Irish Shanahan brothers to compete in International Drifting Cup

We are excited to announce 2016 British Drift Champion Jack Shanahan and his 15-year-old brother Conor will represent Ireland in the Honeywell Garrett International Drifting Cup and we have secretly prepared some INSANE vehicles for them to compete in! When it comes to the sport of drift, outside of USA and Japan, there are not many single countries that have such a diehard fan base as the Republic of Ireland. With the Irish Drift Championship having a history dating back to 2005, it’s no surprise that some of the world’s most formidable drivers have come from this small nation. And there is no question that this young pair are right up the top of this list!

“As I was searching for competitors from around the world the name that kept popping up was Shanahan.” said Superlap CEO Ian Baker “So I starting researching a way of getting them here. Bringing their own cars was out of the question as they are both competing throughout Europe right up until October so we had to devise a different plan. I was speaking with Luke Fink and he told me he had two cars we could use but they would need to be bought up to International Spec. The more I researched the more I found Australian and New Zealand companies that were already familiar with these guys and were super keen to get involved to make it all happen. But the real deal clincher was showing my good mate Frances Hayes (the publican of the Bald Rock Hotel) a video of 15-year-old Conor battling current Formula Drift Champion James Deane. He just turned to me and said “Lets do this, I am Irish they are Irish let’s make this happen!” So I got to work putting the rest of the deal together with our other sponsors and Luke to give these guys competitive vehicles. Personally I think we nailed it!”

Conor will be driving the 800hp S13 Silvia Convertible. Powered by a LS2 fitted with a camshaft and valve springs, a custom GCG/BorgWarner Turbocharger, a full array of Turbosmart gear including wastegate, blow off valve and fuel reg and more, a custom intercooler, Xtreme multi-plate clutch, rear mount radiator, LINK ECU, lock kit, custom suspension and the latest and greatest Valino tyres. Both drivers are supported by ACL bearing company.

“It kind of made sense to go with the low boost high compression turbo LS deal” said Luke Fink “provided the heat is controlled these will run all day at 800hp almost unstressed as the 6 litre capacity makes it all happen real easy and the S13 chassis is real easy to dial in”

Older brother Jack will be competing in the AE86 that Fink competed in last year. But this too has undergone a full makeover, now featuring a forged SR20 with a big GCG turbo, Xtreme clutch, Link ECU and a bunch of other goodies. The power output is approx 600hp, which in the lightweight and nimble AE86 is sure to be a force to be reckoned with.

This is just another piece of the puzzle that makes this event so special. Now we have Europeans going up against the likes of Taniguchi and Nakamura from Japan, and of the course the best from Australia and New Zealand. It is shaping up to kick the debut of the International Drifting Cup off to an event no one will forget in a hurry!