti saw what happened and concentrated his first run on nailing all the clipping points. The second run we saw Szafirowy follow close, even getting minor contact with the Endurifto, but Matti’s run was pitch perfect once again, running all the walls like a champ. The judges had a bit of an argument, and while they saw the speed, they thought that Matti’s angle and control prevailed in this run
Run 5
Squidhead vs Airjordan OMT 1
The first run has promised us a lot, and the second one should not have disappointed. Once again we saw great drifting from both competitors, Sadly for team Kraft Haus the speed of the Maesima MRZ-3 was just not enough this time, as Belfaw set a lightning fast pace. The judges were ready to reach a verdict, and while Ken thought that Squidhead did a tiny bit better, both James and Keiichi thought Airjordan was the clear winner.
Run 1
Madrias vs Airjordan
The number 8 and number 5 qualifiers were to go against each other in the first run of the semi finals, Madrias looking very strong this weekend, and Airjordan already having proven that he can win events. Madrias leading the first run, Airjordan following. While the Storm Knight ran a very clean and consistent run, every corner, every transition the Smooth Belfaw was right on it’s door, keeping the battle close and tight. As the roles reversed Madrias did lose a bit of ground to Airjordan. The judges went on to make a decission. While both racers have shown us a great amount of skill, the amount of smoke and the consistency of the runs went to Madrias. 2 judges against one, Madrias moves on to the finals.
Run 2
DoriftoDorito vs Matti
Dorito had a lot to prove here, but he had to prove it all against Matti, who’s been gaining momentum through out the championship. Dorito’s first run as a lead shown us some potential, but to beat Matti’s chase, he had to pretty much glue himself to the Shack Endurifto, that run was that close. This did happen, but sadly to keep up Matti had to go with smaller angles. Madrias on the other hadn led a perfect run, all 3 judges had their work cut out for them, Matti goes to the finals.
Matti vs Madrias
A lot of pressure on both drivers as they lined up, Matti leading the first run. As soon as the guys hit the first TnG it was evident at how much more potential the Shack had than the Storm Knight, pouring great amounts of smoke at insane angles, while maintaining huge speeds, the Storm could not keep up nor smoke at the same level. Sadly at the second transition Matti picked up a bit too much speed, which caused him to not only run the third wall, but actually run into the wall. Madrias passed the heavily damaged car in a controlled manner, to take the win after only the first run in the finals.
With 3 rounds done, and many more to go, we’ve hit our first season intermission. There is quite a bit of time before we return with Latvian Bikirnieki round, so the teams will have a chance to make some changes and some tests to their setups.
What you will be able to change, however is very limited, and should be sent via a PM to me, you can (and probably should) use this template. If you’re leaving something the way it was, just leave the field blank.
##Chassis
Top speed :
Spacing :
Diff type :
Tyre choice :
Tyre width F
Tyre width R
Offset F
Offset R
Wheel diameter
Rim diameter
Wheel material
Brake pad F
Brake pad R
Brake diameter F
Brake diameter R
Cooling airflow
Brakes airflow
Camber F
Camber R
Springs F
Springs R
Dampers F
Dampers R
Sway bar F
Sway bar R
We also had the judges to take turns in the competitors cars, and this is what they had to say.
@squidhead
Keiichi : Pretty good, 7/10 / Ken : It’s above average 6/10 / James : above average 6/10
@Rk38
Keiichi : Speed is impressive 7/10 / Ken - What smoke? / James - I never finished a run, really, so I don’t know.
@AirJordan
Keiichi - VERY impressive, 9/10 / Ken - this is quite ok 6/10 / James - we’ve seen better, but this is pretty controllable 7/10
@Dorifto_Dorito
Keiichi - It’s an ok speed 6.5/10 / Ken - this is a prime example of average 5/10 / James - you can have some liberties with this, but not too much 6/10
@JohnWaldock
Keiichi - I think my AE86 was faster at times 4/10 / Ken - just an average performer on the grid 6/10 / James - nothing really stand out about this car’s handling, 5/10
@Strop
Keiichi - WOW, much speed! 8/10! / Ken - This could use some work 6/10 / James - Definetly needs refinement - 5/10
@HowlerAutomotive
Keiichi - very great speed from this car 9/10 / Ken - I really like the show this car can arrange 9/10 / James - you can see how easily the driver holds the slides, very good 9/10
@gridghost
Keiichi - that speed is amazing - 9/10 / Ken - well, i must say that i’ve seen better 6/10 / James - it’s a handful compared to the best cars in this championship 6/10
@Matti
Keiichi - I think he would be a slow moving problem on my morning commute 5/10 / Ken - Perfection 10/10 / James - this is seriously impressive 10/10
@Madrias
Keiichi - This is as fast as pushing the car, 4/10 / Ken - Proper smoke machine 8/10 / James - incredible how well ballanced a regular sedan can be 8/10
@4LGE
Keiichi - extreme eye watering speeds! 9/10 / Ken - this is good smoke right there 7/10 / James - I give this car 50% chance of finishing a run. Either it does, or it doesn’t. 5/10
@STM316
Keiichi - Wow, this old car is SLOW 5/10 / Ken - it is a very ok performer, 6/10 / James - I’ve seen better, but it’s got potential 6/10
@szafirowy01
Keiichi - best speed of drift car by far! 10/10 / Ken - an above average performer, 6/10! / James - this is very average. 5/10
@Fayeding_Spray
Keiichi - Well it’s just about average? 5/10 / Ken - This car has decided that smoking is bad for you. 4/10 / James - It has a steering wheel and pedals, but it rarely listens to what those got to say 4/10
#This is an announcement.
All the people who have already entered have until the 5th of June to send in their revisions.
I will also accept late entries from people who did not yet compete in this, but think they should get in on the action, also till the 5th of June. The rulebook thread is in the first post. Good luck.
It’s Riga baby, and we do things a little bit differently here! As you’re about to find out, drifting in Europe is very much different from what you’re used to in Japan or USA. Unlike Formula Drift, there are no 1000+ hp monsters riding walls, and unlike D1 GP Japan the cars are very seriously modified to drive on extreme angles on medium width tracks. The speeds are noticeably lower than in both D1 and FD, which is made as a safety precaution. Instead the tracks are short, twisty and are more focused on transitions. As we join the action quite a few teams have used the 1 month intermission between rounds to tweak their cars, so we should see if it worked or not. The course itself is on the main straight of the Bikirnieki racetrack, with added chicane and a 180 degree turn. Both Touch’n’Go points are not walls, but stacks of tires just outside the kerbs, with 3 clipping points to touch with the nose of the car. So let’s see how the drivers fare in these new conditions.
This is not how many imagined their glorious return to the track, but sadly it is what it is. The tarmac has been replaced just this year in many spots of the track, meaning the grip levels are uneven and tricky, and most car are not set up for such slow drifting, and behave erratically. The first set of runs got to a smooth enough start, with only Gridghost suffering a minor contact with the tires in the first TnG almost spinning out but managing to salvage the situation. Everybody else ran a decent clean run. The second runs however is when all the hell broke loose. First we saw John Waldock leaving the track for a bit of offroading, just to be quickly stopped by the tirewall and bounced back on-to the track, striking the wall right before C1. Next to go was Matti, who was almost a guaranteed podium finisher, but he ran wide on C1 and struck a wall with the rear of his car exiting the chicane and that bent the whole chassis. Sadly the marshalls did not allow for the car to continue despite the teams’ best attempts to fix the car. Howler Automotive also made a mistake, also clipping the wall on exit of C1 into C2, it caused some serious damage and the car spun out and stopped right outside TnG2. Luckily for him the car was still moving, so there was time to assess the situation and repair the damaged car. Last one to go was Madrias, who ran so hot into TnG2 that he had no chance to slow down for the C3. The car slid straight on and into the guardrail damaging the front end, messing up all the suspension ripping the mount points off the car. So sadly, we’re resuming this championship with 3 cars out of the competition before it began properly.
Yesterday’s qualification left a bitter aftertaste, but here we are the next day, ready to drift once again. Some of the yesterday’s favourites have changed, some teams are higher than expected, some exactly where they’re expected to be, but it’s still unclear whether such a change is due to the fact that 3 cars are missing from the grid. So without further ado, and after another set of practice runs, we begin the battles.
By runners
HowlerAutomotive had a very solid solo run
Gridghost made a mistake in the last corner but it did not really matter.
Squidhead logged a nice tight line displaying good results
Airjordan proved that he still is on point by running a clean line
Szafirowy also did not have any problems taming his car and track.
Run 1
4LGE vs Vri404
This was a pretty one sided battle, on both runs. While both cars were not in the best shape though the track, requiring many corrections 4LGE managed to stay right on top of Vri for his chase run, and once his lead run began he ran away with it leaving Vri driving through a smoke screen.
Keiichi : 4LGE
Ken : 4LGE
James : OMT
Run 2
Strop vs RK38
First run had Strop running away from RK38, not allowing him a chance to get close throughout the course, RK38 responded by logging an extremely precise line mimicking Strop perfectly, even though there was quite a bit of distance between them. As Rk38 led Strop stayed close which left him a bit less room to maneuver, this evened the score as it was harder to follow RK38 perfectly.
Keiichi : Strop
Ken : OMT
James : OMT
Run 3
STM316 vs DoriftoDorito
Another close battle straight out of the gate in the top 16. While Dorito’s speed was clearly higher STM answered this by pouring on the smoke. Both runs ended in a stalemate, without a clear victor.
Keiichi : DoriftoDorito
Ken : STM316
James : OMT
Run 4
Strop vs RK38 OMT
First run was more of the same thing we saw before, Strop running away with RK logging in a clean run behind him. However once the roles reversed and Strop had to chase he put on serious pressure, staying straight on RK’s maesima quarterpanel for most of the track. This provoked RK into making a mistake in TNG2, where he went a bit wide, clipped the tire wall with his rear bumper, bounced back into Strop’s GTC concept, and then spun out. Luckily for Strop his car was not too damaged from the contact and it’s behaviour did not change.
Strop moves up
Run 5
STM316 vs DoriftoDorito OMT
Sadly this OMT ended pretty much like the previous one. That is not the previous run of the two drifters, but like the previous OMT. Straight out of the gate DoriftoDorito layed down the run of his life, running perfectly through the first TnG, but sadly that meant he was going too fast for the chicane and he smashed front first into the wall right outside clipping point 1. The car was terminally damaged, but luckily it seems DoriftoDorito escaped relatively unscathed.
STM316 advances.
No by runs here, luckily, so some of the drifters will be seeing their first competition of the weekend, while others had to seriously strain themselves to get into this round. Let’s see who’ll have the upper hand in this then, shall we?
Run 1
Squidhead vs 4LGE
While 4LGE’s RAX proved to be a powerhouse, it did suffer from sloppy handling and this track demanded serious handling capabilities, since the course was designed to throw the car off ballance. This helped Squidhead a lot. While the speed was on par and in some instances we could see glimpses of 4LGE’s horsepower advantage, the Maesima of team KHT has not only layed down a thick layer of smoke that for all intents and purposes did not allow a clean follow, it also did not require much correction through out the course.
Keiichi - 4LGE
Ken - Squidhead
James - Squidhead
Run 2
Airjordan vs Szafirowy
This was shaping up to be a very very close battle. The first run Szafirowy had almost a perfect follow run, clipping all the points and running the TnG’s as close as he could, leaving thick tire wall marks on his rear bumper. The second run Airjordan knew he’d have to show something truly remarkable to get the advantage back. He ran the Bellfaw pretty much top speed through both TnG 1 and 2, leaving his rear bumper in the tires while continuing on as if nothing happened and running full 90 into the C3. This was a very spirited run that had the viewers on their feet. But eventually the judges figure out what to do.
Keiichi : OMT
Ken : OMT
James : OMT
Run 3
Gridghost vs Strop
Strop has came up against a very strong competitor and knew he had to go all out on this run. Gridghost in turn did not rest easy, as he had his eyes on the prize the whole time. This probably is the thing that pushed him to go a bit harder than he could and in the first run he clipped the wall outside C1 with the rear of his car. The car spun out and hit the wall again, now with the front right side. It was clear that the car did not feel too planted after that happened and in the second run Strop has used this advantage to the maximum, getting the victory
Run 4
HowlerAutomotive vs STM316
This was an uncomfortable battle for STM as he went into battle with the one of the championships’ favourites. It also showed in his driving, it seems his nerves got the best of him. Both the lead and follow run did not go as smoothly as they could, and we did see better from that driver, noticeably better. HowlerAutomotive however just piled 2 more stable runs and took the victory
Keiichi : OMT
Ken : Howler
James : Howler
Run 5
Airjordan vs Szafirowy OMT
Both drivers have already proved that they are serious competitors and we would gladly see both of them in the finals, but as of now, we had to have only one. Szafirowy pushed his Luna right up to Airjordan’s Bellfaw leaving him minimal space for transitions, trying to score as much points for the proximity as he could. Airjordan in his follow run did that and more, and what really caught the judges attention was the fact that on his follow run Airjordan managed to guess exactly where Szafirowy’s car would be moments ahead and his instant transitions into Luna’s door won the day with the judges
Keiichi : Airjordan
Ken : OMT
James : Airjodan
Run 1
Squidhead vs Strop
Strop’s GTC concept surely did not lack for speed, and could easily keep up with Squidhead’s MRZ3, but this track required more, and in both runs it was apparent. The green Maesima kept clean lines and transitions while leaving the track smoked up as if after a smoke screen. Strop tried to follow properly but the amount of smoke meant that he had to make a lot of corrections, which ultimately sealed his spot in the competition.
