Snetterton 2010 - End of Year FINALE!
EVENT REPORT >> Snetterton - The End of Season Finale!
10th October 2010 - By Andy Mills
The 2010 Modified Live tour came to a spectacular finale at Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit, bringing the street to the track for one last time this year. Despite the October date the sun once more bathed the gathered car enthusiasts in warmth as they took in the petrol-powered action…
and as the only major modified car show to take place at Snetterton there were plenty of them. For fans of track action there was an added reason to turn up as both the 2010 Time Attack Series and Pirelli European Drift Championship would resolve themselves, the season’s winners crowned at the end of the day. Needless to say that made for some awesome on-track action.
It was the Pirelli European Drift Championship that announced its winners first, the crowds gathered around the tight Russell Chicane to breathe in the spent Pirelli tyre smoke and see for themselves how things would pan out. Mark “Buff” Luney in the SVA Imports/Cosworth Nissan 350Z had a firm hold on the title, but it was Paul Conlan in the Sumo Power S15 who took the honours on the day. That was only after he’d competed in one of the runs of the year against Luney in the semi-finals, both drivers showing the sort of speed, technique and sideways action that make EDC drivers some of the best in the business. An uncharacteristic slip from Luney in the second run though meant Conlan would face Pete Barber in the Swinton/Hayward Rotary RX7 for the final. It was another great display of drifting between those two but again a slip from his rival allowed Conlan to take the win.
That’s not to take anything away from the Sumo Power driver, his talent unquestioned as this was his second win of the year and gave him a third place in the Championship. Barber’s result meant he finished in second, but it was Luney who clinched the title, retaining the Pirelli European Drift Championship crown in style having not been off the podium at any round this year.
For the grip drivers there was much more to sort out as the Time Attack Series is split into seven categories. In the top Pro Class there had been two drivers battling it out all year; Steve Guglielmi in a Lotus Exige and Gareth Lloyd in the Car Planet Racing EVO. Having shared victories in the previous four rounds equally the final went down to the wire, the pair swapping fastest laps in the Super Battle before Lloyd put in a Time Attack record 1:08.299secs pass to not only clinch the Snetterton win but also the Championship.
Elsewhere a huge variety of vehicles fought it out, suffering trials and tribulations along the way before the victors could be sorted. In the end 2010 saw the following class winners; Kevin Horsley (Scooby Clinic Impreza) in the Pro Club 4WD class, Jamie Wilson (Lotus Exige) in the Pro Club RWD class, Mark Pollard (Metro 6R4) in the Club Challenge NA class, Matt Webb (Mazda RX7) in Club Challenge RWD, Bo Nielsen (Vauxhall Astra VXR) in Club Challenge FWD and Fiona Kindness (Nissan Skyline R32 GTR) in the Club Challenge 4WD class. Snetterton proved to be a challenging final circuit but all the winners proved their mettle and kept the crowds on the edge of their seats as they raced to glory.
Modified Live kept the track action going too, not only giving the attending East Coast Truckers time to celebrate their 25th anniversary with a multi-truck parade lap but also offering some more high octane action.
Race bikes, Mark Summerfield drifting his incredible race truck and even going up against Brett Castle in the Apex V8 Racing drift car, plus some full power laps from the assembled Sumo Power cars.
This included their thunderous Nissan GTR GT1 car plus rallying supremo Gwyndaf Evans taking to the track in a Sumo/JRM prepared EVO X alongside his son in a more standard road goingEVO X alongside BTCC's Dave Allen in the JRM 400RS Evo X trackday car. What more could speed fans hope for?
Well, they may have hoped to get in on the action for themselves, so fortunately the Drift Taxis were at hand to give them a few hot and smoky laps around a designated part of the circuit. With a bevy of Skylines and S-chassis Nissans assembled visitors could hop in and experience at first hand the skill involved in drifting and the adrenaline kick that a slipping rear end can give.
On a more static note, but possibly just as loud, was the Max Power stand that had DJ Richie Don pumping the assembled crowds up with his MC and the Max Power girls on stage.
Surrounding them were car clubs from across the UK, proudly parked up and showing off their rides. Walking through the show spectators could see anything from tuned Focus RSs and Escort Cosworths, to Skylines, Silvias, Civics, Peugeots, lowriders…and even a Fiesta with a Tobasco bottle for a valve cap and the wing mirror from John F.Kennedy’s flower car bolted to its front wing!
With a trade area supported by some great companies, the radio controlled drifters staging their own Championship and the Kleers sponsored Show and Shine competition there was plenty more to take in too.
In the Show and Shine there was a bumper entrant list with over 60 cars entered before the event but the trained eyes of the Kleers judges picked Paul William’s spectacularly painted Astra Coupe as the Best in Show.
Plenty of eyes were also drawn to the show truck of Pete Barker but maybe that was also to do with the extensive air-brushing of pin-up beauties from film and music!
As a curtain closer on the 2010 show season, Modified Live certainly delivered thanks to not only its usual mix of style and performance but also with the excitement that the Time Attack Series and Pirelli European Drift Championship finals created at the Norfolk circuit.
It was a truly fitting end to an incredible year and if it can be built upon for 2011 then Modified Live fans should make sure they get plenty of rest over Winter as anything better would be mind-blowing!
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