Round 3 of the DMCC Championship took place at Autodrome Montmagny. This track is a big oval with a switch back in the center, the banks are high speed and all of the action takes place right in front of the fans! I've always enjoyed drifting this track and usually do very well there.
Leading up to the event, we made a few small changes to the car and had Sasha from OnPoint Dyno worked his magic and found a bit more horsepower in the engine. Also we had done some testing at Shannonville the week before, so going into this event I was feeling very confident with the FR-S!
With the event being all on one day, once again we had only 2 hours of practice before qualifying. I focused on what was going to be the best line around the course, and our tire pressure/suspension setup. We were able to do 6 laps in practice and had a set up/line that I liked. The FR-S was feeling the best it had ever felt! My first qualifying lap went well, I hit all the clips and carried good speed and smoke throughout the entire course, but I was a few feet off the top of the bank. Even with the small mistake we were able to get locked into the top 16 with a qualifying position of 6th place!
Going into the top 16 competition we were to go against Claude Poirier. I had a chance to follow Claude in practice; our speeds were pretty even so I knew it would be a good battle. I was to lead first. On my initiation, the FR-S went to a bit more angle than I expected, causing me to have a lower line in the bank, and I also made a small mistake on the second bank. Claude stuck with me though the entire course, so with that I knew I needed a really good follow lap. On my follow, I was about 2 car lengths behind Claude, he made a few mistakes and I was only able to really close in on him rounding the last 2 corners. I was hoping it would be enough to get the win but the judges called a "one more time". My next lead lap went great! I put the FR-S in all the right spots, and Claude was about 2 cars lengths behind through the entire course. On my follow lap I stuck with him all the way through and got door to door and the last 2 corners! The crowd went nuts and I was awarded the win!
In the great 8 we got matched up with Maxim Lemoine. Max had beaten me in the previous round due to a mistake on my part, so I was not going to let that happen again! He was to lead first, we launched down the start line, I was right with him and we initiated together. As soon as I went to get back on the throttle, the engine felt down on power. I clutch kicked the FR-S 3 times to get it to spool up, but by that point I was really low on the bank and Max had started to take off from me. I drifted about half way through the course but by that point there was something really wrong with the engine, so I shut it down and coasted the rest of the course so that we would not do more damage to the engine. We suspected it was a spun rod bearing so at that point I had to forfeit my lead lap and call it quits.
Back at the shop now we are pulling the engine out of the car and should hopefully have it ready for Rd4 in less than 2 weeks. Overall I was very happy with how I performed, and I'm really feeling comfortable drifting the FR-S. The more I drift it, the more I feel one with the car and things just happen naturally instead of me thinking about what I'm doing. I really feel it's only a matter of time before we stand on the top spot of the podium once again!
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