Keiichi : Strop
Ken : Squidhead
James : Squidhead
Run 2
HowlerAutomotive vs Airjordan
This run mirrored the previous battle very closely. While Airjordan could easily keep up, the Prodigy drift prototype just was way too stable and predictable for Howler to make a mistake, which allowed him to push as hard as he wished, and Airjordan could not follow him into such angles.
Keiichi : Airjordan
Ken : HowlerAutomotive
James : HowlerAutomotive
Run 1
HowlerAutomotive vs Squidhead
This was a pretty one sided battle. While both cars and drivers were on a high level, Howler’s was just that much higher. It would take extra risks for Squidhead to manage to catch up, which he just was not willing to take. The result of this was a clear, while not a very overwhelming victory by HowlerAutomotive
So here we are in Canada, for round 5 of the 2016 King of Drift. The cars are looking dialled in for the most of the grid, and barely touched upon for the ones who gave up and are just coasting through this competition, providing no entertainment for the viewers, and no competition to the forerunners, leaving their sponsors unhappy. We are on an oval track modified for drifting needs, and what should be said about it is unlike the more popular St-Eustache track, this one is much faster and wider, providing the chance to stretch their legs for the drivers, but it also means that the crashes could have more severe results. The first TnG zone is the first 180 degree bend, going straight into clip 1 on the inside, a transition and a clip 2. The straight holds an opportunity for a manji and a right hand 180 bend with TnG2 finishing off the course. Lets see if this goes better than the last time.
Apart from the slight off by Matti in his first run, who had minor contact with the wall on exit of C2, Minor damage to the suspension did affect his second run, and he did not qualify as high as he might have. But apart from that the runs were all clean, both in practice and in the qualifying. Surprisingly so.
With the qualifying done and everybody mostly successful it was time to pit the drifters against each other and see them battle it out.
By Runs
HowlerAutomotive - Clean run.
GridGhost - Good solid run
Run1
Szafirowy vs Strop
Szafirowy did have a bit of speed over Strop, but the GTC concept was now in full battle mode after the setup changes. So after both lead and chase runs the judges declared
Keiichi - Szafirowy
Ken - OMT
James - OMT
Run2
4LGE vs STM318
4LGE’s Taore Rax was quite fast and kept with STM’s venice on it’s chase run, and was slowly getting away on it’s lead, but Venice did produce a lot more smoke and allowed STM a cleaner line with a lot less corrections. By the end of the runs the results were as follows
Keiichi - 4LGE
Ken - STM
James - STM
OMT Run 1
Szafiwory vs Strop
Nobody expected Strop to pull such a comeback after the first 3 rounds, and now he was laying down the pressure on Szafirowy, who got a bit used to not running against serious competition this early on. Szafirowy led the first tandem, and it was looking pretty good, with clean transitions and nice smoke all over, but at the exit of C2, he did go a bit too wide and ran the car straight into the wall, Strop barely avoiding the crash. Sadly the damage was way more than the team could handle, with all of the rear suspension gone and the new body’s geometry making sure the car would go sideways even if Szafirowy wanted it to go straight.
Strop moves on to the next round
Run 3
Airjordan vs JohnWaldock
The first run we saw Airjordan stay glued to JohnWaldock’s door, mimicking him in a perfect tandem, not letting him go even for a second. John knew he had to perform serious maneuvering to get even a chance at OMT. Sadly, this did provoke him into taking risks. That risk took his rear bumper to the barrier in TNG1, which had the whole car rebound from it’s drift and flat smash into the barrier wall with it’s right side. The judges had no difficulty judging this one. Airjordan moves on.
Run 4
Squdhead vs Vri404
Both runs saw Squidhead’s Maesima pour on the smoke and pile on clean transitions, while Vri’s hadron while keeping similar speed was out of control barely producing any smoke. The crowd knew the results before the judges announced it
Keiichi - OMT
Ken - Squidhead
James - Squidhead
Run 5
Matti vs RK38
The first run we saw Matti follow RK38 in his MRZ-3 very closely. So much so, that a few crashes commenced as he could not keep the car that close that perfectly, so a few times he bashed on RK’s door. Judges saw this as a mistake and gave him a warning. On the next run however with Matti leading we saw him running away with it, leaving RK in smoke and miles behind. After thorough consideration it was announced by the judges that
Keiichi - Matti
Ken - Matti
James - Matti
Run 6
Madrias vs DoriftoDorito
This was a fairly straight forward tandem, with Madrias keeping a much more composed run than DorifroDorito, producing noticeably better angle and smoke. Dorifto could only keep up by having less angle and that sealed the result for this battle
Keiichi - DoriftoDorito
Ken - Madrias
James - Madrias
Run 1
Howlerautomotive vs Strop
This was not shaping up to be a fair battle, up until the point where Howler slipped on a bit of spilled transmission fluid after clip 2 spun out and crashed front left first into the wall in the first run. Sadly this meant damage for HowlerAutomotive, and an advantage on Strop’s side for run 2. With Strop following the run was close, but even in a damaged state the Prodigy prototype has proven itself a serious runner.
Both Ken and James agreed that Howler should move on to the next round. As soon as the run finished the team took their repair break before the next round started.
Run 2
Gridghost vs STM318
The two pretty strong competitors lined up here, with both following and leading runs being done cleanly and properly by both parties. The runs did not produce a clear winner, so a OMT was called for by Ken and James.
Run 3
Airjordan vs Matti
This one was not a very good battle. In the first run with Matti leading, Airjordan tried to keep close, and perhaps got too close as on transition from C2 into TNG2 Matti’s rear bumper swiped into Airjordan’s front, sending Airjordan into the wall. The mistake was placed at Airjordan’s fault for not giving enough room for Matti to maneuver. The second run Airjordan had to endure on a damaged car and in transition from TNG1 into clip 1 the damaged suspension has showed itself and the Belfaw spun out, Matti crashing into it mildly. Matti moves on, as his team of mechanics work on the car trying to fix it before the next round
OMT Run 1
Gridghost vs STM316
The number 2 qualifier Gridghost had a lot going for him, and was a crowd favourite in this run, but sadly it was not meant to be as in the first run where he had to lead on entry into TNG1 he clipped the wall with his read bumper and lost composure. STM went for a safe approach keeping his distance only to be showered with flying debris, while taking this opportunity to overtake and finish first. The second run saw Gridghost tailing STM closely, but with STM not performing any mistakes, the judges declared him the winner. STM moves on.
Run 4
Squidhead vs Madrias
Storm Knight of Madrias and Maesima MRZ-3 of Squidhead had their runs, but the runs themselves left the judges with a connundrum. Both leads and both chases were textbook examples on how to drift, and by the end of the run all 3 judges, Ken, Keiichi and James demanded an OMT.
OMT Run 2
Squidhead vs Madrias
In a spectacular fashion Squidhead took to the first run as a leader, with Madrias following, but sadly the damage of other cars did not leave the track in a good condition. A piece of debris off the recently crashed Scarab X pierced the rear tire of Squidhead’s Maesima in the first turn and the car span out in a cloud of smoke. Madrias saw this as an opportunity, and in the second run where he had to lead the tandem has demonstrated his superiour skills of mimicking his opponent, by spinning out in the exact same place Squidhead did. Both cars suffered minor damage due to exploding tires taking out some of the bodywork, and the judges demanded another OMT
OMT Run 3
Squidhed vs Madrias
Both cars suffering and running on fresh tires another OMT run has commenced. It could have been the damage, or it could have been the nerves, but we did not see the form we expected of these drivers, more so of Madrias. Where Squidhead held an OK line Madrias was very out of shape, and eventually the judges could pass the verdict
Keiichi - Madrias
Ken - Squidhead
James - Squidhead
4 competitors left standing and the teams are working in the pits frantically to get the cars ready for the next runs. It’s good to see them succeeding aswell, since a damaged car would easily cost any one of them their rightful spot
Run 1
HowlerAutomotive vs Matti
In a long awaited battle of Matti vs Howler, we finally got what we wanted, and the battle between the two is glorious. Both cars are similarly setup, and both drivers know what they have to do. The run with Matti following was a close battle, pretty much on Howler’s door the whole time, and when the roles changed we’ve seen the exact same thing from Howler. Both Keiichi and James demanded an OMT, with Ken reluctantly thought that Howler does have the angle advantage on Matti.
Run 2
Squidhead vs STM318
The cars performed in a similar fashion, unlike many battles where the creators have banked on different things. Both STM’s and Squidhead’s cars were OK performers in terms of speed, but great at smoke, angle and control aspects. Sadly the v8 Maesima was just better suited for this task, which allowed Squidhead to take a victory and robbed the viewers of a good semi finals battle.
OMT 1
HowlerAutomotive vs Matti
More of the same by the two drivers who are quickly becoming the championship favourites to the throne of King of Drift. While the crowd was happy to see these two duke it out again, the judges still could not reach a conclusion, and demanded another run by the duo
OMT 2
HowlerAutomotive vs Matti
The first run once again had the same result as before, nobody wishing to give up, the second run however with Matti leading, saw Matti go a bit too close to the C1, leaving Howler little room to go and the two cars collided. Matti has received damage to his front left suspension, while Howler had a trouble with his front right. There was no time to fix the cars, and after a quick inspection they both were deemed safe to run, and with that Judges settled in for another OMT
OMT 3
Howler Automotive vs Matti
The third run did not find an answer to the questions asked on which of these two is the better driver, sadly. The cars performed as they performed, the drivers both pushed hard, but at the end of the day this was a draw, a stalemate. Since the competition needed to go forwards, and 3 OMT runs have been ran, as per FD rules, the one with a higher qualifying score would move on to the next round, and that would be HowlerAutomotive.
Run1
HowlerAutomotive vs Squidhead
With Howler automotive squaring off against Squidhead we thought we’d get the repetition of the last finals, where the Maesima was blown away by the Howler Prodigy prototype. Today, however, the layout was not as simple as that, since Squidhead was running rested on a fresh car, while Howler barely had time to get fresh tires, and that was it. The damage from the previous runs still was evident on the car and the handling characteristics did get in the way, which gave Squidhead a fighting chance. The first run Squidhead led with Howler very close behind managing to pull off a very hardcore tandem, both cars performing equally, and drivers giving it everything they got. The second run Squidhead followed Howler through the track managing a very heroic drive, following a wounded animal that was Howler’s car. Sadly right before entering the second TNG the front suspension finally collapsed, having HowlerAutomotive smash into the guardrail finishing the competition for him. Squidhead managed to avoid the crash and finished the run.
We are back to Japan, after 5 rounds, for the mother of all tracks, the infamous Ebisu Minami, the jumping wallrun variety. So far in the previous 5 races we had 5 different winners, and today one of them could finally score a second win, or one of the outiders could prove them all wrong and take the crown for themselves. In any case the win at Ebisu, while would only still be just another round, prestiege wise it would count for a lot, this is hallowed ground. Drifting Mekka
In case somebody does not know the layout, we start right before a chicane, in which a bump is located on the exit on the inside. You have to hit that bump for a jump drift, and put your rear bumper into the wall at TNG1, which goes into TNG2 with just rumblestrips instead of the wall. The track then goes into a 180 degree bend with 2 clip zones, and into a right hander for a change right before the finish. The most dangerous place is the jump, if you go too slow you’ll just unsettle the car and crash. If you go to fast you jump too far and crash, if you take it with 2 wheels you’ll skid sideways into the walls. If you initiate too early you’ll only jump your front wheels and crash front first into the wall. If you initiate too late you’ll jump straight into the wall. I am guessing you get the idea?
So, lets’ see how we did in the qualifying runs.
