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Yates and Wiehrl chasing Sydney drift success |
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Thursday, 19 June 2008 |
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Sydney drivers Beau Yates and Fernando Wiehrl are eyeing strong results in Round Four of the 2008 Toyo Tires Drift Australia Series at Eastern Creek next weekend, 28-29 June, albeit for vastly different reasons.
The inaugural Australian Drift Champion in 2006, a big result could help Yates move up from third in the series standings, while Wiehrl - a two-time winner in 2007 - is looking to bounce back after a tough start to the year. Yates has been a quiet achiever thus far in 2008, with results of ninth, seventh and second in his Toyota Racing Developments AE86 Sprinter to sit within striking distance of championship leader Leighton Fine. "We did a lot of work to the car over the off season and it is paying off," Yates said. "Our qualifying form has been great, we were unlucky not to get a better result at Symmons Plains but on the whole we're happy with how things have gone. "We're happy with our form and a win at Eastern Creek would put us in a good position to challenge for the championship at Oran Park."
In the series' two previous visits to Eastern Creek, Sutherland Shire resident Yates has been among the men to beat.
| Victory at the circuit in 2006 launched a charge which led him to championship glory, and 12 months ago he was third in wet conditions. "Even though it's one of the shortest layouts we run on, it's one of the more challenging," he said. "It's one of our home tracks and we've enjoyed success there in the past which gives us a lot of confidence heading into next weekend." By contrast to Yates' consistent run, Wiehrl (Auto Salon Nissan Silvia), who lives just minutes from the Western Sydney circuit, has had a nightmare run. Wiehrl entered the season as one of the championship favourites, after winning the final two rounds of 2007 and finishing third in the championship. He currently sits 18th in the standings after three tough rounds - including a heavy crash during Round Two at Queensland Raceway - with 11th in the season-opener his best result. "Things haven't gone to plan so far this year," Wiehrl admitted. "We worked hard during the off-season and improved the car, but with things like the crash at Queensland and a mechanical problem at Mallala we haven't been able to get back to our 2007 form. "We're well out of championship contention, so we're turning our attention to wins, which is the goal for Eastern Creek." Yates and Wiehrl will be among the 32-car Toyo Tires Drift Australia field doing battle at Eastern Creek next weekend. Running all day Saturday and Sunday, the program also features the Toyo Tires Super Drift Series, expression sessions, team Drifting, an Extreme Entry competition, stunt bikes and a jet car 'flame show'. Off-track entertainment includes a Show-n-Shine and a display of the Toyota Racing Developments village, with the Super 2000 Corolla and Aurion Tarmac rally cars. Tickets are $20 on Saturday and $30 on Sunday, with a $40 weekend pass also available, while kids under 14 are free all weekend. For more information about the Toyo Tires Drift Australia Series, head to www.driftaustralia.com.au Toyo Tires Drift Australia Series Standings1. Leighton Fine (SA, Commercial Truck Sales Nissan 180SX) - 13362. Luke Fink (VIC, Holford Motors Nissan Silvia) - 13003. Beau Yates (NSW, Toyota Racing Developments Toyota AE86 Sprinter) - 11724. Christian Pickering (SA, Senwill Civil Nissan Silvia) - 11095. Robbie Bolger (QLD, VIP Petfoods Holden Monaro) - 10716. Adam May (SA, WheelWorx Nissan Skyline) - 10587. Tom Monkhouse (SA, Japanese Motorsport Nissan Silvia) - 10518. Chris DeJager (VIC, Turtle Wax ICE Nissan Silvia) - 1036 |
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