Prodrift Rnd 2 Fermoy 2011 Afterthoughts

[keith-n]

Saturday was the best days drifting i've attended in a long while.

Early start @ 5am and didn't leave until 7ish. After watching a few practice laps from the start line i headed over to the tiers for a propper look only to get a phone call off chucky "i'm in trouble". Took it handy on the way back over thinking he just wanted wheels changed......... The viscous fan had eaten the loom and the car wouldn't turn over. Weekend would have been over before it started only for nial mac, paul twomey and a helpful few tips from another driver. As i said the minute it was fixed "at least thats the problem out of the way, roll on the rest of the weekend" How right was I

From chuck_g and pat masterson, to the chap in the "daily" AE86, james deanes car with mental front camber, carpo and the team manfoot boys/girl.

Sunday however is where my only criticism lies. Its shit from a spectator point of view. Yes the drifting is better in a sense, but the non seed pro and amatuers are miles more fun to watch. The judges are well dodgy. Fair play mike deane, but only for a questionable "run it again" you were out.

The whole fans vote is bollox, Asking the fans who wants x to win... huge roar, who wants x to win... huge roar, who wants to run it again.... silence. And they ran it again. If your going to just run it again to give one of irelands favourite drifters a second chance after a shit run, don't ask the crowd and go against them.

€20 is far too much to stand on a bank with the only seating a patch of grass with nettles sticking in your hole. Getting the crowd interacting by asking for their vote, and then ignoring it, huge breaks between "events" to make the small amount of action fit until 6pm, no other entertainment while the breaks are on and no trade stands/car stands (bar 5 drift ireland cars which were mint) all make me question paying €20.

I went around the whole site trying to find a tap that worked to get water for the car after we had to drain it, only for them all being turned off, how tight do you have to be to turn off the fucking water?
One poxy tap on site working and not one steward knew one was on, just by chance we found it.

The team drift was mega, I feel for the guy who put it backwards into a pole. What i liked was barrysmotorsport being absolute muck in practice..... and then nailing it with a fine display on both runs in competition. Team manfoot being excellent! comentator giggling everytime he had to say "manfoot".

On the comentator, His background knowledge of ALL drivers, their cars, their build threads, their spec and little nuggets of info like us painting chucky's car with a roller, Respect man.

Highlight of the weekend for me was the battleship rubbing both walls in practice against james deane!


Over-all it was an epic weekend, the level of "go hard or go home" drifting across the board is thrilling to see. Bartering in the pits between crews (we swapped a few cable ties for some water) and the willingness of drivers to help others out all makes for a great weekend.