Right off the bat we’ve seen some strange things happening as Howler managed to let his grip weaken on the title of qualifying king, Gridghost passing him in the first runs. Eager to get back at it the second run for Howler saw an even crazier entry and sadly, that entry meant he couldn’t initiate the slide in time, and the car just jumped front forward and landed into the wall, destroying the front suspension, engine and most of the front and side bodywork. Sadly for Howlerautomotive, Japanese round of PTKD has ended before even beginning. Gridghost too had a plan of improving his score, but he also took the jump wrong, managing to let the front end jump while sideways and leaving only one wheel on the ground, which resulted in an uncontrollable wall tap, starting at the rear bumper and ending with the rear differential. The car could move, but that damaged needed to be repaired. Everybody else managed their runs without much drama though
With the wall claiming the series top runner and demonstrating it’s willingness to dish out more damage the time for battles has arrived. The competitors had plenty of time to learn the track but the very high chance of impending doom was still in the air. Without further ado, let’s get right into the battles
By runs
Gridghost - a safe run, but that’s all he needed (SUCH luck, second run would have you crashed and totalled if you were competing head to head)
Matti - very solid run, on par with the top qualifying spot
Squidhead - Ran right into the wall with the rear of the car, mechanics are frantically working on it to fix it before the top 8 starts
Run 1
Strop vs STM316
It all looked good for this battle, as the first run came to an end. Both drivers have shown good skill, with Strop leading and STM following, both mastering the jump and the wall ride. The second run, however had STM leading and he wanted to get a bit of a gap going between him and Strop, this caused a mistake on initiation and he tapped the wall a bit too hard, crashing into it flat with his right side after the car straightened out. Strop managed to avoid contact and spun out right after. The mistake was given to STM316, and Strop moves on
Run 2
4LGE vs DoriftoDorito
The monstrous RAX was feeling quite comfortable on this tight and dangerous track, and so did it’s pilot - 4LGE. DoriftoDorito had a few troubles keeping up the pace in the first run where 4LGE glued himself to his door, and during the second run had to push hard to keep on the pressure, but sadly miscalculated and ran out of track in the TNG2. The mistake was evident and 4LGE moves on to top 8
Run 3
Airjordan vs Vri404
This was to be a clear cut victory by Airjordan, since he already demonstrated his skill, and Vri has never seen a round past top 16. This would be the case, if Airjordan did not jump head on straight into the wall at TNG1, the car bounced off and ran into the inner wall, spraying the track with car parts and leaving Vri swerving like crazy just to keep the car intact. It worked, but the second run was not needed, Airjordan’s car was totalled.
Run 4
Madrias vs JohnWaldock
Madrias had a very high chance here, since his Knight is one of the best handling cars on the grid, but John decided that it was time to go hard or to go home. And go HARD he did. In the first run he led Madrias on a wild chase, performing an initiation while in mid air, and scraping the whole wall with his rear bumper, flawlessly continuing into TNG2 and running the clipping points within centimeters. This was a run for the books, that was EXACTLY how it’s done. The first wall scrape did phase Madrias, who expected John to crash out, so he straightened out. He quickly went back to drifting once he realized what has happened, but it was a very clear cut victory for John in the first run, the second run Madrias did get the lines and speed properly, but John just did not make any mistakes logging in a clean run, even though it could be considered an “inactive chase”, the judges still figured that John had the better runs today.
Run 5
Szafirowy vs RK38
Szafirowy’s fearless speed on this track was a thing to behold, and it was also his problem in the first run where he had to lead. The excess speed has left him little to no chance to slow down in TNG2 so he ran 2 wheels off the track while curving into C1 and that messed up his C2. RK had a clean depandable run and got the advantage for run 2. Second run Szafirowy was on the ball following RK38 closely, but while this run could’ve warranted a OMT from 2 judges, the mistake in the first run cost Szafirowy the chance to get ahead. RK38 moves on
With complete chaos on the track and favourites crashing out left and right (With many fans leaving right after they saw their favourite driver crash out, and many others starting to boo. Some though cheered harder than ever, seeing new battles arise that they did not forsee, so it’s not all bad) we got a grid of people many of who saw the top 8 for the first time. This could mean that if the luck continues the way it does, we could have 6 different winners in 6 rounds, but that remains to be seen. No more by runs today, and the racers lined up
Run 1
Gridghost vs Strop
This was a good clean battle, with both drivers performing admirably during both chase and lead runs. This was getting in the groove that a proper competition could look like, instead carnage that followed us up to this point. Strop has tried his best, but sadly it was not enough against the powerhouse that is Gridghost and his trusty Scarab, a brand name that was forged in battles among different competitions and classes, and it showed. All 3 judges voted Gridghost
Run 2
Matti vs 4LGE
4LGE had better plan for this competition than what Gridghost and Strop just demonstrated and quickly livened up the runs by crashing into the wall on the chase run. The damage was severe and we could see the car crabbing due to damaged suspension. The second run was in the bag for Matti. But Matti also had plans better than to run safely. Using a bit of extra bravado he ran close to the wounded RAX of 4LGE, but did not expect the car to be that slow after the crash. He had to avoid the contact with 4LGE, and that ended him in the inner wall outside TNG1. The violent his was so sever that the engine got ripped off the mounts and the race was over. 4LGE’s crew quickly plastered themselves over the steaming and smoking Taore Rax and started ripping off parts to fix the damage. Matti on the other hand just dragged his Endurifto on to a trailer, the event was over for him
Run 3
JohnWaldock vs Vri404
The first run of this pair shaped up to be a clean run, John following Vri close but at enough distance to have it safe. The solid lines by both drivers have promised a non-eventful second battle, and probably an OMT run. John did not wish to drag this out into OMT’s though so he gunned it in the second run where he had to lead. Jump drifting into the wall, scraping it completely start to finish and leaving his bumper holding on to the car only by a thread he continued on to grab good TNG2. Both C1 and C2 were perfectly executed. And while Vri logged in a good run, John was just on fire today, and judges saw it. John moves on to the Semi Finals
Run 4
Squidhead vs RK38
This showdown of two Maesima MRZ-3’s did not provide for a good even battle. While the speeds were similar Team KHT had a much stable run both times, while RK38’s factory backed car needed a lot of adjustments and corrections to keep it on the track. The judges reached a verdict quite soon, with Keiichi demanding a OMT and both other judges going with Squidhead, who moves on to the semi finals.
More crazy battles later we’re at a point where 2 of the semi finalists are visiting the semis for the first time and have a shot at the big win. Will it happen? It’s a 50/50 chance at a fair coin toss, but skill and luck comes into play a lot here at Ebisu.
Run 1
Squidhead vs 4LGE
Squidhead led the first run and once again, the track has caught him out. This is not the best place for a v8 maesima or a pilot who’s not used to the tight technical and twisty track. 4LGE was about to start his initiation when he realized Squidhead was running wide into TNG1. Squidhead yanked the e-brake, and initiated, but missed the jump with the rear wheels. Front lost all grip as it jumped up and the gripped up rears stayed where they were, smashing the front of the car stragith into a wall. The car was still running, and 4LGE passed the competitor and ran the rest of the course as he should, with Squidhead limping behind. Second run was unfair to Squidhead since his car was severely damaged, but the judges saw fit for that car to run. Surprisingly he did well and kept up with 4LGE, but bruised from multiple crashes, tired, angry and confused, probably concussed too, in a car that did not follow the commands very well, his attempt was seen as brave, but it was not enough. 4LGE is a finalist
Run 2
JohnWaldock vs Gridghost
This was a very nervous spot to be for John Waldock. Semi finals are already big time, and a chance at the final got his adrenaling racing through the veins, and it brought about nervousness. Gridghost ran lead first, and John followed. Trying to keep up closely behind he overcooked the jump and took without initiating, which just slammed his car side first into the wall at TNG1. This damaged the car badly for the second run. Seeing Squidhead run in a car that barely did John followed suit to not be a quitter and to not disappoint his fans who by now were chanting in unison. The second run was very heroic as he even tried to run the wall he just crashed in to, and in all fairness this was a legit walltap, but it just was not enough. The damaged Dimension Paradox was on it’s last legs and made for an easy prey for Gridghost.
This was an achievement for 4LGE, and a surprise for many, who saw him overcome much more experienced competitors. Gridghost did not take this battle lightly, and was on his guard for the runs to come
Run 1
4LGE vs Gridghost
Both runners demonstrated that they’re here for a reason, and went flat out, holding nothing back. Both performed great, having clean leads and close as hell follows.The judges had a problem figuring out the winner in this.
Keiichi - OMT , Ken - OMT, James - Gridghost
OMT 1
4LGE vs Gridghost
The pressure was on, and 4LGE was feeling it hard. The OMT run did mean another pass on an unforgiving track, and the nerves did cost him. The first run as he followed he clipped the wall a tad too hard and the car straightened out straight into it, damaging the whole front including the suspension. Gridghost had a clean solid run. As Gridghost was supposed to follow he saw a very damaged car trying to do it’s best. Sadly it was not a pretty run from 4LGE, and it was not hepled by the fact that he ran 3 wheels off the track while going into C1. The judges knew their score and Gridghost is our winner at Ebisu. The first to have 2 wins in this championship.
Welcome, drifters, to the second part of the championship, with 6 rounds done and 6 more to go. We have expected somebody to assert a clear dominance in the standings but so far this could not have been further from the truth. While Team Stellar drift with HowlerAutomotive at the helm does seem to be a sure bet, they’re only 10 points ahead of team Kraft Haus Technik, which managed to consistently rack up points. Close third is Gridghost, a privateer who’s performance is also surprisingly good, and who is the only one who managed to score more than 1 win. Matti and team SRD are closing the 400+ points club.
Ebisu has left the teams in serious disarray, with better sponsored teams being back in full force, cars shiny and looking brand spanking new, while most privateers are running battle scarred machinery, fixed in the previous week, but still bearing marks of the world’s most feared drift track.
Today we are running at Tsukuba, and unlike any other track we’ve faced, it does not feature a wall that you must run. The closest thing to a wallrun is at clipping point 2, where you have a wide grass runoff before the wall becomes your problem, same can be said about c4 and c6. On the other hand this is a very long track with 8 clips, all of which should be perfect
The flow of the track has suited all of the drivers who took to the track as duck to water, many of who were having the time of their lives, performing smooth transitions and hitting the clips impressing the crowd.
With the qualifying proving to be a shock to everybody on the grid (who expected another bloody mess after Ebisu, and got a hugs and rainbows) and one parade after we were ready to start
By runs
HowlerAutomotive - Very solid run, similar to his qualifying one
Matti - a safe approach, scoring lower than he could’ve, but unopposed he moves on
Run 1
Madrias vs DoriftoDorito
Good runs by both drifters, both on the lead and the follow, but while Dorifto tried to go all out on the speed Madrias banked on show and proximity to the cones. In the chase run Madrias did allow for some distance between the cars, but in the lead Dorifto just could not keep up the angle Madrias was demonstrating. Leaving Ken and James voting for him against Keiichi who thought Dorifto did a better job at going fast.
Run 2
Airjordan vs RK38
Both drifters took to the track flat out, initiating late and going for as much speed as they could get, trying to get ahead of the competitor. Both runs were done in a similar fashion, with Airjordan’s Bellfaw scoring the win in the lines and speed, with Ken not knowing who to chose between the two and voted OMT. Airjordan moves forward
Run 3
Squidhead vs JohnWaldock
John knew he had to push his Paradox extremely hard to keep an even battle with the v8 powered Maesima of KHT, but sadly the cars were far from even. Squidhead had easier time of controlling the car which allowed him to dive harder, running full lock and producing tons of smoke, with John needing a lot of corrections to even try to get close. All 3 judges decided that Squidhead should move on
Run 4
Gridghost vs Vri404
The first run with Vri leading was shaping up to be an interesting sight, as Gridghost went out of his way to follow as close as possible, nearly scraping the Hadron piloted by Vri. This has put some serious pressure on her, and in the entry to C6 she made a mistake, ran wide and collided with the wall, damaging the car severely. The second run Gridghost had to lead and Vri tried to fix her mistake in the first run, so she got a bit too close, and when Gridghost went full lock in C4 to shave off some speed Vri could not follow suit and crashed into the Scarab’s left door, leaving them both standing in the middle of the track, Hadron leaking coolant and Scarab having his driver’s door jammed. Judges saw this as Vri’s mistake again and gave the win to Gridghost. At this moment a team of mechanics are working hard to assess the damage and to fix the car for the top 8
Run 5
Szafirowy vs STM316
A very tight battle in the first run, where Szafirowy was leading. STM did not give him an inch and followed very closely throughout the whole track transitioning perfectly straight into Szafirowy’s front quarterpanel, even making minor contact that had no effect on the car’s ballance during the drift. A very tough act to follow for Szafirowy, but he delivered just that, through the first 3 clips Szafirowy looked like he could inch it from STM who ran a very dated car, up to the point of transitioning BEFORE STM, and guessing the position of the lead car flawlessly. Everywhere STM put his car on every transition - Szafirowy was already there on his door, before STM finished his maneuvre. Sadly this was a high risk tactic and it could’ve worked, but at Clip 4 where STM went to slow down for the left hander Szafirowy went too deep and STM transitioned straight into the spot where the Luna v8 already had it’s front end. A crash followed. Both cars stayed sideways and on the track but it was evident that it really screwed up the flow and the lines for both of them. Judges had to consult each other for a good 5 minutes and watched replays. The verdict was “if not for this crash, Szafiwory would have had it, but it was his fault for being too eager, thus the mistake is his. STM moves on to top 8”
Run 6
4LGE vs Strop
Once again Strop managed to get himself into a very even battle right at the start of the competition, pairing off against 4LGE, who’s RAX was usually demonstrating a very similar behaviour to Strop’s GTC concept. Both runs by both drifters could’ve been text book material, and that left the judges with a connundrum. They could not decide who wore it better, as they pretty much xerox copied each other in their driving style. There was no choice but to OMT.
