D1NZ Round 3 preview- Taupo reverse track

Round 3 of the D1NZ national drifting championship in association with Taupo Motorsport Park is almost here!

Here’s what I think is the most interesting thing about this event is right now , EVERY driver I have spoken to thinks they are a good chance at winning at Taupo! I can’t recall that ever being the case before, and its a good indication of just how much things are evolving in NZ right now. What that means is that no driver will hold back, and that fear of wrecking a car that perhaps plays a part at Pukekohe just isn’t present .

The D1NZ championship picture will become a little clearer after this round, those who are title contenders will start to emerge and teams will head into the Christmas break looking to either find more performance, or wanting to just relax, unwind and get their driver into the right head space already confident in their car.

As it stands right now, the top 12 on the points table are

Cole Armstrong 179, Mike Whiddett 167, Curt Whittaker 162, Darren Benjamin 154, Daniel Woolhouse 153, Gaz Whiter 133, Bradley Lauder 127, Steve Sole 127, Andrew Redward 119, Mark Burling 111, Sky Zhao 109.5, Nico Reid 109

While its still earlyish in the season, it is tough to see anyone beyond that featuring on the season podium unless they win and top qualify, which Daynom Templeman and Bruce Tannock both have the machinery to do.

So let’s take a look at the track, normally I’d try and give you a walk through of the section but as the judges having been trying to push the competitors with different lines, no one really knows what to expect. The map below is last seasons clip points

The drift section on the Taupo reverse circuit starts roughly at T4, although you have to go through the 110 degree T5 first at pace to build up enough speed for a solid entry. Gear is 3rd or 4th and from there its all throttle and clutch and a case of hitting the clips the judges want. Last year a number of cars were over cooking it and dirt dropping, so it will be interesting to see how the judges approach trying to test the drivers skills.

Now that we know what the track looks like, who are going to be the contenders at Taupo? As some of you will have seen there is $250 on offer for # 1 qualifier from Wongs Kitchen, and $5000 in total prizes from Alcotane for the overall round for the D1NZ pro contenders.

On current form and points, Cole Armstrong is likely to feature again. The big V Energy 4 door R34 is a clear crowd favorite, and seems to be performing well this year. While Cole struggled to 13th in qualifying at Taupo last season, he did win his way into the top 4 and this year as mentioned often he seems more relaxed and comfortable to allow things to come to him as opposed to forcing them to happen, for that reason we’ll install him as a favourite.Sitting in second, and likely to be on his new supply of Nitto NT05 tires is ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett, who had the Redbull Rx7 dancing at Manfield, before suffering a diff failure in the top 16 at Pukekohe. Whiddett was visibly frustrated at falling back into second, and I expect that he will attempt the backward entry into the final corner at Taupo. If that sticks, it will give him the path he needs to gain good points and be a major contender for a round win. Jumping back into the title hunt after going out in the top 16 at round 1 is Curt Whittaker. Curt hasn’t had the best luck at Taupo in the Whittaker Motorsport 2JZR34, but is clearly hungry for the title and wanting to get what has been a rocky campaign on and off the track so far back on course. Whittaker will as usual have the loudest cheer squad present, and with megaphone now on holiday for a long period, who knows how loud she’ll dial up this round. Darren Benjamin shocked everyone at Pukekohe with his #1 qualifier run in the Scott Williams Motors c35 , has he got what it takes to do it again at Taupo? Only time will tell but the big car may struggle to keep up with the nimble silvias and RX7s at Taupo. This kid is the goods, and now that he’s given everyone a fright is going to need to keep on top of the game mentally when battling the old timers who know how to win in multiple ways. Daniel ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse is always dangerous, and Taupo last season was the unveiling party for the LS motor in the Castrol Edge Commodore. Woolhouse knows the track well and many rate him as the single most talented driver in the field making a big heavy car perform in a way that it just shouldn’t. Woolhouse is another who wants to grab back the D1NZ crown he held back in 2006 and I expect him to be in the final. Sitting back in an spot he’s not used to is Gaz Whiter. There isn’t much that needs to be said, other than Whiter started last season slowly, and doesn’t have last seasons gremlins, so watch for him to march back towards the top of the table. Here’s a quick video of the car dialling up 437kw @the wheels in prep for the weekend.

If I look outside of that and try and pick a potential #1 qualifier and round winner then a couple of others who may well feature are Andrew Redward, whom is currently sitting in 9th and had a strong opening round. Redward is known to be a strong qualifier who excels at high speed, and has dialed things back to remove the small mistakes. Another who will be confident knowing he has the machinery to do the damage is Bruce Tannock in the Achillies Radial S13, Tannocks car has the speed and forward traction to keep up with the very best and he has improved every round. Tannock won’t lack the confidence and it wouldn’t be a bad thing to see a first time round winner. There are a few other names who could well surprise, and I’ll throw in Mark Burling, Nico Ried and ‘Crazy’ Dimitri Amos to feature in qualifying, although my personal view is that all 3 still need a bit more seat time to really get the consistency needs to grab a round win. Daynom Templeman free of gremlins on the other hand is more than capable of going all the way to the podium.

We can’t really forget about the Pro-am class either, and based on what has been seen so far, the same crop of drivers are likely to feature, Willy Foster, Cam Vernom, Shaneo Poulton, Russell Sifleet, Joe Kyle and Trevor Cairns, although Rookie is quite notable for its unpredictable nature, so there is no real way to predict what will happen. Vernon, Poulton and Kyle will be practicing with the Pro’s Saturday morning as reward for their Pukekohe performance.

It is also round 2 of the Time Attack series, and with Dan Currie having left the WRX in the North Island for the event, the girls engaging in round 2 of their battle, and Hans Ruiterman and Leon Scott both investing more time in extracting speed, this addition to program should again prove entertaining.

So there you go….$10 Friday, $15 Saturday, VIP available, a ride in a helicopter being given away, the chance to get a ride in expression sessions. All makes for a pretty good pre-xmas weekend if you ask me

event info link