The Ulster Drift Championship is no longer.
All hail the ULTIMATE DRIFTING CHAMPIONSHIP!
Northern Ireland’s premiere Drift League, the UDC has in recent seasons begun to travel beyond its humble origins and 2012 is about to see us back on our merry travels again, this time with a bigger and bolder production. In doing so the provincial name tag has had to be laid to rest.
The ULTIMATE Drifting Championship moniker also reflects the revised format of our Drifting competition. Certain parts of Drifting as you know it will remain as required elements, but we will be introducing a new level of ‘Ultimate Drifting’ to enhance the entertainment side of things, as well as encouraging drivers to really push their limits.
Previous UDC Qualifying sessions have been decided by the best single lap of 3 qualifying laps.
Our new Qualifying format will again see drivers given 3 scoring laps (no change there).
However, instead of the best single lap, 2 of the 3 laps will now be added together:
Best one out of Lap 1 & Lap 2 (80%) __ Lap 3 (20%)
Lap 1 & 2 will consist of all the usual required
elements (clipping points, speed, angle, etc..)
Lap 3 is where the
‘Ultimate Drifting’ kicks in. This is the BANZAI LAP!
Here we are encouraging drivers to attempt the impossible… Backwards entries, ludicrous speed and ridiculous smoke. Unlike your typical coring method, on this lap a spin does not result in a zero score. In fact we would even encourage drivers to attempt a high speed 360 spin. This lap is scored on the difficulty of the manoeuvre (completed or even attempted), and on entertainment value (even burnouts can score a few points). Add to that some shock and awe, combined with the precision driving of the earlier laps and we have the recipe for ‘ULTIMATE DRIFTING’
Each of our championship rounds remains open to all-comers at any stage throughout the season, up to and including the final round on Sun 14th October. On this day the Polish Drift Champion, Pawel Trela will travel to Bishops Court and attempt to claim yet another crown, in the season finale; the ‘King of the Court’ event.
The 2012 season will see a number of alliances made that will bring Drifters from every province, as well as from further afield, together in a singular event of epic proportion. More details on that in the official release.
SWRC are involved in running other types of events, some of which feature Drag Racing, Aerobatic Displays, Monster Trucks, Freestyle Motocross… the list goes on. We have become widely known for our signature events: the ‘Ards Festival of Speed’ and ‘Nitro Festival’. UDC drivers will feature heavily in each of these events and through our deal with RPM will reach a mass television audience, guaranteed to be broadcast on UTV, Setanta and Motors Tv.
2012 DRIFT EVENTS
Sun 4th March ___ Bishops Court: UDC (R1) + Drift Practice & Circuit Racing
Sun 8th April ____ Bishops Court: UDC (R2) + Drift Practice & Circuit Racing
Sun 6th May _____ Bishops Court: UDC (R3) + Drift Practice & Circuit Racing
Sat-Sun 10th June _________ Newtownards: Ards Festival of Speed (Various Activities)
Sun 8th July _____ Bishops Court: UDC (R4) + Drift Practice & Circuit Racing
Sat 30th June ___________ Kells Co Meath: Nitro Festival – Live @ Kells Road Races
Fri-Sun 29th July _________ Punchestown: UDC (R5)
+ DRIFT ALLSTARS & DRIFT FEST!!!
Sun 5th Aug _____ Bishops Court: Drift Track Day (To Be Confirmed)
Sat 18th Aug ____________ Enniskillen: Drag Sprints & Various Activities
Sat 15th Sep ____________ (To Be Confirmed) Drag Sprints & Various Activities
Sun 14th Oct ____ Bishops Court: UDC (R6 – King of the Court) + Drift Practice & Circuit Racing