Run 7
4LGE vs Strop OMT 1
The first run had Strop pull a bit of a lead on 4LGE, while maintaining the control and smoke show he usually provided, 4LGE trailing behind by a car’s length copying Strop as best he could. The second run Strop knew he had an advantage and decided to go for a safe approach, letting 4LGE a bit of room to beathe. Sadly it was a bit too much room, and the judges ruled this as an inactive chase, so 4LGE’s chase runs was deemed better than Strops’, and 4LGE moves on
With the deck shuffled a bit and the drivers providing most of the entertainment, not the walls for a change the Top 8 was about to commence. Only real change from top 16 is that now Gridghost’s scarab sported a seriously hammered door, lacking most of the recognizeable decals. Everybody else came through relatively unscathed.
Run 1
Squidhead vs Airjordan
This was shaping up a good run, as these two did not run against each other for some time, and Airjordan was very determined to go through Squidhead and shoot out to the next round, as the battle for points heated up after half the season. And go through Squidhead he almost did, literally. As they exited the first hairpin Airjordan following Squidhead transitioned for the long right hander, and Airjordan made a mistake, his front end grippling up. The Bellfaw plowed straight into the rear right of the Maesima severely damaging the car, leading Squidhead into a crash with his rear left into the wall. As smoke cleared we saw the MRZ-3 barely moving under it’s own power, the rear axle bent and twisted, both rear tires off the rims, HRE wheels bent and the bodykit ripped to shreds. But the Bellfaw had even worse issues, the crash was so severe that both front wheels were looking int he wrong directions and the engine ripped off it’s mounts lied on the ground leaking fluids, covering the car in steam and smoke. The judges made a call for Squidhead to move on to the top 4, if the team could fix the car. As we speak an army of mechanics, along with many drivers who have already been eliminated volunteering, working on the green coupe, trying to get it to work.
Run 2
Gridghost vs Madrias
The Scarab has seen better days, but was far from being discounted in this competition, Madrias taking the challenger seriously in his Storm Knight. The first run had Gridghost follow, and he did a bang up job at that, sticking close, and maxing his angle on each corner. Madrias had a tough act to follow. The first half of the course it was a valiant effort, but as they entered the first right hander Madrias carried a bit too much speed that he could not shave off. Luckily for Gridghost - he already went full throttle on the right hander, moving out of the way of the Storm Knight, which spun out of control moving straight off the track and into the run off area. No damage done, but such a serious mistake cost him the chance at the top 4
Run 3
Matti vs STM316
Matti knew exactly the strengths and weaknesses of his car and his opponent’s driving style. So when it came to it he played his cards exactly right. The chase run was a tutorial on “how to follow”, deep angles, great lines and speed to match STM’s Venice. On his lead run he did not hesitate to drop some of his speed in favour of more smoke and full lock left foot braking techniques, providing for more smoke than a full on burnout could, clipping every cone perfectly. STM could not match that, and both Ken and James thought that it was a clear vicotry for Matti.
Run 4
Howlerautomotive vs 4LGE
4LGE thought that speed would be his saving grace in this battle, and it could have been if Howler did not bank on different things. His showmanship shined, and the skill combined with the great handling of the car allowed for perfect transitions and drift lines and angles that did not require any corrections at all. Howler was on fire today, and while in his chase run he did allow for a bit of a distance between the cars both Ken and James ruled him as a winner.
Run 1
HowlerAutomotive vs Squidhead
The battle between the leader of the championship and the 2nd place happened in the semi finals, both drivers being formidable opponents, Howler did, however look a lot stronger during todays’ event, clocking in insane runs, demonstrating the car to be the very best in the championship. Squdhead came into the starting area, half his car missing, both rear fenders removed, rear bumper consisting more of zip ties than actual bumper, lots of hammering marks and the rear window covered completely over with duct tape. Fresh set of Work wheels at the back, courtesy of team NorthStar Drift, who lent him a set for this run. The crowd saw the technical officer going over the car, inspecting it from below. He finally got out from underneath it and said something to Squidhead. Grandstands were quiet for a second and then the Maesima roared up into a burnout, signaling this battle was on. Howler calmly and confidently rolled up tot he start line. At the first run Howler was leading, Squidhed putting on the pressure. While his lines and angles could not really compete with Howlers’ his speed was more than enough to keep a close proximity, this continued all the way through the course, where Howler finally caved in to the pressure, making a mistake. The prodigy prototype went wide in the final bend, allowing Squdihead to dive on the inside, and push Howler back, until the MRZ3 emerged in front as they exited to the finish line. Such a severe mistake by Howler cost him dearly, and he piled up the pressure tenfold on Squidhead through out the second run. Better angles, better lines, clouds of smoke, but Squdhead used the tiny advantage in speed to keep in front, and with no mistakes made crossed the line first, making his best run of the day. The judges saw the fact that in the second run the cars were very much even and could warrant a OMT run, but sadly because of Howler’s mistake in the first run, this was not about to happen. Squidhead moves on.
Run 2
Gridghost vs Matti
Another great battle was at hand, with both GridGhost and Matti setting their sights on the win today, Gridghost wishing to assert his dominance by scoring a third win, and Matti wishing for evening out the score by running 2 wins in the tournament aswell. Gridghost had all the speed advantage on his hands, and Matti knew this full well. In the chase run Matti went lower on his angles to gain some speed just to keep up with Gridghost’s Scarab. Perfect run from Gridghost and a decent chase by Matti later the battle looked even. Second run Matti just did his thing, he did not care much for speed, as he nailed every single line on the course, narrowly avoiding cones and dirt drops, Gridghost had a trouble going that deep, since it would mean exceeding his car’s limitations. He kept his cool and controlled the car properly, but it was not enough to impress the judges. Ken and James voted Matti.
Run 1
Matti vs Squidhead
Here we have it folks, Squidhead of KHT, with a car held together with tape, rivets and zip ties, running against the cunning tactician that was Matti. Both drivers were experienced enough to get the win, and at some point both already did. Squdhead got here by shear luck and going all out every time, and Matti by carefully observing his opposition and playing to his strengths. This was a battle of brute force versus smarts.
As they ran for the first time, Squidhead leading Matti went in his regular controlled fashion, while Squidhead just gunned the hell out of the 6 liter v8. This led to a bit of a gap forming between the cars, both pouring on tons of smoke. The second run Matti did his thing, going slower than usual, but making the perfect line through the course. This however did allow Squidhead to get extremely close, but it also made Squid’s task much harder, requiring corrections mid corners. The judges consulted for a bit.
Keiichi - Squidhead
Ken - OMT
James - Matti
Run 2
Matti vs Squdihead OMT1
This was getting tense and both drivers were feeling the pressure. The calm and collected runs that we’ve seen before were gone, replaced by frantic overkill on both parties in both runs. Matti made a few corrections too many, while Squidhead did make a mistake of going way too much of an angle and slowed down to a crawl at one point. The judges were confused, and all 3 of them voted for another OMT
Run 3
Matti vs Squidhead OMT2
The second OMT run commenced, and both drivers took a chill pill. They saw their mistakes when running hot headed in the previous run, and tried to just do their best. This, however backfired again on both of them as they basically repeated the battle they first had, judges scoring the same verdict as they did before, and yet another OMT had to be had.
Run 4
Matti vs Squidhead OMT3
If this run did not provide for a viable result, per Formula Drift rules, the one with a higher qualification score would be declared a winner, so the pressure was on Squidhead for this one. Having no choice but to go hard he ran Matti’s front fenders with his front wheels, causing minor damage, keeping extremely close the whole time. This was a very serious run and a hard blow for Matti, who now had to follow a faster car and somehow win. Needless to say Matti was getting nervous, while Squidhead managed to calm down a bit, the first run did give him enough of an advantage to take it a bit easier. As both car ran the last run of the day Squidhead led by quite a margin, Matti trying desperately to keep up. And it would be a useless effort, right up to the C3 into C4, where the Maesima’s on-the spot welding finally gave up. Doing about 90 kph sideways the rear subframe simply fell off, car dropping on the wheels, cutting both of them with the exposed metal, locking them up, torque of the v8 ripping the propshaft out of the differential, and beating on the car’s underbody, destroying the car completely. As the smoking and leaking Maesima MRZ-3 slid to a halt Matti stopped his car to make sure everything was ok. No casualties reported he went on to the technical park. This could mean only one thing, Squidhead could not continue, and really there was no point as this was the final run anyway. Matti is the second driver who has now scored two wins in the championship.
Welcome to UK, and we are now running the final round before the last big break, where the drivers will have the chance to make final tweaks to their cars, and take it to the final race of the season just 4 rounds after. The track we’re given is Silverstone, and we’re all located at Car Park 3. After exiting the technical park the drifters will line up for their acceleration into Brooklands, a sweeping left hander, with clipping points exactly at he apex. The follow to that is a transition into the right hander with a finish at woodcote. Simple enough layout, and while usually Silverstone has no wall to run against, the organizers were kind enough to provide one made of concrete blocks right on the outside of the right hander into Woodcote. This is, indeed our TnG for this round, making things interesting, and keeping the drifters on tehir toes.
The first one to go was Airjordan, managing to transition straight into the wall after brooklands. Sadly the hit was so severe the whole chassis is twisted. Madrias also had a few problems, one of which included crashing into that same wall, but with the rear of his car. If he’d start grinding on it mid corner the damage would be repairable, but sadly he went a bit wide on teh transition and pretty much ran his left rear wheel into the concrete at about 80 kph, effectively ripping the car in half. The Storm is totalled aswell, and we’re off to a troubling start. The hero of the day, however is Gridghost, the guy who’s been feeling quite comfortable through out the season. The second run was a safe one, the judges saw the careful and measured action on his part, but that was only due to the fact that in his first run Gridghost was the only one who made contact with the wall and survived, leaving huge orange scrapes through out the whole wall with his rear bumper, eventually ripping it off as he left the wall for woodcote, leaving the crowd speechless for a second, and then errupting into a frenzied roar of applause.
With the qualifying trimming the field down to 12 and 4 people having to do their by runs we’re going to kick off Silverstone with just that.
By runs
Gridghost - Tried to do another wallrun, but sadly ended up in the wall. The car is damaged, but the crew is already fixing it to be ready for top 8
HowlerAutomotive - Ran to return to status quo between him and Gridghost, leaving huge bumper marks on the wall.
Matti - Safe approach run, simply clocking in to go through to top 8
Squidhead - Went for a guaranteed spot in the top 8, not taking any unnecessary risks
Run 1
Strop vs DoriftoDorito
This was a very close battle, both Strop and Dorifto did good solid runs, and made little mistakes. Without any daring stunts by both drivers the judges had to think on the decission for a bit, before giving the win to Strop, by a small margin
Run 2
4LGE vs Vri404
Vri had a serious challenge ahead of her, with 4LGE warming his tires in the most efficient way possible… did I say efficient? I meant he just smoked the whole track performing the mother of all burnouts. The first run had 4LGE lead, and through the left hander it all looked good for him, but that first bend heated his tires up to the point of excessive grip, and mid wallrun the rear gripped up on him, Rax straightening up on 4LGE, colliding with the wall lightly, allowing Vri to pass. The second run 4LGE tried to make up for such a mistake, but with Vri not making a mistake through out her run, it was not enough. Judges giving the win to Vri404
Run 3
Szafirowy vs John Waldock
Szafirowy tried to push the speed on John Waldock, something John’s paradox had a problem with. This tactic could have worked for Szafirowy, his Luna being the fastest car on the grid today, but this just meant he pushed hard enough to get his car out of control. While he did keep composure of the car most of the time, the amount of corrections did strike a note with the judges. While Keiichi went on a wild rampant explanation as to why Lunas’ speed is just the best thing ever, both Ken and James demanded a One More Time run, to see if Szafirowy can keep the car under control.
