Falconer returns, its the republic but not as you know it!

Fresh from competing on the international stage, MGN’s tallest and most eligible bachelor (Gray Lynskey) comes out of journo retirement to catch up with New Zealand drift legend Sean Falconer to hear about what it’s like to be back behind the wheel, stadium drift and riding circus animals…

Sean – long time, no compete. Welcome back. How long has it been, and what’s it like to be back on the competitive train?

It’s scary, to be fair! It’s been nearly 5 years since I last competed, so it’s been a bit of a shock to the nerves. The drifting part is easy, it’s the competitive battles and the mental discipline that are the most challenging.

Given it’s been a while since you’ve been around, and the fact that there are quite a few people out there now who don’t know who you are, tell us a bit about yourself and your drift CV, so to speak.

So, I started drifting back in the early days when drifting was just emerging as a sport in New Zealand. My first competition was the third D1NZ round ever to be held in NZ. I placed second to Justin Rood in my first event, and from then on I was hooked. Since then I’ve won multiple D1NZ and Dfactor rounds, in 2005 I placed 2nd for the season, to Adam Richards who took out the championship. Some of my greatest achievements are winning the D1GP NZ Driver Search allowing me to compete in the D1GP World Allstars in Irwindale Speedway, California, where I qualified 14th. To this day, that track is probably one of the most awesome tracks in the world that I’ve competed on. I’ve also represented New Zealand in the Asia Pacific Drift Series in China in 2007, which I placed 4th overall and managed to knock out Kawabata - that was a pretty proud moment for me as I really looked up to him as a driver. That was the last time I competed professionally.

What made you step out of the game all those years back, and what have you been doing since then?

I always knew there was more to life than playing with cars, so I wanted to see more of the world. I got married to a well-travelled girl who could speak a few languages, so this was the beginning of two years of travelling Central America, Europe, the States, and all over really. Not that that made me stop driving, I competed in a rally from London to Croatia in a £250 dunga – just making it to the finish line was the challenge!

Since coming back to New Zealand I’ve been lucky enough to jump straight into the Big Ben V8 Stunt/Drift Utes with old drifting buddies Victor Chapman and Johnny Udy to put on shows at Big Boys Toys, Speed Show and V8 SuperTourer race events. Driving the utes has been great for keeping me sharp and even learning a few new skills.

What made you want to compete again after so many years out? And how good is it to be back behind the wheel of your own car?

As great as travel and adventure is, there was no substitute for the excitement and thrill of competitive drifting. I couldn’t get it out of my head! I guess I’m addicted to the sport. As soon as I got back to New Zealand I started tinkering with the old girl again, and I got talking to Lin Chen from CDM in Tauranga who encouraged me to get the Silvia race ready again. I was half way through rebuilding the car when I got a call from an old friend Sam, inviting me to compete in the World Drift Series. The organisers liked my performance in 2007 and were keen to have me back. Sam asked the question, “could my car be ready in two months?”, and I answered yes knowing it was going to be a mission. Luckily Lin was up to the task and helped me make it happen.

It’s fair to say the car looks a little different since it was last out. You’ve pulled it completely apart and put back together since you last competed. What did you do to it throughout this process?

The car got completely stripped down, repainted and Lin from CDM took charge of the engine. He completely rebuilt it with bigger cams and a few other goodies with the aim of making more torque. We also spent a lot of time on creating more steering angle and fitted a stronger gearbox for better reliability. Because of the low octane fuel in China, Lin tuned the car on 95 pump gas and it still made a healthy 385kW at the wheels.

You’ve competed overseas a few times now against the Japanese and Americans in D1GP at Irwindale, and against the Chinese back in 2007/2008. Having had the chance to see them both over in China, what’s changed over there since then?

The biggest change we’ve noticed is the skills and the car quality of the Chinese teams – they’ve really stepped up since last time I was in China. The Americans and Japanese have been steadily progressing but nothing as radical as the Chinese.

How did the NZ machinery and skills match up to those on offer in China? What do you guys need to do in order to get to the top?

