Sailun Tire Drift Team Crowned Champions of 2019 China DCGP
This year’s Lauter Lubricant Oil Cup Drifting Cup Grand Prix (DCGP), one of the highest level drift races in China, came to a successful end on October 13 in the northeastern city of Daqing. After two days of grueling competition, Sailun Drift Team was crowned champion of the singles, drift-chase and the Manufacturer's Cup categories, a first for the team in competition.
DCGP is a China based drifting competition organized and run under the guidance of Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of People’s Republic of China. This competition was the first time to introduce a DOSS results statistical system in China and helped DCGP to entrench itself as a major drift race in the Asia-pacific region.
The track used by DCGP was designed by Japanese professional track design engineer – Chiba Nobuya. The "KA" track design combined with DOSS results statistical system increased the difficulty of the competition. The driver is required to complete the drift movements on a given route, and the DOSS will measure the vehicle's trajectory, drift angle, and score their driving skills based on the mean calculation obtained from the driving data. Finally, according to the vehicle speed, posture, route and tire smoke, DOSS and the referees would provide a comprehensive score. The world's most advanced and fair machine plus the judge scoring system provided unprecedented challenges to the top racing drivers in attendance.
These wins in 2019 not only allow Sailun to build up on last year’s win, but also highlight the combined performance of the vehicles, drivers' capabilities, the fine-tuned product design of the second generation FG1. This racing tire is specifically designed to provide significant improvement in high speed cornering stability, grip and more, providing a stronger guarantee each racing season. In 2019, Sailun Tire Drift Team brought back last year’s champion, Hibino Tetsuya, and matched him up with the talented crew of Xia Changhao, Chen Wenqian and Tengku Djan Ley, driving brand-new outfitted vehicles with the Sailun orange, blue and white mark to compete in the DCGP.
In autumn, Daqing’s temperatures reach lower than 0℃, which has a great impact on tire grip. Drivers need to focus on overcoming the difficulties of the low temperature and track to ensure perfect drifting techniques. This tests their driving skills, mental strength, and also demands strict requirements on tire grip, load capacity and wear resistance. In the singles competition, the driver is required to complete the drift movements on a given route, and according to the vehicle speed, posture, route and tire smoke, DOSS system and referees will give a comprehensive score. The drift race is a knockout race, with the top 16 drivers entering to compete. After two days of tough competitions, the star driver of the Sailun Tire Drift Team, Hibino Tetsuya, relying on his extreme driving skills, captured the first of both round 1 singles and round 2 drift-chase.
In addition to the normal competition, a rare three-car drift-chase competition was held, called the Manufacturer's Cup. The rules of Manufacturer's Cup required three cars in the team to participate; the team who can make the most orderly and smooth movements to achieve the highest score will win the competition. Sailun chose three of their best and executed with flying colors, drifting almost flawlessly around the track. The connection between the racers was unmatched, each car behind the other acting like a shadow of the lead car. After three rounds of challenges, the team received a final score of 301.2, setting a record at the track, and was successfully crowned champions of manufacturer's cup, only further proving their driving skills and the excellent product performance of Sailun tires.
The team’s accumulated experience allowed them to nab all three 1st place positions of the competition. Over just two years, the Sailun Drift team and their supporting R&D team have accumulated exceptional results and R&D understanding on the requirements of racing tires. In the first year of its establishment in 2018, the Sailun Tire Drift Team participated in the D1GP China winning 1 championship in singles, 3 championships in drift-chase and finally took the first for the overall season, cementing its position in drifting competition in China. Sailun will be ready to hit the track again in late November so make sure to follow us on Facebook and keep up-to-date on all Sailun related information.
