Published: 15/10/2009
Mark “Sidewaysbuff” Luney has been crowned champion of the Need for Speed European Drift Championship 2009.

Luney took the championship after winning the final round in the Team SVA Imports Nissan 350z Drift Car, which he raced at the Snetterton Race Circuit in Norwich, England. It was his second podium of the championship.

The run-up to the final round saw Luney lying second in the championship, with only a win seeing him take the title. In his first heads-up round, he faced the man who was leading overall, Phil Morrison from Driftworks. Luney led in the first run, and when entering the second corner he braked slightly early, which Morrison was unprepared for, causing him to spin out. This secured his progression through to the Top 8.

In the next round, he faced Bournemouth driver James Russell from Team DCY. In his first run it looked like Luney threw it all away as he straightened slightly giving his opponent a slight advantage. However, in his second run, he pulled out all the stops and drove flawlessly, and with Russell making two mistakes, he made it through to the final.

The only thing stopping Luney now from taking the round, and the championship, was friend Paul Conlan, who drives the PF Salvage Nissan Silvia. He was aiming for his first podium top spot.

In their first run, Luney narrowly won, but in the second run he made a mistake early on that allowed Conlan to pull a gap. As both drivers were even on scored after both runs, they had to run another two. The third run saw Luney pull yet another flawless lap out of the hat, and taking a narrow advantage into the final run. Conlan felt the pressure and slipped wide on the track, allowing Luney to overtake his opponent and take the win.

Speaking afterwards, Luney said

“It has been a really tough season, with some great competition along the way. I’ve been drifting now for 10 years, and to finally take the championship has been a long struggle but definitely worth it.”

He continued

“The standard of drifting today is just unreal. Over the past ten years I’ve seen the sport progress from closed off car parks, using old road cars, to tracks like Silverstone and Brands Hatch, using specially designed race cars. It’s great to be part of it all, and it’s great to finally win the European Drift Championship.”

Summing up, Luney had a warning for his opponents

“I will be back next year to defend my crown. With the support of the SVA Imports team, I’m sure we can take the 2010 championship.”