Run 4
STM316 vs RK38
RK pushed himself hard at Silverstone, trying to grab at any chances to prove himself, running the Maesima into the ground many times, and sadly this run was no different. The awesome initiation into the first corner was done at maximum commitment, but it was a bit too extreme, and as STM followed and ran into the corner he saw RK38 just slide off the track. This did not really damage the car, but it did damage his chances in the second run. The second run went a lot better for RK, but not enough to offset his DnF in the first run. STM316 moves on to top 8
Run 5
Szafirowy vs John Waldock OMT 1
Both drivers lined up, Szafirowy following. Szafirowy once again wanted to push on the advantage in speed, John feeling the pressure, transitioned into the wallrun, but he did not realize just how close Szafirowy was following him, and sadly for Szafirowy, he did not leave any room for John to transition. The rear of Johns Paradox hit the front of the Luna v8 sending both car out of control, John spinning out and crashing into the wall, ripping multiple parts of the front suspension off, while Szafirowy’s Luna had a lock up on it’s front wheel after the crash and the crash itself sent it directly head on into the wall, damaging the front end to the extent of cracked engine block. The judges ruled that Szafirowy’s over eagerness caused this crash and gave the win to John.
There are multiple mechanics volunteering from other teams at this moment helping John’s team JHW to fix the car. The front end is pretty much completely removed, and sound of hammering is coming from the pits. It seems the car will be ready for top 8
Run 1
Gridghost vs Strop
Gridghost entered the staging area in a car held together with duct tape and zip ties, marks of the very unsuccessful by run in the top 16. The first run did seem to start as a one way battle, Gridghost’s Scarab pouring on the smoke in the first corner, Strop barely visible close behind him, but just as the cars were about to transition we heard a clank, a build in revs and the Scarab spun out, creating a smoke screen with just the right wheel, Strop narrowly avoiding it. On further inspection it turns out that Gridghosts’ mechanics missed the fact that 3 of the 8 bolts on his half axle have broken off during the first impact, and under stress, the others snapped aswell, leaving the Scarab literally single wheel drive mid transition. The second run was pointless, as the car could only really either go slow or do donuts, so the win was given to Strop.
Run 2
Squidhead vs Vri404
This battle did not have any contact or mistakes, and was one that did not leave people talking. The difference in cars was just too much, Squidhead’s Maesima outperforming the Hadron on every occasion. Both runs team KHT performed, at a level higher than team Northstar, which resulted in all judges unanimously voting for Squidhead to move on
Run 3
HowlerAutomotive vs STM316
The first battle round for Howler was against the underdog that is STM316 in a pretty dated Puttzalong, while STM did have a lot of fans, Howler did have the perfect car, and perfect runs to boot, running the wall again so close, that it ripped the bits of his rear bumper off. Nothing STM could throw at him could dent Team Stellar drifts’ performance today, and the judges agreed that Howler should move on to the next stage
Run 4
Matti vs John Waldock
John has logged in a heroic run, outperforming his usual self by quite a margin, but he was running against one of the strongest drifters in the series - Matti, who had his performance matched on the follow run. On Mattis’ lead run, however, the Endurifto has set angles and speed at such a level that John just simply could not keep up, and had to sacrifice smoke and show for pure speed. This did not sit well with the judges, who all voted Matti to go to the next round
Run 1
Squidhead vs Strop
Team Ninja Horse has been getting better results as of late, which was a direct result of them re-tuning their car after round 4, and it culminated with them running strong, separating themselves from the foreground runners, and slowly but surely going into the mid-pack, with a clear intention of taking the spotlight from the top teams. In their way, however, as usual, team Kraft Haus Technik, a bunch of Germans, bent on taking fight to Gryphon Gear in any way possible, and Team Ninja Horse was it for today. Both teams running Asian cars powered by v8 engines, the GTC concept and the Maesima MRZ3 lined up for their first run. Both drivers went in with maximum commitment into the first corner, Squidhead pouring on the smoke show, Strop not being phased by it, keeping a very close proximity, which helped him not getting stuck in the middle of the blinding smoke screen. As they transitioned Strop went for a ballsy move transitioning first trying to guess where Squidhead’s Maesima would be in a second to be on his door the moment Squidhead would transition, but that meant that a bit of gap has appeared between the cars, and Strop was now completely engulfed in the smoke, not able to see what’s happening. As Strop stood on the accelerator pedal suddenly he was out of the smoke, which allowed him to see that he overshot the entry to the TnG, and that was it. The GTC concept slammed into the wall quite hard, ending the event for Team Ninja Horse, all of the suspension damaged beyond repair on the left hand side of the car. Squidhead finished his run, only to realize that he finished alone after he slowed down. Squidhead moves on to the finals
Run 2
Matti vs Howlerautomotive
Two of the championship’s strongest runners should meet in the Finals, but it seems that today, we’re going to see the two clear favourites run in the semis. Both SRD and Steallar drift running extremely old school technology, chosing Survival of teh Fittest challenge of the 80’s prototypes, upgraded from Category 5 to drift spec, both these cars created to be at their best handling abilities while at breakneck speeds through all sorts of offroad terrain, the smooth tarmac suiting them well. The blue Prodigy lined up against the green Shack Endurifto and we were off for the first run. Both drivers were on the ball today, performing perfect runs, Matti following Howler close and risking highly on his transitions, Howler puting on a great show on his own, but in tandem this was one of the best pair runs of the day, crowd cheering on their feet. The second run Matti pulled all the stops in the lead, Howler performing admirably to mimic every move Matti made, which resulted in pretty much a mirror run of the first. The judges were taking their time to declare a winner and eventually it happened, not the judgement call, but the spectators chanting “ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME!” This helped speed things along, and the judges agreed that a OMT run would be in order
Run 3
Matti vs HowlerAutomotive OMT1
Howler led the first run, once again, performing miracle lines and creating naval warfare amounts of smoke, Matti running close, arranging for an extremely close run, very similar to the ones before, crowd loving every bit of it. If this were to continue, there might have been another OMT run, but sadly, as the second run commenced Matti went a bit too hot into the first corner, sliding out with 2 wheels on to the dirt, keeping his drift. Howler jumped on that opportunity and layed on extra pressure, sticking as close to the Endurifto as he possibly could, even rubbing his wheel on Mattis’ door mid TnG zone. There wouldn’t be a OMT though, as judges ruled that wheels off the track is a mistake, and Matti made it. The win went to HowlerAutomotive
Run 1
Squidhead vs HowlerAutomotive
HowlerAutomotive being on a roll today felt quite good about his chances, while Squidhead was secretly rooting for Matti, since he though he’d have better chances against the Endurifto rather than the Prodigy. But the luck was not on his side, and the bright green Maesima lined up against the blue Category 5 prototype for the final battle of the day. Squidhead led the first run, with HowlerAutomotive following, and while team KHT did look good and strong today, team Stellar Drift looked better and stronger. On the TnG Howler went a bit wider than expected, covering himself in smoke, but scraping the wall. which was extra points for Howlerautomotive. The second run Squidhead followed, but in his attempt to out-perform his opponent he overcooked the transition, spun out and crashed rear first into the wall on a high speed sliding impact, ripping body panels off the car. The judges did not have to think twice, Howler won the event today
#Attention drifters!!!
The PTKD is on a break, and this means a chance for the teams to fix their cars, improve on their setups and come back stronger than before to make sure they get the very best performance they can out of the last 4 rounds of the season.
What you will be able to change, however is very limited, and should be sent via a PM to me, you should use this template. If you’re leaving something the way it was, just leave the field blank.
Top speed :
Spacing :
Diff type :
Tyre choice :
Tyre width F
Tyre width R
Offset F
Offset R
Wheel diameter
Rim diameter
Wheel material
Brake pad F
Brake pad R
Brake diameter F
Brake diameter R
Cooling airflow
Brakes airflow
Camber F
Camber R
Springs F
Springs R
Dampers F
Dampers R
Sway bar F
Sway bar R
We also had the judges to take turns in the competitors cars, and this is what they had to say.
@squidhead
Keiichi : Just above average 6/10 / Ken : Very satisfying 8/10 / James : Easily controlled 8/10
@Rk38
Keiichi : Speed is impressive 7/10 / Ken - It is average 5/10 / James - an average performer 5/10
@AirJordan
Keiichi - VERY impressive, 9/10 / Ken - this is ok 6/10 / James - we’ve seen better, but this is pretty controllable 6/10
@Dorifto_Dorito
Keiichi - It’s good speed 7/10 / Ken - this is a prime example of average 5/10 / James - you can have some liberties with this, but not too much 6/10
@JohnWaldock
Keiichi -This is quite slow 4/10 / Ken - just above average 6/10 / James - well it handles, but does not shine in any way 5/10
@Strop
Keiichi - WOW, much speed! 8/10! / Ken - This barely ticks over the average mark 5/10 / James - needs improvement - 5/10
@HowlerAutomotive
Keiichi - I recall this being much faster 5/10 / Ken - The showmanship level this car can provide!!! 10/10 / James - Not even sure if I am needed to control it 10/10
@gridghost
Keiichi - that speed is amazing - 10/10 / Ken - It is an improvement, but not by much 7/10 / James - I can handle it, but under pressure it will be a handful 7/10
@Matti
Keiichi -Just your average run of the mill car 5/10 / Ken - Quite the car! 9/10 / James - Extrodinary handling 10/10
@Madrias
Keiichi - I’d be concerned if i had to drive this in a city, let alone track, 4/10 / Ken - This car does not shine, but doesn’t really call for any changes 7/10 / James - The ballance is just ok, but could be much better 7/10
@4LGE
Keiichi - WOW, now this is a speed freak 9/10 / Ken - Solid car, not much to say 7/10 / James - Still a handful. 5/10
@STM316
Keiichi - Wow, this old car is SLOW 5/10 / Ken - it is just above average performer, 7/10 / James - there’s number of tweaks that could make this car better 7/10
@szafirowy01
Keiichi - Extremely fast!!! 10/10 / Ken - There should be some changes done to this, 6/10! / James - nothing stands out with this car for me. 5/10
@Fayeding_Spray
Keiichi - Well it’s just about average? 5/10 / Ken - This car has decided that smoking is bad for you. 4/10 / James - It has a steering wheel and pedals, but it rarely listens to what those got to say 4/10
#Deadline
This heavily depends on my next course of action that i will find out tomorrow, but it’s either “till friday” or “a month”, so I’d get cracking, gentlemen.
Hello and welcome back to the final leg of the King of Drift 2016 championship. The final revisions are done and the teams are ready to battle on 4 more tracks, trying to keep their positions or to claw back some points. So far we’ve seen Team KHT running a once again updated Maesima MRZ3, as well as Team Maesima themselves, taking their car to the track with much better results than usual. Team Ninja Horse is also looking strong, while STM, the privateer is also cautiosly optimistic about his chances. Another top runner privater, Gridghost, running a scarab will try to stop STM from progressing and get himself up close and personal with the leaders of the championship, so it promises to be a good one. We are in Abu Dhabi for the Yas Marina drift event, and the weather is scorching hot, many teams having trouble with cooling their drivers as well as their cars.
The track layout is pretty simple, as the drifters have to intiate into the right hand bend touching the clip on entry and on the apex, going out straight into the touch and go 1, a tire wall on the outside of the track. A transition into the second touch and go with more tire wall, and a chicane with clipping points on the inside of both parts of it. The main concern is the scorching hot asphalt, that throws a wrench in the works. Tires that aren’t heated up properly get more grip towards the end of the run, changing the car’s behaviour, while properly heated tires overheat and lose grip, once again ruining the ballance of the car. So let’s see how our competitors have done
Our first heroes to go a bit too hot or too hot are Dorifto Dorito, who had a sudden grip loss at the transition into TnG2, where he planted the rear of his Paradox hard. There was some suspension damage and the second run was severely impaired due to it. The mechanics promised to fix the car before the main event, but this would damage his chances. Second to go hard and not go home was Vri of Team Northstar Drift, who ran a bit too hot on the first bend and clipped the TnG1 wall, which spun her out and sent into the TnG2 wall. The first contact wasn’t too hard, but it sent the car flying exactly where she didn’t want to go. The second contact was a big one, and the second run was very badly spoiled by it. Team Northstar are fixing the car, hoping to get it running by the top 16 battle. STM had a problem in his second run, where he overcorrected his transition into TnG2, and missed all the walls, but did miss the entire chicane with C3 and C4, luckily he already had posted a good qualifying run, so no biggie for him. Everybody else saw a reshuffle at the grid, and some guys were more confused about it than they expected. Here’s how it goes.
Tomorrow’s battles will look like this, I hope the teams are happy with their new performance. We will see how it ACTUALLY goes tomorrow
Brand new day and a brand new set of tires, and a perhaps a brand new chance for some of the competitors. Nothing too outrageous happened yesterday, apart from Team Ninja Horse getting plastered all except for the designated driver, so today they aren’t feeling too fresh. The battles are to commence with 2 drifters going with the by runs, so let’s see how it goes.
