Well I’ve got to say best round so far for me so far, still fighting teething problems with the JZX90 Toyota Chaser which was to be expected with a fresh build through the winter, but definitely gaining ground with a lot of the problems getting sorted.
Practice was great and the car was feeling better with every run, even with a wet track the new tyres were providing loads of grip and my confidence was high. Ready and raring to go for qualifying I fired into my 1st run hitting all the clipping points and driving the qualifying line. My next two runs also went well but the track conditions were getting worse by the minute.
Once again my clutch started showing signs of problems and my worst fears came back to haunt me with the clutch failing all of a sudden!!!!! It seems there is an underlying issue to sort out with the pedal setup and hydraulics, currently being worked on back at Boss HQ.
Not to confident sat waiting for the results as the names were called out I was amazed when I was told I was 2nd in the Semi Pro class. Now the mission began to find a new clutch and fit it overnight. Once again the British Drift Championship paddock came to the rescue with Team Japspeed coming to the rescue, lending the team a spare Exedy clutch and Flywheel. The team all work hard till late into the night and got the Chaser ready for the morning battles.
First battle was early in the morning and with the Chaser clutch untested I went to the start line not knowing what was going to happen. I had drawn Mike Collins in his BMW tourer. And knew if the car held together I could move forward to the Top 16. Unfortunately the clutch start to slip straight away and I had problems leaving the start line, the problem got worse throughout the run and made the car un-driveable.
Another end to what could have been an awesome weekend, I definitely feel we are getting closer to having this car running competitively by the end of the season and now can’t wait for round 4, returning to Lydden Hill on August the 9th. Thanks again to all of our sponsors this year.
