Published: 28/06/2010
This round of the European Drift Championship, at Brands Hatch, was a big deal for Mark. He is the current leader of the championship, having won each round so far. He also won this round last year, so the pressure was on to win again, and from the off Mark let his presence be known and lay down the gauntlet.

In the practice session, Buff and the 350z were laying down speeds in excess of 100+ mph, and leaving a trail of smoke the whole way around the track. In the end, Mark qualified first and had the fastest speed of the day at 104 mph.

Into the competition, and Mark was up first against Kieran Cameron, who was struggling in his Nissan Silvia V8. A mistake from Cameron gave Mark a 7-3 advantage in the first run, and in the second, Buff kept the pressure on, staying close to Kieran the whole way around the track, and took the advantage and progressed to the next stage of the competition.

Up against Andy Cooper, Buff ensured his place in the final by matching Coopers speeds and angles, with mere inches between the two. In the second run, and Mark leading, there was nothing Andy could do to keep up with the smoke, and speed, machine that is the 350z. Mark was in the final against Pete Barber.

Their first run was a very close call indeed, with Buff leading and taking some great lines, while Pete pushed hard and stayed close to the Mark. It was called at 5-5, and that meant it was all or nothing for Mark in the final run.

With Buff chasing, he seen an opportunity to pass Barber and went for it. Unfortunately the gamble didn’t pay off and to avoid a collision, Mark had to force the car into a spin, and at the same time forced himself into second place.

So the EDC winning streak has come to an end, four consecutive rounds since late last year. However, he is still at the top of the table, and with two more rounds to go, Mark is looking to sow everything up early and claim the title at Cadwell Park. Can he do it?