The opening round of the 2019 Drift Masters European Championship was an exciting prospect for the global Drift community. Throughout the long winter in Europe, many new cars were prepared and the time to showcase the hard work had finally arrived. The entry list for Round One was jam-packed with talent and it was anyone’s guess who would be take the win to start the season.

Last year’s Round One winner Conor Shanahan was back in a new car, along with his brother Jack who won ‘Drift on the Docks’ in Ireland just one week prior. Other favourites included Polish star Adam Zalewski and Lithuanian Benediktas Cirba. Of course it would be hard to bet against James Deane, however, the most decorted driver in European and American Drifting.

In the Final on Sunday is was James vs Irish sensation Duane McKeever, who suprised and impressed everyone with his flamboyant accuracy on the twisty circuit. The final judges decision went to McKeever, who was lost for words after winning his first big event outside of Britain.

“It has to be the hardest day of my life, not one battle was easy and this was the most terrifying track I’ve ever driven” he stated, also giving praise to his Engine tuner Bradley Motorworks for building and tuning an incredible machine.

After winning the Irish AND British Drift Championship’s in 2018, McKeever had already cemetented himself as one of the best Drift Pilots in the world. He absolutely dominated competition in his homeland, winning every single round of the British Championship last year and all rounds of the Irish Championship bar one. Everyone was rightfully amazed in 2018, yet we now understand that it was only the beginning of what the Irishman is capable of.

Reliability and consistency were key for Duane last season, with a Link G4+ ECU in control of his engine tuned by Bradley Motorworks. GoPro videos show him absolutely hammering his engine in competition, yet driving with precision and control barely rivaled the world over.

This year, Link ECU officially partnered with Duane as he embarked on this new adventure in the Drift Masters European Championship.

Not only does the new year see Duane competing in a new series, but also a new car. His 180SX is now powered by a highly worked engine, derived from a RB25 but stroked out to RB28. The new build produced a lot of work for the team over the Winter with a few headaches along the way.

In the end, the hard work paid off for Richard and the team at Bradley Motorworks, as they managed to not only resolve the issues but complete a VERY impressive build. Over 800 horsepower with a ‘safe tune’.

 

Link Engine Management are very pleased to be the ECU of choice for McKeever and Bradley Motorworks.

The next round of DMEC is to be held in France on June 15 & 16th. Follow the series on Facebook here.