World Time Attack Challenge is truly a playground not just for your die-hard motorsport fans, but from the JDM crowd, the old school classics, exotics, drifters, motoring icons and celebrities. There is something there for everyone!
If you’ve never been, want to know what you’re missing out, on or just want to relive it, take a walk with me and see WTAC 2016 through the eyes of Downshift.
We arrived just shy of 8am, ready for the media briefing before we can be let loose on Sydney Motorsport Park. Traipsing from the car park up to the media suite i’m treated to a small taste of traders alley as they’re all putting the finishing touches on their displays before the gates open and the madness begins!
After some wise words and a rundown of operations from Greg Lysien, myself and the team headed out into the grounds. I made the decision that I wanted to make a bee line for the drift paddock, but instead stumbled right upon the marquee where the illustrious Pagani Huayra BC was being parked and positioned. (Not a bad view to enjoy a morning coffee!)
We soaked that up for a while and continued on to the drift cars. Right place right time again, on arrival Mad Mike Whiddett’s HUMBUL FD Rx7 is running in Mike’s pit section, where he is happily awaiting and greeting fans. For those that are unaware of HUMBUL, it is a twin turbo, bridgeport version of MADBUL built in Japan by TCP Magic, and it sounds like unicorn farts!
It wasn’t the only spectacle within the International Drift Challenge competitors, on one side was Chris Forsberg, followed by Daigo Saito’s astonishing Lamborghini Murcielago and Carl Thompson’s 4 rotor GS300.
One of the really attractive aspects of WTAC is just how close you can get to the cars and the starts, even just with general admission access.
All throughout the paddock is always a line up of formidable opponents, such as Matty Hill, Cameron Mote, Rob Whyte, Michael Rosenblatt and SO many more! The International Drift Challenge at WTAC also usually indicates the start of a fresh new livery for drift teams, Levi Clark’s S15 Silvia being one of my personal favourites, with an eye-catching black and gold theme
Matty Hill’s S15 looked amazing as well with this colour combo.
As well as us supporting the 3 Fingers Neat/4Mance Hill brothers, Matty and Waz, you can also catch them at most of our events.
Cart your tyres by any means necessary!
All the while, Time Attack cars can be heard screaming around the track and voices over the PA in the distance. Keeping a close eye on the days schedule, it’s time to go and soak up some of the other various displays around Traders Alley before the day progresses.
It’s here that you’ll find the main stage. I took the time on day 2 to attend here while on two occasions, none other than Keiichi Tsuchiya, affectionately known as “Drift King” the father of drifting and probably as a heavily understated comparison: Japan’s answer to Peter Brock. The first he was happily signing autographs(Seriously, the guy had an immense smile the entire weekend)
Along with Tarzan Yamada, Nobuteru Taniguchi and a humble record breaking Tim Slade.
There was all manner of items that people were bringing to get signed.
With one guy even bringing the seats out of a car he was building, for Tsuchiya-san to sign!
The second time I found Tsuchiya-San here, was during a Q&A with Beau Yates and Toshi Hamaya with Beau’s AE86 on display, which fans would be lucky enough to witness the Drift King frying some tyres in, over the course of both days.
Traders alley also has a wide variety of stands to wander through, whether you’re looking to just get yourself some official WTAC merchandise, oil, tyres, apparel from local and international lifestyle clothing brands, customised aftermarket carparts that range from billett engine blocks, clutches, gearboxes, steering, suspension, right down to extravagant wheel nuts and shifters. Even while trying to take some of these in, i’m quickly distracted by a Lamborghini Countach just casually driving through. Memories flash back to having one as a poster on my wall when i was teen, wondering if i’d ever even see one in my life!
Even better was the fact that I knew I was going to be able to experience that purring down the track during the weekend. With that thought, time to head to pit lane and immerse in all of the hustle.
Mighty Mouse!
No shortage of insane aero!
Later on over the weekend the public would be allowed to enter here for whats known as the Pit Lane Walk.
Allowing the opportunity for everyone to get up close with some of the most amazing machines of the event.
Even those not game enough to navigate the crowds below still take vantage from above pit lane in the public viewing areas.
The show n shine that fills the skidpan on the Sunday is not to scoffed upon either!
Of course the biggest focus of the weekend is the Time Attack racing. As drivers and their teams across the different classes battle for ‘One Perfect Lap’ achieved by finishing the weekend with the fastest time around Sydney Motorsport Park.
Then, as the sun starts to go down, the drift cars begin to unleash hell in the International Drift Challenge.
Want to witness this all for yourself? Then make sure to grab your ticket here when they go on sale June 1st.
See you there!
Words by: Adam Vlahos
Photos by: Adam Vlahos & Dom Ciccio