EUROPEAN DRIFT CHAMPIONSHIP // ROUND 2 - KNOCKHILL

From Oulton Park of round one we move to Knockhill for round two of the Need for Speed European Drift Championship. Phil Morrison, winner of the first round, was eager to extend his lead with yet another win. And with second-place Alan McCord chasing Morrison for the top spot, round two was sure to be filled with more exciting drift action at Scotland’s most renowned circuit... [read more]


Surprisingly, the weather on the day remained sunny and dry thoughout the competition, which was very unlike typical Scottish weather! To start things off, Rennie Morrocco in his red BMW E36 went up against Alan McCord in his Nissan S15 V8. But during the warm up run Morrocco took a little trip into the grass whilst picking up a fair bit of mud on his tyres and unfortunately on both his runs spun out. Whether it was nerves or bad luck it handed McCord an easy win. However McCord’s good luck ended there, with him spinning out when up against Ian Harrison which was a surprise for the second-placed driver from Round One. 

Round One winner Phil Morrison in his Nissan S15 2JZ went up against Declan Hicks in his Toyota Soarer GZ. Both drivers performed very well, but Morrison took the edge with a higher entry speed.

Mark Luney also picked up a win in his Nissan 350Z as he faced off Paul Conlan in his red Nissan S15 2JZ, and James Russell in his Nissan Skyline R32 grabbed an easy win over Robin Neeson’s black Toyota Chaser after Neeson went off at the second corner.

Pete Barber in his Mazda RX7 went up against newcomer Richard Bradley. With both drivers pulling almost identical runs it had to go to ‘One More Time’, with Barber taking the win. 2007 champion Brett Castle also went through, as his battle with Andrew Waterworth in his Nissan S13 resulted in a win after Waterworth went off into the gravel. 

In the battle amongst the final eight, Morrison continued to show his strength and won against Ian Harrison. His high speed, great angle and entertaining tyre smoke was a winning combination that handed him a pass into the semi finals.

Next to take a win was James Russell as he took an easy win over Andrew Cooper after Cooper went off track. Mark Luney also won against Keiron Cameron after a close run, with Cameron just losing out because of a mistake causing him to loose his rear bumper. Finally, with another ‘One More Time’ needed for Brett Castle and Pete Barber, Barber took the last spot in the semi finals after very tight and impressive runs from both drivers. 

The first semi final was Morrison against Russell. Morrison, well known for his high entry speeds was on form to give Russell a run for his money. But unfortunately Russell wasn’t as fast as Morrison in the first corner causing Morrison to straighten out. The battle between Pete Barber and Mark Luney also met the same fate, with Luney having to correct due to his higher entry speed over Barber. And with Barber having already winning the first run, it meant Barber would be meeting Russell in the final. 

Third place meant Mark Luney going up against Phil Morrison. Both drivers are notorious for maintaining the fastest entry speeds in the series. It definitely showed, as Morrison unfortunately spun out in the first corner giving Luney third place. Making his way back to the start, Morrison still put on a good show and kicked up a ton of tyre smoke to please the fans. This left Russell and Barber to battle for the top spot for Round Two. Both drivers put on an impressive display of angle and speed, but it was Barber who shone through, making sure that he stayed glued to Russell’s rear bumper when chasing. This gave him the slight advantage, and ultimately let him take first place. 

So Round Two goes to the rotary powered Mazda RX7 of Pete Barber, with James Russell taking second place and Mark Luney picking up third. Barber now moves up to second in the overall standings, and Mark Luney following closely behind. Phil Morrison however still stays on top with a twenty point lead over Pete Barber. With Round Three moving to Silverstone on May 31st, it’s going to be an exciting battle amongst the top three. Be sure to check back for coverage of Round Three here at ColdTrackDays!

2009 European Drift Championship Standings:
1) Phil Morrison (Nissan S15 2JZ) – 150 
2) Pete Barber (Mazda RX7 FD) – 130 
3) Mark Luney (Nissan 350Z) – 120 
4) James Russell (Nissan Skyline R32) – 100 
5) Alan McCord (Nissan S15 V8) – 90 
6) Brett Castle (Nissan S14A) – 55 
6) Paul Conlan (Nisan S15 2JZ) – 55 
6) Declan Hicks (Toyota Soarer GZ) – 55 
9) Kieron Cameron (Nissan S13) – 50 
10) Ian Harrison (Nissan Skyline) – 45 
11) Andrew Cooper (Nissan S14A) – 40 
12) Paul Chesire (Nissan S14A) – 30 
13) Gary Hughes (Nissan Skyline R32) – 25 
14) Dwain McKeever (Nissan 180SX) – 20 
15) Steve Evans (Toyota Starlet) – 15 
15) Steve Will (BMW M3 Turbo) – 15 
15) Lex Drew (Nissan Skyline R32) – 15 
15) Robin Neeson (Toyota Chaser) – 15 
15) Richard Bradley (Nissan S14) – 15 
15) David Waterworth (Nissan S13) – 15 
21) David Monaghan (Nissan Skyline R32) – 10 
21) Rennie Morrocco (BMW E36) - 10

Photo/Editorial: Calvin Chu