This weekend saw the debut of a new destination in the Drift Allstars 2014 tour calendar at the Mantorp Park circuit, just 150km from Stockholm.
Set by the judges as per Drift Allstars specification, what looked to be one of the season’s easiest tracks soon became one of the most difficult with a wide mix of clipping point zones, setting the drivers up for a real challenge.
With the highest track speed layout of the season, this was tipped to be one of the events of the year.The fans came in there droves from all over Scandinavia.
Day 2 Recap Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dszAQSrrzyg&list=UUi8-4ikOzmy9IuGZg6fsakA
Qualifying was a close affair with teams pushing the boundaries of skill & nerve to get them into the top spot. Many of the top drivers made big mistakes, dropping wheels off the track, spinning and straightening – this difficult track was really testing some of Europe’s top professional drift drivers.
James Deane of (Falken Motorsports) proved his level yet again by taking P1, despite making a big mistake in his first run. He was closely followed by Norwegian driver Fredrik Oksnevad in 2nd and local driver Alexander Granlund in 3rd place.
Some of the biggest news of the weeknend was Janis Eglite retiring due to mechanical issues in qualifying, and the Budmat team, who until this event had been leading the championship, using this as their drop score due to commitments in the Polish drift scene.
With 10 Scandinavian drivers in the Top 16 alone, there was great progression being shown of the drivers and cars since the 2013 Swedish event. Battle of the Day saw Dmitriy Illyuk showing great form & nearly defeating Deane in the Great 8, before going off track for the Irishman to take the win.
Semi Final 1 – James Deane vs Jack Shanahan. Mentor vs student this would be the first time both Irish drivers would do battle. Shanahan would chase hard but had no answer to Deane’s close proximity chasing, giving Deane the advantage in this battle.
Semi Final 2 – Fredrik Øksnevad vs Alexander Grandlund – In this all Scandinavian battle, Norway Vs Sweden. Fredrik was leading from the start and ultimately showed way more speed through the course, giving him the advantage and win to go through to the final.
Final – James Deane Vs Fredrik Øksnevad was shaping up to be another classic final with both these young drivers pushing to the limit of their car’s capabilities. Deane would once again show his masterclass display of driving and his chase run was enough to give him the advantage in the final and his first win of the 2014 season.
With the action from this event, the points table has seen some major changes, with James Deane now moving into the championship leader with Martin Richards and Nigel Colfer close by. BUDMAT drivers moved down the ranking due to missing this event, but will use this as their drop score meaning they are still very much in the championship hunt for the 2014 title.
Round 4 takes place at the classic Riga city circuit in Latvia on August 1-2nd. With the biggest line-up of drivers this season, this promises to be the event of the year.
Final Results: Swedish Drift GP (Round 3)
1. James Deane –Ireland –Falken Motorsports
2. Fredrik Øksnevad -Norway – Spy Optic
3. Jack Shanahan -Ireland -Aerokit Nexen Tire Europe
4. Alexander Granlund – Sweden -Jspec.SE
The report half way down is wrong….. . He was closely followed by Norwegian driver Fredrik Oksnevad in 2nd and local driver Alexander Granlund in 3rd place. It was 14 yr old Jack Shanahan finished 3rd