By runs
Gridghost - a very solid run, demonstrating full commitment to finishing strong
Howlerautomotive - a very solid wall, made of tires caught Howler’s rear bumper and sent him straight into the wall at TnG2. The car couldn’t finish the run, so despite the by-run unopposed, Howler can’t move on to top 16.
Run 1
Squidhead vs 4LGE
4LGE knew he had serious opposition, so he had to go hard or go home in the first round of battles. The first run he was leading, but sadly the speed out of the first corner was a bit too high, and he missed the exit, which made him crash his car straight into the wall with the whole left side of his car. Squidhead avoided the carnage, and drove slowly to finish the urn. The second run Squidhead finished unopposed, since 4LGE’s rax could not continue to run.
Run 2
Airjordan vs JohnWaldock
This was an actual battle, with little to no contact this time, and the crowd actually seemed disappointed at this. It was either that or the fact that Airjordan’s Bellfaw was just faster, had bigger angle and more smoke, while John could not provide any sort of competition. This battle had a clear winner, all 3 judges went with Airjordan
Run 3
Strop vs Vri404
Strop had a lot of ground to cover to get some championship points, and it showed, in the first corner he was right on Vri’s door, only letting her go on the transition. After the transition he quickly gained up on her, but that was perhaps done too quickly, as he actually crashed into her. The judges went to the replays to figure out who’s fault this was, and came to a conclussion that Strop went in a bit too hot, but Vri did slow down a bit too much. The second run in the damaged cars, and Strop just gunned for it, the car not feeling too good shed a bit of bodywork during the run, but it was ok, less weight meant more speed. At the end of the run the difference in speed was so tremendous that judges ruled an inactive chase to Vri, making Strop continue to top 8
Run 4
Matti vs DoriftoDorito
Running against Matti is always a challenge for everybody in the grid, but running against matti when you’re in a paradox that’s barely scraped up 3/4’s of the power needed and Matti’s on a roll? That’s a tall order, but one that Dorifto Dorito was fullfilling quite efficiently. During the first run DoriDori pulled out all the stops, making Matti work for this, but during the second run he went a bit too hot. On the transition to second TnG zone Matti went all out and scraped the wall, while DoriftoDorito tried to copy him and actually hit the wall. He spun out and that was the end of his competition. The judges thought that “not spinning out” is better drifting than spinning out.
Run 5
Szafirowy vs STM316
The battle fo privateers, once again was proving to be interesting. Szafirowy coming in as the crowd favourite, with STM having a lot to prove this time, with the newly setup car. The first run STM had to follow, and follow he did. Not only did he stick to Szafirowy’s door the entire time, he also scraped his rear bumper on TnG1 and TnG2, and in the transition between these he scraped his front bumper on Szafirowy’s luna. The crowd went on their feet and wild, this was a chase run for the books, and STM knew he could apply the pressure today, the new setup suited him. But this was a bit premature, since for the second run STM had to lead. As they went into the first corner Szafirowy’s windscreen filled with smoke from STM’s tires, and that carried on through the whole course, so Szafirowy pretty much was running blind the whole time. Which means that what he did not see was STM once again touching the walls on TnG1 and TnG2 with his rear bumper, this time ripping the it off and sending it flying at TnG2. The crowd went completely berserk and the judges did too. STM’s performance was on fire today and this was probably one of the best runs we’d get to see all day. STM continues into top 8
Run 6
Madrias vs RK38
Madrias and team firestorm squared off against RK38 and team Maesima. While Firestorm’s … storm… was the same as the day it entered the competition, the MRZ3 had already seen 3 revisions, and was a completely different animal from what it was before, bringing in an element of surprise to the table. Team Firesstorm, however was nothing to sneer at, and the stakes were high. So with RK leading the first run, we’d see if the changes in the setup helped. The first run RK pulled all the stops with wallruns so fine you couldn’t squeeze your hand between the car and the wall, but Madrias decided to not probe the competition carefully and just came out swinging… his Storm Knight’s rear end at that. After the run was over we’ve seen 1 cone and 2 TnG walls got the worst of it, cone being dead and the wall having deep orange scrapes on it. The run was a success, Madrias getting a serious advantage. Rk38 had some serious problems now, his car’s update worked just fine, but it might have been not enough.The second run RK followed Madrias, and it was a properly close follow, with a tiny bit of contact to boot, and the angles being proper. It could’ve warranted an OMT run, but the first run by Madrias cemented his win.
With the top 16 dealt with and STM still not believing his luck as he’d go unopposed into the Semi finals, while Team Ninja Horse finally realizing where they were it was time to start the Top 8 runs
By run
STM316 - just a safe run to get a guaranteed spot in the Semi finals.
Run 1
Matti vs Airjordan
By now everybody knew the dangers of this track were there, even though they were well hidden behind the “safe walls made of tires”. A mistake here could cost you your car easily, and Matti felt that the hardest way possible. In run 1, he went a bit too wide in the transition into TnG2, and clipped the wall a bit too hard, which caused the car to straighten out and crash flat with it’s side into the wall. As the tow truck came about we saw that the front tire along with the bits and pieces of Matti’s front suspension was torn off. He could not make the second run and Airjordan moves on.
Run 2
Strop vs Squidhead
This battle was without a crash, which was getting rare, sadly this meant that the battle was not a very close one. Strop’s pure speed did help him keep up, but Squid had the angle and smoke advantage, as well as less corrections. By the end of the two runs the judges decided that Strop pretty much ran less angle to provide an active chase and it just did not cut it. Squidhead moves on
Run 3
Gridghost vs Madrias
The first run left the judges happy, Madrias kept up with Gridghost, closely following his lines, and producing similar amount of smoke. The second run left the judges confused as Gridghost did exactly the same thing, and no clear cut winner could be declared. After a bit of thinking an OMT run was demanded
Run 4
Gridghost vs Madrias OMT 1
Madrias thought he had a chance today, against Gridghost’s updated Scarab, but it seems Gridghost decided to start using those updates to their full potential, and straight out of the gate showed what a full throttle in the Scarab looks like, leaving thick rubber lines at the straight going full chat into the first corner of the course. Madrias just could not keep up, the angles were similar, and so were the lines, but Gridghost just did it at a much higher speed, making less mistakes. The second run Gridghost just glued himself to Madrias’ door and sat there through out the track. This was enough to earn him a spot in the Semi Finals.
Run 1
STM316 vs Squidhead
Squidhead had to follow Stm in the first run and that was exactly what he did. Wherever STM put his car on the track, Squdihead’s Maesima was right there on the Venice’s door, up close and personal. By the end of the run Squdhead was feelign quite comfortable, with STM knowing he’d have to pull some sort of miracle to get through. Luckily miracle is exactly what happened. MIRACULOUSLY in the second run Squidhead lost composure in the exit of the TnG2 and ran wide enough to go off track. The car was not damaged, but the run was clearly lost, and STM316 moves on into the finals.
Run 2
Gridghost vs Airjordan
The first run with Gridghost as a leader proved a bit of a mixed bag. Airjordan logged in a dependable run, copying Gridghost everywhere he could, while Gridghost has made some severe mistakes, actually straightening out during the TnG2 transition. This meant Airjordan could go to the finals today, but Gridghost had other ideas. The second run Gridghost has risked it all, and took his scarab to the absolute maximum attack, ripping off his rear bumper in the process of tapping both walls. The chase was so impressive that the judges thought it was enough to counter the mistakes of the lead run by him, so they asked for an OMT run.
Run 3
Gridghost vs Airjordan OMT 1
This run was very close aswell, and this time without much drama. Airjordan completed the runs just like he was supposed to, ticking every box you could think of. The problem was that Gridghost just did it better. The better smoke, line, consistency and control made sure Gridghost moves on to the finals
Run 1
Gridghost vs STM316
Well this was it, and STM knew he had one shot to get on that number one spot on the podium. Sadly Gridghost was in the way, and it was a challenge STM just could not overcome, the Scarab was much better suited to this track than the Venice even after a swap.While the runs were both decent, Gridghost did have an advantage in both of them, which led to his ultimate victory at Yas Marina.
Round 10 of the Performance Tuner King of Drift 2016, and 4 teams are within 60 points of each other, the leadership can be dropped at any moment and picked up by the competition, with a lot of teams gaining some momentum for a strong finish. Today we’re at Autopolis, Japan, and the track is not overly complicated, consisting mainly of touch and go zones, with only one clipping point. The speeds are going to be high, with entry speed into TnG1 reaching 130-135 kph during practice, and mistakes on the initiation can lead into running straight into the wall of TNG2, with TNG3 demanding a wide exit, which is lined up with a wall right outside the gravel trap. So let’s see how the teams have fared.
The first runs have shown us a few of the guys deciding to go extra hard, and not go home. STM316 was one of the guys running the crowd into a frenzy, by literally scraping his front bumper through out the TnG2, and Vri managing to collect all the TNG zones pefrectly as well, shame that the other aspect of the drift weren’t that impressive. Gridghost once again, managed to snag first position, but in the second run Howler Automotive have restored the status quo, and left Gridghost in status “QUE?”. Squidhead and Airjordan managed to score exactly the same points, and were put on the leaderboard according to their championship standings. This was shaping up to be a good battle
By Runs
HowlerAutomotive - a very solid run, cementing his intentions to claim the championship
Gridghost - Threw a serious punch at Howler’s by run, but fell just a tad short. Great run
Run 1
Madrias vs 4LGE
Madrias led 4LGE into the first corner, but 4LGE miscalculated his entry speed, Madrias slid right by the C1, while 4LGE went overly wide and crashed into the beginning of the TnG 2 barrier, almost hitting Madrias’ knight as he was transitioning. Luckily there was no contact between the two cars, but 4LGE can not continue, as his car is literally split in two.
Run 2
Squidhead vs JohnWaldock
A pretty straightforward battle, Squidhead managing to pull all the stops and running all the TnG zones, with John Struggling to keep the angle and fluidity of Team KHT’s Maesima v8. Both Ken and James voted Squidhead by the end of the run
Run 3
Airjordan vs DoriftoDorito
The first run led by Airjordan left Dorifto with a lot of catching up to do, and Dorifto pushed hard in the second run. At the exit of TnG 2 he ran wide and slid off the track, spinning out and crashing into the outer wall, seriously damaging his car. The judges ruled Airjordan to move into the top 8
Run 4
STM316 vs Szafirowy
The two have already faced off multiple times, but STM had a very solid setup on his hands, and was quite a contender this time, so Szafirowy pushed hard, knowing that his is one of the toughest top 16 battles today. Sadly, as the two cars exited the TnG2 Szafirowy lost composure, the car gripped up in the rear, sending him out of the track at full speed, missing STM by centimeters. The front end of the Luna V8 crashed into the barrier where DoriftoDorito left his mark just in the previous battle, and that was it for Szafirowy, the engine was ripped off the mounts, and the front right suspension was destroyed.
Run 5
Matti vs Vri404
All Matti had to do was shoot Vri404 and team Northstar out of the competition, a task he was very comfortable with, as team Northstar’s performance over the course of the championship was not impressive and did not improve. However, the first transition into TnG2 proved way too confident, as Matti ran his Shack endurifto way too close to the inside and clipped the wall with his front. It wasn’t a hard hit, but it was enough to unballance the car and spin him out, sending him into the outer wall of TnG3. The bloodthirst of the wall that claimed DoriftoDorito and Szafirowy was not yet satisfied, and Matti’s now dead car could not move on it’s own, and Vri continues on into the top 8
Run 6
Strop vs RK38
Strop led as RK followed, and RK, trying to do all he can to beat Strop and get into the top 8 overcooked it, the Maesima spun out at the final transition from TnG3 to TnG4 and went into the wall, luckily sustaining damage that was not fatal. Strop followed the next run, and surprisingly for everybody, clipped the TnG2 wall on his chase run, which damaged the car a bit, and left him in the middle of the track. The judges thought a bit about it and demanded a re-run.