As always the set up of our cars is slightly behind the international competition – budget and time constraints really hold us back on this level. But even still our cars can still compete, we just have to really step up as drivers and exploit the weaknesses of the other teams. Carl qualified 2nd, so that demonstrates that us Kiwis can make it onto the podium. But I think we need more experience battling the international drivers, as there’s a lot of strategy and tactics that come into play when you’re competing at this level. There’s no room for mistakes, as I found out in my Top 16 battle.

Tell us about the World Drift Series. What was it like in Tianjan, and how did you guys get on? Were you guys knocked out by any drivers the masses would have heard of?

The WDS round in Tianjin was absolutely epic with a massive light show, dancing girls and heavy metal music – it really set the scene for the evening. The event was held in an Olympic stadium with 40,000 people attending along with the ex-President of Mexico and his entourage.

Carl Ruiterman qualified 2nd, I qualified 7th and Cole Armstrong qualified 11th out of a field of 50 international drivers, and with names like Matt Powers, [Vaughn Gittin] JR, Frederic Aasbo and [Chris] Forsberg it would be no walk in the park! Given I was dusting off the cob webs I was pretty happy with qualifying 7th – one place ahead of Vaughn Gittin Jr who went on to win the round. All us Kiwis won our first battle but Cole and myself were knocked out in the Top 16. I was knocked out by a Taiwanese driver named Feng Ren Zhi, who has competed in many D1GP events and went on to come second in the round; Cole was knocked out by Formula Drift driver Kyle Mohan, and Carl lost out in the Top 8.

How did you find the oval track setup? And how did it suit your style of driving? I see you smashed up a couple of rims in one of your battles?

I absolutely loved the concrete walled track – it was hugely technical and challenging to hit all the outer clips. I rubbed the wall 5 to 6 times during practice and qualifying sessions trying to find the perfect line. It wasn’t a high-speed track but was almost more exciting because of how unforgiving the track was.

As for the smashed rims, that came down to the overwhelming nerves of battling. I mis-shifted 3rd and the split-second pushed me wide, and like I said, the track is not forgiving at all. The rear end clipped the wall and pulled the front in pretty hard, and the rims took all the impact.

What is the judging and driving style like over there? How does it compare to other places you’ve competed in the world?

The style of driving is very different. Us Kiwis drove with the most angle and smoke but the judges were looking for maximum speed over style. Now that we know this we’ll adjust and be more competitive in the next rounds.

What rounds have you got coming up? And on what kind of tracks?

To be honest, we don’t know the exact dates or tracks, as all of those details remain to be revealed. I do know there will be another 3 rounds of WDS to go this year, though.

Is your plan to continue driving overseas in the future, and if so, are there any plans on building a new car for the job?

I’d love to drive in the States again, but to be honest it’s hard to know where I will go. I’ll need some good results in China first to help propel me forward and open up more sponsorship opportunities.

What other carnage did you guys get up to when you were over there? I’ve seen pictures of you in a circus?! Explain! Having been overseas with Cole before, I’m well aware that it’s never a quiet trip.

Yeah Cole and Carl were great to travel with. Cole’s not afraid to talk to anyone and thanks to his antics, we ended up making friends with some Kazakhstan circus performers. Before we knew it we were part of the act – riding horses around the circus ring and hanging out with the lions and tigers! Awesome!

I guess the one question on most people’s minds is – when your car arrives back here later in the year, can we expect to see it appearing on local tracks throughout the summer in D1NZ events? Maybe time to have a crack at winning that title you were robbed of back in 2005?

If the car comes back in one piece I’ll definitely want to compete in a few of the D1NZ rounds… if they’ll have me that is! he he! I still joke with Adam Richards about a re-match of the 2005 season. It would be great to be in a position to have a go at the title, but there are a lot of talented drivers in New Zealand now that would make it a hard task. From what I can see the bar has definitely been raised which is awesome for the NZ drift scene.

I’m sure I speak on behalf of New Zealand drifting when I say it would be great to have you back! Thanks for your time, Sean, and for sharing your insights into your trip. We look forward to hearing about the next one and the unusual situations Cole gets you into next time!