In a move that will define top-tier Drifting in Britain and set out a road map for its future, an innovative collaboration between Motorsport UK (the governing body for all motorsport in the UK) and the Club Time Attack Organisation has inspired the development and creation of the Motorsport UK Drift Pro Championship.
This brand-new initiative heralds a new era for Drift competition in the UK, the likes of which has never been seen before.
Launched in 2020 and held for the first time in 2021, rounds will take place at three of the country’s legendary circuits: Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Snetterton. Moving into 2024 we have stepped it up again using 7 of the UK’s best circuits to provide 8 Championship rounds.
The Championship leads the way in providing a fresh, sporting platform for Drifting that rewards team and driver performance and surpasses expectations for all involved.
With re-imagined formats and concepts, each competition is held on the main track in a manner that will demand elevated levels of skill, control and flair, enable high speeds to be attained and in doing so, endorse the quality and prestige to which the Championship aspires.
Organisers pledge to work with integrity and transparency to provide a professionally organised championship that is representative of its status.
Competitor line-up will comprise top UK teams and drivers, all with an in-built focus and desire to be the best. Numbers will be limited to ensure consistent quality of driving standards, car preparation and competition.
Events feature exciting and accessible viewing that will inspire Drift and motorsport fans who will be able to engage with the action via state-of-the-art media and interactive initiatives, both online and on-event.
Working alongside Motorsport UK, organisers have created new sporting regulations, event formats and technical initiatives that will go on to define the structure for the sport in Britain.
This evolutionary process will lead to the creation of clear and precise regulations, judging criteria, circuit layouts and formats that will enable Motorsport UK to issue permits to all organisers of Drift events in the UK and thereby establish a consistency, integrity and understanding that can be embraced by the sport as a whole.
The involvement of Motorsport UK brings with it understanding, prestige and a willingness for Drifting to develop in a controlled and professional manner. This association has already seen major circuits reconsider their relationship with the sport and with careful event creation and regulated competition, they are eager to welcome Drifting back to their venues once more. Key to this is Championship’s ongoing professional relationship with Motor Sport Vision (MSV), owners of most of the UK’s major race circuits.
Organisers understand that communication with other promotors is key to ensure policies are representative for the sport overall therefore, invite them to be part of the UK Drift development process as a logical path for the future is set out over the coming seasons.
Because of where Drifting sits commercially, organisers will engage with the performance tuning automotive aftermarket to ensure that the Motorsport UK Drift Pro Championship is representative of the industry, its brands, products, trends and developments. In doing so, it enables the sport to provide a relevant development platform and commercial stimulant for the companies involved within this burgeoning market.
The Motorsport UK Drift Pro Championship is owned, promoted and organised by Time Attack Ltd. It is administered by Club Time Attack – the company’s Motorsport UK affiliated operation – that allows the company to create and establish championships, series’ and events, define regulations and enable its competition licence-holding members to participate. Further to this, the Time Attack Organisation is an over-arching brand used by the Club to represent the various activities it runs.
Time Attack is owned by bothers Andy and Rob Barnes. In addition to the internationally acclaimed and highly successful UK Time Attack Championship – now entering its 16th consecutive season – the organisation owns and runs a series of hugely popular, independent, annual national car shows held at major race circuits. Time Attack is also the permit holder for a range of high-profile racing campaigns, including the Volkswagen Racing Cup, the Touring Car Trophy, TCR UK and the Civic Cup.
The organisation was the first to host and run professional level Drifting events in the UK, starting in 2005 with the D1GP Exhibition Match at Silverstone, which was repeated in 2006. During that year, the organisation established the D1GB National Championship; the first high-level national Drift Championship that was later renamed the European Drift Championship that ran until 2012.
Having become aware of the need of a top-tier programme for Drifting in the UK, the Time Attack Organisation made the decision to return to the sport to pick up where it left off some eight years previous and steer Drifting into the form of motorsport is has the potential to become.
The organising team come from a background of aftermarket tuning with personal experience across a varied range of motorsport disciplines. Many are key players in the industry, known for their expertise, integrity and transparency.
Time Attack – the organisation behind the Championship – is an active member of the PAAA (Performance Automotive Aftermarket Association). The only group of its kind in the UK, the PAAA is a trade only body comprising industry-leading companies that manufacture, distribute and provide performance parts or services for the European automotive aftermarket sector.
Its primary role is to represent the interests and safeguard the rights of the performance tuning industry, with membership only open to companies that adhere to a strict code of conduct and operate to the very highest standards of product quality and performance coupled to exceptional customer service. Furthering the link with the association, the annual PAAA Expo is hosted by the Time Attack Organisation at Brands Hatch and will take place in conjunction with opening round of the Motorsport UK Drift Pro Championship.
The Championship is run by a number of individuals which make up our operations team. They are:
Championship Owner ~ Andy Barnes
Championship Management ~ Simon Slade
Championship Coordinator ~ James Lelacheur
Accounts ~ Debbie Steele
Clerk of the Course ~
Chief Scrutineer ~ Mike Matttison
Scrutineering & Enviromental ~ Andy Stone
Startline Marshal ~ Daisy Lait
Startline Marshal / Assembly Area~ Georgina O’Hara Smith
Head Judge ~ Masaya Yumeda
Judge ~ Tyler Kelly
Judge ~ Guest Judge
Driver Representative ~ Martin Richards
Event Commentator ~ Fraser Macaulay
Event Setup Crew ~ Kris White & Sam Bird
Live Stream & Broadcasting ~ Alex Lychnaras
Photography ~ Rich Sams
Photography ~ Jonathan Moore
Creatives ~ Sharon Matarazzo
Please use this generic email address to contact any one of us and we will get back to you as soon as we can. See here