With just three days until the season opener in Birmingham, UK, the 2012 Drift Allstars European series is getting the ball rolling in style with a host of International and DRIFT Allstars Champions confirming their attendance.
James Deane is back for 2012 in his newly built Mazda RX7. The car, a Falken Tires /Full Stop special, produces 500hp and its stellar performance helped take James to the series Championship in 2011. Already the Irishman is odds on favourite to take the double in 2012.
Luke Fink is a big name on the European drift circuit, as well as being the 2010 Drift Allstars Champion. Luke is back this year with the newly formed Italian Solaris Motorsport team and the 650hp Nissan S15. The reigning Australian Drift Grand Prix Champion will be looking to steal a march early.
Nigel Colfer, second in the championship in 2011, returns in a newly built Marangoni Tire Nissan S13, and he’ll be hoping the awesome power of the Nissan will take him one step closer to the prize in 2012.
Dan Chapman returns to the series with former-double Champions LBD after a year on the sidelines. LBD is now fully backed by Achilles Tires Europe, and the new V8 Nissan PS13 will surely be a force to be reckoned with. His team-mate for the year will be Finnish Champion Juha Rintanen. Driving the Monster 750hp Nissan S14, Rintanen will be one to watch after dominating the Scandinavian and Eastern European scene last year.
And let’s not forget reigning Irish Champion Alan Sinnot, Spanish Champion Lluis Lopez, former-British Champion Phil Morrison, two-time British Irish Champion Damian Mulvey, 2008 British Drift Champion Ben Broke Smith, Bulgarian Champion Todor Dunev and Danish Champion Jacob Hogh Hansen. In all, close to 40 competitors will descend en-mass to Birmingham this weekend.
And Birmingham’s just one step on a seven-round road, plus the Nation’s Cup, for the Drift AllStars in 2012 And given the competition on offer, even that might not be enough.