By Vincent Aubé

The new season is under way! The Castrol Edge DMCC 2010 Championship has taken flight in the Eastern part of the country. It feels great to see all the drivers, mechanics, sponsors, organizers, volunteers, photographers, fans, lovely ladies and especially the odour we all like so much; good old burnt rubber from the rear wheels of the drift machines tearing up the track. The season opener was held at Autodrôme St-Eustache, the birthplace of Canadian drifting, which once again, was completely sold out!.

Thanks are in order!

Before we re-cap the intense racing action from Rd. 1, it is important to thank all the people that make this Canadian drift extravaganza possible year after year. Special thanks go to Autodrôme St-Eustache who not only hosts this first round event, but has also played a huge role in helping developing DMCC’s talent, by allowing our drivers to practice and perfect their techniques as often as possible.  Secondly, we can’t forget all the sponsors, big or small, who have play a key role in helping DMCC, and the sport of drifting grow here in Canada. Sponsors such as, Castrol Edge, BFGoodrich tires, Underground Design, GoFast Sports Canada and Selex Suspensions, and many others too numerous to be named here. In fact, each driver has his own sponsors to help subsidize the costs that are involved with competing at a professional level. Yes, maintaining a well built, and competitive drift car can cost significantly more than your average street car!

Qualifying:  Changing of the guard

Due to the cooler conditions, the cars were able to be pushed a little harder; which was good news for the drift at St. Eustache for Rd 1. Day 1 was qualifying, and shockingly, a few of the big names in the series saw their weekend cut short unexpectedly! Claude Poirier, who hasn’t quite tamed his new beast, a Nissan 350Z convertible in  BFGoodrich Drift Team. Continued to struggle with his brand new dirft machine.  2007-2008 DMCC Champion Fred Girard, had his day cut short taking his RB25 powered S13 into the wall during Top 32 solo competition. The 2009 season champion, Matt Waldin, rightfully continued where he left off in September. Laying down some of the most exciting runs of the day, in his fire breathing 350Z. Another driver who made a very good impression is Tanya Bourbonnais who showed a lot more confidence behind the wheel of her Pontiac GTO. Last year’s rookies, Jonathan Thiffault and Marc Landreville, gave DMCC’s more seasoned competitors a run for their money. Ontario drivers Pat Cyr and Dave Briggs showed promising runs, but Brad Carlton, who struggled to keep his car competitive last year, stole the show! Qualifying number one!!

Top 16: Again, the new generation

Due to a few mechanical gremlins, the top 16 battle was lacking a few key names. Which allowed Brad Carlton, as the top qualifier, to get a by into the top 8. partly But for others, competition was going to be fierce. Experienced driver Jean-François Chiasson had to forfeit before his top 16 run due to a broken transmission, which had only two gears left.  The first duel pitted Greig Basdeo, on the comeback trail this year with his Toyota Corolla, against the driver from the Saguenay area, Maxime Truchon, driving his Toyota Soarer.  After an intense opening top 16 battle, Truchon advanced into the top 8. Following this duel, Matt Waldin would face off against Justin Forsyth and in spite of a great fight from the Ontario native in the second run; it was the American driving his Nissan 350Z Nismo who came out on top. What followed was the first One More Time of the season. Which would see, Tanya Bourbonnais against Carl Nadeau,  driving a new V-8 powered BMW M3 E36. During the third run, the Boucherville driver spun out on the first turn transition, damaging his new machine. After repairing the BMW in only 5 minutes, the only female driver in the series. Made Carl Nadeau’s Rd 1 a short lived experience. Pat Cyr showed the crowd what they’re used to seeing from him; a near perfect run!  Dany « Babu » Bernier dealing the Musicplus VJ his first defeat of the season. Another close battle followed with Dominic Desrosiers, driving his V-8 powered Nissan Skyline R33, competing against Dave Briggs behind the wheel of his race prepped Nissan 240SX. David Briggs moved on to the following round. Finally, Jonathan Thiffault in his Toyota Corolla proved that power does not necessarily bring victory by beating out DMCC rookie, Mats Baribeau, A native of Brockville, Ontario and a former star amateur hockey player, now behind the wheel of a Toyota MKII, a 4 door sedan with close to 500 horsepower.

Top 8: Ontario Power

With Brad Carlton getting  by into the top 8. He would return to his S13 to face Maxime Truchon. The Ontario driver, Truchon was no competition for the Mississauga, Ontario native. Carlton’s consistent driving would advance him past Truchon, and into the top 4. claimed Tanya Bourbonnais could not hold back Matt Waldin, who, at the top of his form, made it to the Top 4. The final match-up would pit Dave Briggs against Pat Cyr. This turned out to be one of the most exciting battles of the day, but unfortunately, Pat Cyr had to forfeit due to mechanical failure. Finally, the last tandem was Marc Landreville and Joe Thiffault, who, despite their last season’s rookie status, both showed that they earned their spot in the Pro Series. Landreville went on to the Top 4.

Only 4 drivers left!

Believe it or not, Brad Carlton, Pat Cyr’s Drift Posse team-mate, was now facing DMCC’s 2009 champion, Matt Waldin. Unfortunately, Carlton spun out on the first pass, giving the advantage to the American who moved on to the final. The other duel featured Marc Landreville against Dave Briggs and these two showed that the many hours of practice they put in during the off season were well worth the effort as a One More Time run was needed to declare the Joliette driver the winner.  

On the podium: Paint me PINK!

Brad Carlton won his match-up against Dave Briggs, keeping him off the podium, while Marc Landreville defeated Matt Waldin, claiming top spot on the podium. Yes, the winner’s season looks PINK!

We’ll meet again next June 19th &20th at Autodrôme de Montmagny for the next round in this Canadian championship. 

Tags: bfgoodrich, brad carlton, Carl Nadeau, Castrol, Chiasson, claude poirier, David Briggs, DMCC, Dominic Desrosiers, Drift, drifting, Driftmania, Fred Girard, Jonathan Thiffault, Justin Forsyth, Marc Landreville, Mats Baribeau, Matt Waldin, Maxime Truchon, Onderground, Selex, Tanya Bourbonnais