Run 7
Strop vs RK38 OMT 1
Strop’s car overheating, and RK’s Maesima not tracking too well lined up for their OMT run, and away they went. Both drivers ran hot and determined, and this was a good battle, even with their damaged cars, but after a debate among the judges Keiichi wanted an OMT, while Ken and James voted Strop to go into the top 8 if his car could be fixed. At the moment we see some KHT pit crew carrying a radiator, some hoses and a lot of zip-ties towards Team Ninja Horse’s pit zone, another example of drifters sharing their parts to help. It seems that the GTC concept will be operational before the Top 8 battles
Run 1
Vri404 vs Strop
Team Ninja Horse have fixed their car, even though a lot of bodywork is missing, and a lot of cutting of the body panels was needed to house the v8 radiator from the Maesima, but it all seems to be in working order, ziptied securely, but a bit of doubt was reading in the teams’ behaviour. Team Northstar, however were extatic, up to the point of being openly cheerful. Not only did they get into the top 8, but with the GTC Concept damaged so, their chances at going to top 4 and scoring some serious points was brighter than ever. All that was quickly settled, as in the first run Strop transitioned into the TnG2 wall and… DID NOT stop drifting, front left quarterpanel being ripped off along with the left headlight, but the bashbars holding strong, leaving deep scratches all the way along the wall, not losing his angle or speed, still on Vri’s door throughout the course. The crowd went wild, this was a very cool run by Team Ninja Horse, one that proved that they were not out of the game just yet. Team Northstar had to face the fact, Strop’s team of happy go-lucky speedfreaks were packing some serious skill in engineering and driving department. “The GTC, it’s OPERATIONAL!!! ITS A TRAP” we heard the announcer Jimmy Ackbar shout over the speakers, as the crowd cheered on their feet. The second run was much more calm and collected, as there was no need for extra risk. Vri got the points for the chase run, but it was not enough to outweigh the first run by Strop
Run 2
Squidhead vs Airjordan
Squidhead’s Maesima lined up against Airjordan’s Belfaw, and the run began, Squidhead leading the first run. As the drifters transitioned into TNG2 Airjordan tried to get a bit too close and almost made contact with Squidhead. He avoided it by corrections, but that action, while preventing him from crashing into Squidhead, made him slide out straight off the track and into the blodthirsty wall of TnG3, crippling the rear of the car, ripping the rear axle off completely. Airjordan could not continue (And wow, if only RNG was kinder to Airjordan, the second run, I would have a crash, and the win would not go to me )
Run 3
Gridghost vs STM316
This was a good battle, but unlike what we were getting before, there was little drama. Both drifters did admirable job of allowing the judges to show off their judging skills on a textbook example of a clean battle. Gridghost was on fire today, and did not have much trouble dispatching the little privateer team from the tournament. All 3 judges agreed that STM just could not keep up with Scarab’s level.
Run 4
Howlerautomotive vs Madrias
The first run Howler once again shown us why he is leading the pack at this moment. The lines, angle and smoke were textbook example of what the judges and the crowd wanted to see, Madrias barely keeping up, trying to get some angle going to no avail. The first run over the advantage was on Howler’s side, and Madrias had serious problems ahead of him. He led Howler on the second run, and at the exit of TnG2 Howler made a mistake, he did not forsee that Madrias’ car would be slowing down while sideways, not accelerating like his Prodigy SD16 prototype, and almost went straight into the Storm Knight. Luckily he managed to correct and avoid contact, but the wall on TnG3… left emptyhanded today, as Howler saved the car from it, the Prodigy did, however spin out and had a little contact with the wall of TnG4, but not too badly. This however was a breaking point, as the judges saw this as a serious mistake on Howler’s part and ruled Madrias to move to the top 4
Run 1
Madrias vs Squidhead
This was an interesting battle, which proved that many of the fore-runners are really close in terms of performance. Madrias did not have many problems keeping up with Squidhead, and had just as smooth and fluent runs as him, even though he did have to shave a bit off his angle and smoke to do so. This was seen on both runs, and after all of it done the judges decided : Keiichi - OMT / Ken - Squidhead / James - OMT
Run 2
Gridghost vs Strop
Another close battle, with Gridghost looking more confident on the track than Strop, using less corrections, and demanding Strop to show his best, if he wanted to get into the serious big boy pants… i mean points. After the two runs were complete the judges decided : Keiichi - OMT / Ken - OMT / James - Gridghost
Run 3
Madrias vs Squidhead OMT1
The second battle of Madrias vs Squidhead has shown more of the same, but this time Squidhead tried extra hard, and nailed all the clips and TnG zones, Madrias following close but now apparently less precise than Squidhead was. The judges saw fit to give the win to Squidhead, who advances to the Finals
Run 4
Gridghost vs Strop OMT1
Gridghost did not expect such a fierce opposition from Strop, and went full berserk mode in the first run where he led, the run was even better than his qualifying one, and Strop just could not respond to that, in every aspect, Gridghost just had him beat. The second run Strop was ready to dish out some serious damage, but Gridghost was on a roll and to really drive the point home not only scratched the inner wall of TnG2, he also scratched Strop’s GTC concepts’ door while he was doing it. The best performance of the day by far belonged to Gridghost during the semi finals.
Run 1
Gridghost vs Squidhead
With both Matti and Howlerautomotive out of the way, numbers 2 and 3 on the leaderboard met in the finals, both drivers ready to get most out of this day, and improve their chances at the title. Gridghost was laying down the law at Autopolis today, and was not going to let go off this hot streak, with Squidhead methodically climbing through the tournament ladder to be here, now facing the day’s number one contender. The cars lined up and with Gridghost leading the first run they were off. The speed with which Gridghost could take the corners was a bit too much for Squidhead, who had to sacrifice a bit of angle to keep up, but both cars were controllable and smooth through the runs, making a bit of a contact during the TnG2. Second run Squid could set the tempo, and went for full smoke machine mode, but it wasn’t much of a problem for Gridghost, who stuck to Squidhead’s door throughout the run. The judges went to make a decission and the result was
Keiichi - Gridghost
Ken - Squidhead
James - OMT
Run 2
Gridghost vs Squidhead OMT1
Second run, and Squidhead decided to go hard or go home. As he started his chase run, he did not realize that you can do both, and while he tried to transition before Gridghost into TnG2 he did not figure that he did not leave enough room for Gridghost, who transitioned straight into the Maesima’s front right tire, sending Squidhead out of the track, but undamaged. This was the mistake that cost Squidhead the win today, as in the second run Gridghost did not make any mistakes, and took the victory in Autopolis.
Ladies and gentlemen, round 11, the penultimate round before the season finishes, and we can crown our champion, with only a few points separating the first 3 spots on the leaderboard it can go either way, and the competition is as heated up as it could get. Today we’re at Eurospeedway Lausitzring, and boy are we in for a treat. Safe and easy tracks are in the past, and we’re here to show some serious commitment.The track is halfway the outer tri-shaped oval, and halway the infield, so we will see both high speed and low speed drifting. The entry into the first TnG zone is at about 140 kph, with the fastest drifter among the competitors managing to log in an approximate 152 on initiation. The banking itself, where you need to be as close to the wall as possible makes you slow down to an approximate 100kph, so every mistake counts here. As you exit the banking you are to slow down hard into C1, going on to the kerbs of TNG2, exiting via C2, and transitioning into the TnG3 on the inside. Luckily only the TnG1 has a wall, so we all should be safe… right? Well surprisingly yes, as only Madrias and Vri managed to cock things up, but not by much. Madrias has clipped the wall of TNG1 on the exit, and spun out going straight on to the straight of the outer track, barely damaging his car, and Vri has carried way too much speed into the TnG2 and just slid out into the gravel. In the top level of the grid Gridghost and Howler exchanged a few punches, with Gridghost edging Howler out of the top spot, and the mid pack looked tight as well
By runs
Gridghost - A serious run, better than the qualifying one, once again reminding us that he is serious about winning the serie.
HowlerAutomotive - Going full out, and missing the initiation badly. The car lost composure and grinded it’s left side on the whole wall of TnG1. The mechanics are frantically trying to fix it before the top 8 starts.
Run 1
4LGE vs RK38
It all went well for the drifters, right up to the point in run 1, where RK could not follow 4lGE’s line through TnG1, and clipped the wall with his rear bumper. This caused the car to spin out and crash into 4LGE, as he was slowing down for C1. RK’s car got slight damage on the rear and front, while 4LGE’s RAX is scratched and slightly dented. The second run RK regained his composure and ran a good lead, but 4LGE followed it properly. With the mistake in run 1 caused by RK38, 4LGE moves up to top 8
Run 2
Matti vs JohnWaldock
John’s luck ran out right out of the gate, in top 16. Not only did he run against Matti, one of the strongest competitors there is, but Matti himself also decided that he has had it and went all out. Matti’s lead run was in a class of it’s own, if this was qualifying, we’d be looking at the leader by QUITE a margin, and John could not keep up. While John did follow Matti’s lines, the speed, angle and smoke just did not hold up to the show and pace Endurifto was providing. The second run both of the drivers calmed down a bit, Matti cooling off not to crash the car before he got to the really important battles. John did a good job on the lead, but nothing Matti couldn’t handle, and Matti moves up to top 8
Run 3
Strop vs DoriftoDorito
Dorifto and Strop faced off in a very calm and controlled manner, both drivers making sure to clip all the clipping points and touch and go all the touch and go-ing zones, drifting the drifts and smoking the smokes. There was little drama to the battle itself, as in the first run Strop very much ran away from DoriftoDorito, while in the second one he kept him very close in the chase position. The smokemachine award for this run also was given to Strop, and he moves up to top 8
Run 4
Szafirowy vs Madrias
Both Szafirowy and Madrias wanted the points badly, trying to claw their way out of the mid-pack. The first run, however quickly set their disput on who goes where, as Szafirowy went wide on TnG1, clipped the wall and ran straight on, instead of slowing down into C1 and TnG2, Madrias managing to slow down and finish the course. The second run was a good one by both drivers, but Szafirowy’s mistake cost him the top 8
Run 5
Squidhead vs Vri404
Vri has put on quite a show, scratching the wall with her rear bumper, clipping all the points, and performing admirably. Sadly the car was never really settled or smooth, while the speed and angle suffered. Squidhead just did his average run, which was enough to run away from Vri in the first run, and to keep it tight on the second one. No real drama, and Squidhead moves on to top 8 despite Vri’s best attempts
Run 6
Airjordan vs STM316
The closest battle so far, and one without incident at that, STM started to push hard on Airjordan as soon as they went for the first run, keeping it close, never letting Airjordan get away, finishing right on his tail in clouds of smoke. The second run Airjordan has went for a similar tactic of going all out, not allowing STM even a slight breather through out the track. The judges had to consult for a bit, but eventually they pronounced Airjordan to be the winner
Run 1
Gridghost vs 4LGE
4LGE and team SkidX have not been tweaking their car through out the season, and the results really showed. The Taore Rax was a serious contender in the beginning of the season, but right now, 4LGE was sweating, as he had to face Gridghost, who’s been on a war path. 4LGE tried to rely on the power of his v8, but it wasn’t anything that Gridghost’s Scarab couldn’t handle. By the end of Run 2 the plucky privateer has proven his car to be faster, more nimble, easier to control and able to lay down serious angle and smoke. 4LGE tried, but the scarab was just on another level
Run 2
HowlerAutomotive vs Madrias
Factory backed team Firestorm also thought their car to be sufficient throughout the season, and it was the case, right up to the point where everyone started updating and upgading. Team Stellar Drift was a deadly opponent before, but after the updates at round 5, Howler just dominated, when the car’s overly ambitious driver could keep it on the track. Madrias pulled all the stops, but not to the extent Howler did. The prodigy prototype managed to leave deep scratches on the TnG1 wall, and the amount of smoke had the crowds on their feet. All in all, this was not a very hard battle for HowlerAutomotive.
Run 3
Matti vs Strop
Matti was in a bad spot, with Team SRD falling way behind the leading trio in the championship, and getting the 80 points back would be a no small feat. Strop on the other hand had his own plans on what the result board should look like - Team Ninja Horse in front of all the mid pack by the end of the season. If the champions’ title wasn’t going to happen, Strop had to make sure to leave an impression before he left. Sadly the only thing Strop’s GTC concept had on the Shack endurifto really was just speed. Matti could pull bigger angles, and his car behaved much better, while producing more smoke. By the end of run 2, Matti was declared a clear victor.
Run 4
Squidhead vs Airjordan
Airjordan was pushing Squidhead hard, pressing against his door the whole first run, but sadly for him, KHT prepared Maesima just had the maximum angle and serious smoke, while Squidhead easily navigated the course. In the second run Airjordan did try to take advantage of his Smooth Belfaw’s pace, but all Squidhead had to do was sacrifice a bit of angle to get close. Keiichi really wanted to see Airjordan win, but Ken and James did not agree with that.
Run 1
Gridghost vs Matti
Matti was here to prove he isn’t out of the game yet, with Gridghost trying to prove him wrong. What Gridghost did not expect, though, was Matti’s performance. Yes, the result of the previous round got him lost in the standings, but that did not mean that he’d perform any worse than he usually would… And that was a level Gridghost did not really live up to. Matti came out swinging right off the strart line, pushing Gridghost’s Scarab, provoking minor contact, while maintaining the drift, both cars providing huge amount of smoke. The second run Matti led, and instead of trying to go fast, he concentrated on going full out sideways, getting as far out as he could on the TnG’s and as full lock as he possibly could. The judges saw that, and awarded Matti his win, leaving Gridghost a bit shocked. All he did was pick up momentum the last 3 rounds, but Matti just stopped him dead in his tracks.
