The third driver we are working with this year to bring you content from the 2018 HEL Performance Driftcup is Ian Wyatt.
This season I’m competing in the HEL Performance Driftcup Championship after coming up from Retro Drift Championship last season.
Over the winter I have taken some time to improve the car that including changing the geometry and cooling solutions for the oil and water. This meant that I missed out on seat time over the winter so I was going into Round 1 with the mind-set of getting as much seat time as possible and to qualify.
During the Saturday practice day I got on really well although a couple of small issues had become apparent, the clutch was slipping and the car was understeering due to a set of rather worn front tyres.
By the end of the day I had dialled in the line and I was feeling good ahead of the competition day.
Sunday morning came around and the track was dry, the car responded well to the extra grip and actually made some smoke! That’s rare for my car to smoke as much as the other competitors.
Qualifying started around midday and as usual I started to get nervous. The car had new tyres fitted ahead of the session so I tried to warm them up as I approached the start line.
As I initiated into the first corner I understeered straight on, giving me a zero on my first run as all four wheels left the track.
My second run was much better after I had managed to get some heat into our front tyres, I scored 65.7 but it wasn’t enough to get into the Top 32, I had missed out by 0.4 of a point.
I was frustrated at first when I found out that I didn’t qualify but after some time to reflect I am happy with how close I had come considering the lack of seat time beforehand and the issues with the car.
It’s time to lose my qualifying nerves and get into the battles at the remaining rounds, thanks to everyone that supports me including Wide Nation, Comp Brake & EverythingDrift.com