On October 21, 2017, Thunderhill Raceway Park would, once again, set the stage for the third round of Super D Cup Technical Drift Tournament. Round 3 features arguably the most technical arena on the circuit in the form of a replica of Sugo Kart course. Drivers are forced to navigate a narrow line through a series of tight and technical corners, at an uncomfortably high speed with little room for error. Needless to say, the day was filled with exciting driving!
The morning qualifying/practice session was a beautiful sight to see. Eager drivers started off their mornings with grip laps and eased their way into the course, but by the end of the session everyone was absolutely shredding. Committed drivers were laying down full speed runs despite the many danger zones they had to deal with.
Constant improvement is the name of the game at Super D Cup. Nothing is more fun than challenging yourself while competing with your friends!
The first battle of the top 16 featured Sam Molakides versus Brian Goodhue. Brian was driving well despite not having a handbrake, but Sam drove harder - earning his place in the top 8.
Gary Sukrattanawong from Auto Factory Realize would take on Richard Roxas in the second battle of the top 16. Both drivers performed well, but Richard would ultimately take the win.
In a battle of SR20 powered S13s, Al Pulido charged hard to take the win over Max Gemmell who had been putting down solid runs all day.
With series points on the line, Lex King and Cody Rosado put on one heck of a battle. In the end it would be Lex and his turbo FC pulling away with the win.
Jason Bostrom from Animal Style lined up against Dom Sacco from Goldstar. Both drivers were in unfamiliar cars, but Jason's consistency led him to victory.
Aaron Wong and Julian Dumay are both veterans of the top 8, but this time around it was the end of the road for Aaron and his S13, as Julian in his S12 moved on.
In true twin drift fashion Julian and Scott battled it out in their stylish black S14's. The outcome was Julian's KA Zenki besting Scott's SR Kouki.
The final battle of the top 16 featured Mel Toomer in his GS400 versus Jeff Wayne in his turbo FC. After a one-more-time battle Mel would walk away with the win.
The first battle of the top 8 featured Richard Roxas and his E36 against Sam Molakides and his S14. Once again Sam proved to be the more dominant driver earning his spot in the top 4.
Jason was driving his girlfriend's Lexus to its limit, but it was not enough to hang with Julian Dumay who pulled away in his VQ S12.
In an exciting face-off of high powered machines, Lex King would pilot his FC to victory over the S13 of Al Pulido. Both drivers put down aggressive runs with plenty of tire smoke.
The last spot in the semi finals was secured by Julian Jacobs, who chased his way to victory over the GS400 of Mel Toomer.
Lex King and Sam Molakides kicked off the top 4 in another black car face-off. Both drivers were charging hard, but Lex's consistency and close chase driving awarded him the victory over Sam - securing his spot in the final battle.
Once again, Julian Jacobs and Julian Dumay found themselves head to head on the bracket. Their battle was packed with plenty of excitement, and ultimately resulted in Julian Jacobs placing his S14 on the door of Julian's S12 to secure the win.
Julian Dumay and Sam Molakides faced off in the consolation battle for third place. Both drivers fought hard to grab the podium spot, and Julian Dumay came out on top - placing his S12 on the podium for the first time.
With first and second place up for grabs, neither Julian Jacobs nor Lex King were prepared to give an inch. The final fight was one of epic proportions, with the drivers forging through two one-more-time battles before a victor could be chosen. Eventually a mistake from Lex King would be enough to tip the scale, and once again give the event win to Julian Jacobs.
With a third win Julian extends his points lead, and after some early bracket shake-ups the final event is looking to be one you don't want to miss. Will a challenger emerge to knock out our current points leader? Come out to round 4 on November 26th to find out!
Thank you to everybody who came to the event, and to everybody who supports Super D! See you at Round 4!