Run 2
HowlerAutomotive vs Squidhead
Howler was not in a good mood. The chances for the championship were diminished and Squidhead was one of the people he simply had to take down. He was grateful to Matti for removing Gridghost from the finals, but now he had to concentrating on getting there himself. Squidhead knew the pain train he was in for, and just tried to do his best. The best, this time was actually enough, as the speed of the cars matched quite well, and both drivers layed serious smoke at very similar angles. The cars clashed a few times, but nothing too serious. Howler couldn’t run away from Squidhead on run 1, and on run 2 Squidhead’s performance was enough to confuse the judges. Keiichi and Ken both voted OMT, with James deciding in Howler’s favour.
Run 3
Howlerautomotive vs Squidhead OMT1
Very much of the same, both drivers pushing hard, and the crowd cheering wildly, but once again, the judges do not know who to declare a winner. This time all 3 judges wanted to see the OMT
Run 4
Howlerautomotive vs Squidhead OMT2
The first run with Howlerautomotive leading, Squidhead pushed very hard, once again scraping on Howler’s Prodigy throughout the course, Howler trying to get away from the bright green Maesima to no avail. The second run Howler knew he had enough of this. Right at the initiation into turn 1 he ran into Squidhead’s door with his front left tire, both cars maintaining the drift, bits and pieces of the Prodigy’s bodykit bending and tearing apart. Mid TnG1, as the cars were going approximately 100 kph Squidhead made a small mistake and clipped the wall a bit too hard. This usually wouldn’t be much of a problem, but that made the rear of the maesima to straighten up a bit, and it was also enough to clip Howler’s prodigy. This caused a chain reaction, of clipping and scraping both on the wall and the cars. Within seconds Prodigy hit the Maesima hard enough for Squidhead to lose control and slam into the wall, with Prodigy crashing into the suddenly slow car, both slammed against each other and the wall. The twisted mess of metal rolled down the banking leaving tire tracks, parts, fluids and sparks all over. Both cars were unable to continue. The judges could not even decide on who was at fault, and ruled this to be a racing accident. This did not help matters as both drivers confronted each other right outside their wrecks, exchanging choice words and gestures. Since not one of the cars could continue, and not one of the drivers could be ruled the winner, Matti was easily declared the winner after a by run.
Well… this is it. We’ve come all the way to USA New Jersey for the Gauntlet - Wall. The final event in the Performance Tuner King of Drift 2016, and what a season it was. At this exact moment only 11 points separate the first three runners in the championship, and the championship decider happens right here. Each mistake for these three is critical, each win is essential, and considering how competetive the three are, we’re sure to see them take it to the absolute limit risking it all. Matti in number 4 at the moment is 50 points away from the finish on the podium, and he is the only real contender who could spice things up in the top 3, but it will take not only skill but also luck. Strop and team Ninja horse is on a roll to claw a few extra points out before the season ends, to turn the story of a constant bad performance to a story that could be used as a training montage for the next season. So let’s take a look at the track.
The Wall Speedway is a very old oval, with very bad tarmac. Even though parts of it have preserved well, the ride is still bumpy and unpredictable, due to offset the ballance of the car. What makes it worse is that we’ve made sure that “the Wall” lives up to it’s name, and placed 3 touch and go sections right into the walls of the track, with only two clip zones for transitions, which won’t be judged too harshly. So yes, in order to score high you should tap the walls 3 times at speeds of from 70 to 100 kph. Let’s see how we did then, shell we?
So far so good, only 1 damaged car, which would be Matti, trying too hard on his second attempt and crashing in to the wall of TnG2 pretty hard, but able to keep driving. The car is being repaired before the top 16. A few people deciding to play hero aswell, with Szafirowy and DoriftoDorito doing serious scraping damage to the walls and their rear bumpers, seriously amping up their score and chances. Up top Squidhead went for the regular safe enough approach, Howler delivered the killer runs as always, and for some reason Gridghost just does not seem to be feeling too good on this track, his Scarab fighting back, which did not allow him to throw some serious punches during qualifying, like he did the past 3 races.
By Runs
HowlerAutomotive - Safe approach. Nothing special, but it did do the job done
Gridghost - Trying to get extra practice in, and logs in a good run
Run 1
DoriftoDorito vs 4LGE
A very close battle, with Dorifto pushing on with the fluidity and control, while 4LGE going all out on speed and power. The judges were conflicted, with Keiichi going with 4LGE, Ken wanting an OMT and James voting DoriftoDorito. An OMT run was issued
Run 2
Matti vs JohnWaldock
John was in way over his head with this one, Matti gunning for the last chance to drop into the top 3 this season, and he meant buisness at that. Nothing John could do was even close to Matti’s performance, all the judges saw that the speed, angle, smoke and control was on Matti side, and John simply could not compete in the Paradox.
OMT Run
Dorifto Dorito vs 4LGE
DorfitoDorito has decided to concentrate hard on winning, and for a while it helped. At least right up to the first run, where 4LGE has unleashed a wall of smoke, pushing the Taore Rax as far as he could nearly clipping the walls, DoriftoDorito nowhere close in terms of show. The second run Dorifto tried to get back into the action, but 4LGE’s aggressive driving has proven successful this time, and the Rax performed just as expected, nailing the smoke screen and advancing to Top 8
Run 3
Szafirowy vs RK38
This was a very interesting battle, both drivers developed a similar style and could be great opponents, but sadly this was not going to happen. The first run, Szafirowy leading and RK following, started great, with proper lines and very close proximity, but as the transition into the second TnG had to be done Szafirowy overcooked it and spun out, RK avoiding the crash and finishing the course. There was pretty much no return from that, unless RK made a mistake, but he didn’t, which sealed the deal in the top 16 for them.
Run 4
AirJordan vs STM316
Smooth Belfaw went out against the old school Puttzalong in this battle, and they proved to be good competitors for each other, following the lines and sticking close to each other. This supplied a problem of “they practically mirrored each other” and the judges did not know who to give the win to. Keiichi was siding with Airjordan, but the rest of the judges just wanted an OMT
Run 5
Strop vs Vri404
Vri ended up facing Strop, who was picking up serious momentum over the past 4 races, and did not wish to back down. The hopes of team NorthStar drift were that team Ninja Horse would make a mistake or had a problem, but the first run has proven that the mistakes were not to be made. Strop ran wide enough to scrape two out of three TNG zones, and gained enough speed to leave Vri behind. The second run he just followed Vri as close as he could, safely cementing his place in the top 8
OMT Run
Airjordan vs STM315
The second battle of these two proved a good show during run 1, neither wanting to give up the spot in top 8, and the second run was to be more of the same. Sadly it wasn’t as STM couldn’t hold the car on the line and hit the wall a bit too hard, spinning out, some parts flying off the car. He can still drive, but the judges say he does not have to. Airjordan advances
Run 6
Squidhead vs Madrias
Squidhead was not very happy about his qualifying spot, since he’d have to face tougher competition straight on, instead of having an easier battle into the top 8. Madrias and his Strom Knight were still a force to be reckogned with, and it showed. Through out the first run Squid just could not get away from Madrias, with their lines smooth and fluid, and the second run just showed that the cars are equally matched in terms of speed. Ken decided that Squidhead has won, but both other judges demanded an OMT battle
OMT Run
Squidhead vs Madrias
The first run Squidhead leading was once again a tough competition for both drivers, crowd once again on their feet and cheering. The second run, however, managed to turn into a real shit show. On transition into TnG2 Madrias went a bit wide and clipped the beginning of the wall with his rear. Squidhead following him closely could not see the wall approaching so he effectively crashed into Madrias. Lucky for him crashing into Madrias’ Storm was softer than doing so into the wall, with Squidhead’s Maesima badly damaged, and Madrias’s Storm not being able to continue Squidhead advances to Top 8, that is if the mechanics manage to fix the car.
Run 1
HowlerAutomotive vs 4LGE
An extremely strong performance of Howler in the lead for run 1 was well praised by the judges, but it wasn’t anything we haven’t expected from Team Stellar Drift. Howler went for a safe approach, knowing that his average run would usually cover all the bases and give 4LGE something to chase. The extremely strong performance by Howler of run 2 was very rudely interrupted by 4LGE spinning out in the second clipping point and going off track. Howler finished the run and moves on to the Semi Finals.
Run 2
Matti vs RK38
Matti was in full attack mode, and has performed a great lead in run 1, RK having serious trouble keeping up with the angles and the fluidity. The chase run by Matti was to seal the deal, and get him into the semi finals, but it was not to be. The first TnG zone had Matti at a serious angle, a lot of left foot braking and much smoke, which overcooked his tires a bit, so when it was time for the transition by the C1 RK38 did just that, and Matti just slid rear first off the track. A shocking development, as the contenter for top 3 leaves us early, shooting RK38 into probably his best event yet. RK38 of team Maesima goes to the Semi Finals.
Run 3
Gridghost vs Airjordan
Gridghost led the first run, with Airjordan following in his Bellfaw. The lines and the speed were very good and consistent through out the run, and when by the end of it Airjordan looked in the rearview mirror, he only saw his own smoke. Turns out Airjordan ran a bit too hot and clipped the wall of TnG2, smashing into it and suffering minor damage. The second run Airjordan tried his best to get the disadvantage out of the way, but Gridghost knew he only had to not crash and he’d win. Which is exactly what he did. Gridghost advances.
Run 4
Strop vs Squidhead
Strop of Team Ninja Horse had all the speed in the world, but Squidhead’s KHT Maesima v8 could sacrifice a bit of angle to keep up, so the first run was not extremely pretty, Squidhead going a bit shallow, as Strop pushed as hard as he could. The second run Squidhead just layed down the smokescreen, with Strop trying to follow, but he wasn’t smooth or fluent enough on the bends or transitions, which allowed Squidhead to finish confidently. Judges argued for a bit, but Ken and James voted Squidhead the winner today.
Run 1
HowlerAutomotive vs RK38
Safe clean run from Howler again, RK38 trying to push his hardest, but it was just not happening today. The difference in car’s abilities was just too great, and while Keiichi praised the Maesima’s speed, both Ken and James voted for Howler hands down. This was exactly what Howler needed, as cementing his spot in the finals already meant he’d be at least second, and in quite a lot of points. With Matti out of the competition even before it really started, it suited team Stellar Drift.
Run 2
Gridghost vs Squidhead
Two of the fore runners of the championship had to decide their fate in the semi finals, one of them would go home disappointed and one would have a chance at the crown. So Gridghost lined up against a fairly beaten up Maesima for this run, and they were off. Gridghost’s speed was a serious challenge, but as usual, Squidhead compensated for it by giving it a bit less angle, both cars very controllable throughout the course, and both drivers nailed all the judges’ demands for proximity to the TNG and Clip points. The second run was more of the same, but this time around Squidhead went for his angles instead of full out speed, which allowed Gridghost to keep up easily, but the amount of aggressive angle just put Squid in front this time. Keiichi argued that Gridghost was better, Ken thought that would be Squidhead, and James just shrugged and asked for an OMT run.
OMT Run 1
Gridghost vs Squidhead
One more time for Squidhead and Gridghost once again started their regular game of Squidhead trying to catch up to the Scarab which was flying down the oval. The first transition through C1 was extremely close with Squidhead not giving Gridghost even an inch of breathing room, they went door to door through TnG2 and at C2 Squidhead did allow for a mistake, Gridghost tried to transition but there was a bright greeen Maesima front bumper in the way, and that is exactly where Gridghost placed his rear one. Both cars veered off course, Squidhead ending up in the guardrail and Gridghost in the tire wall on the inner field. Luckily the damage to Gridghost’s Scarab was only visual, and the team zip-tied the bodywork before the finals, where Gridghost was heading.
This is it, the big one. The two best cars with the two best drivers behind the wheel, about to go all out in the championship decider. Gridghost lined up his zip-tied, tirewall marked scarab against the 80’s Category 5 prototype turned drifter. HowlerAutomotive was calm and collected, knowing he will have to fight hard, with Gridghost punching way above his average weight the past 3 races finally got what he needed, a one on one chance to prove he is a force to be reckogned with. Howler was to lead the first run and that he did, going full lock to full lock from bend to bend, transitioning fluidly and smoothly while pouring down the smoke thick as all hell, leaving Gridghost trying to catch up, and offsetting his ballance a lot. The first run showed us that HowlerAutomotive was the real deal, and swapping spots with him in the qualifying is one thing, but going toe to toe with him is a whole another thing. Second run Gridghost tried to take risks, but they did not pay off, while he did not lose control or spin out, his performance was still off the level that HowlerAutomotive logged in today. A great effort by both drivers, but the winner could only be Howler automotive
)
