World Time Attack Challenge is always an event I’ve looked to as the fore front of fast circuit tin tops with so many other events/ categories being heavily regulated.
Though a year of hustling and some deals made thanks to my NZ crew @Jase Brown Drift we secured a trade stand at the 2018 WTAC @ Sydney Motorsport park. We had originally planned to bring the RX7 over from NZ take the display trailer to Sydney and bring the RX7 back to WA – with import rules changes Taxes etc the RX7 was to expensive to bring over at this stage and funds were poured in to the excel cup program (more to come on that).
We are lucky to represent and stock some world class brands so we hooked up with Andrew from Molecule #keepitclean and changed direction for the trade stand show casing the best in racewear with our P1 Advanced Racewear range and Molecule with the best racewear, helmet and car care.
Andrew also arranged for Tim Brooks Bathurst winning Gt86 series car to be on the trade stand which was a bonus for us.
Back to the event and getting away from the stand and doing a pit walk is a hell of a buzz, the pits are filled with some of my heroes from the scene and the venue is amazing, very clean and well set out. The event is a unique platform with very little downtime, there is always something on track and what I really like is that the emphasis is on the birthplace of the sport…… Japan.
The international teams and drivers that are brought out to Australia are a testament to the event. They keep WTAC tied to its roots.
I recon that when the big Japanese and Euro teams come to this event and get just as many ideas as we would do going to theirs.
The whole pit lane is packed with extremely well built race ready cars, each car all packed with the latest motorsport technology and WATC has some of the most diverse cars From all out carbon monsters to TCR clad manufacture cars all with huge power, areo and grip. There’s no half arsed potatoes here every car I looked over I would love to have in my garage – hell even my living room.
And it doesn’t stop in the pit lane, there’s the other traders and show cars big power, technology and excellent fabrication everywhere you look.
The best thing is all the teams and drivers actually want to talk to you and show you what their all about personally meeting the Finish engineers behind the winning Porsche, Under Suzuki, Drift Samurai, Ran with his sports sedan to name just a few I personally got to talk to. Doesn’t happen at a V8SC with out special access.
It combines just about everything I love about motorsport – and that’s without starting on the International Drift Challenge that forms the nights entertainment for the event.
This year the cars were the best in the globe with teams from all corners of Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan - We have been lucky to support some of the most wild cars at the event – Jase Browns S13 Frankenstein, Danny’s X Drift Industries Barra powered Falcon, Brendon Greaves Drift M3 BMW and Adams Tyre BBQ – 3500 HP between 4 cars boiling 265/295 semi slicks is awe inspiring let alone being pinned against the OGs from Japan and throw in a RTR mustang and other pro legends into the mix - My highlight will still be having a beer at Thursday drift practice asking Drift legend Naoki Nakamura what he thought of Brendan Greaves BMW with no translator the universal drift hand signals won through .. Even better when Naoki went on to win the event with the most impressive emulation I have ever seen.
I want to thank everyone who came out and support what we do, I want to personally thank Jase and Nicky and the whole Brown family #buffalo, Az and Andrew, May at Drift Bunny please go check her pages, Andrew at Molecule, drift god Matt and the #teamluxeperformance drivers Adam, Brendon, Danny you and your teams treat me like family – I may not be driving as much these days but am more driven then ever to be involved with the people putting in the effort to be at the top.
I really am starting to love what I do and I hope I can continue to get to WTAC for years to come – If you haven’t been it is a event do it, its one of the best ive ever been to.