After a fantastic season of the MSUK Drift Pro Championship competing around the circuits of UK, Lwi was crowned Championship winner at the last round at Snetterton.
Lwi Edwards 2023 MSUK Drift Pro Champion
After 8 rounds on the iconic race circuits around the UK, Lwi took the win at 4 rounds and finished on the podium on all but 2.
Lwi results gave him a lead after the 7th round that couldn’t be beaten.
Lwi Edwards 2023 leader board
An amazing result for a young driver with a small family team behind him.
Our thanks must go to our partners who help make this happen.
Round 3 : With temperatures in the high 20’s it was going to be a hard event on the car and tyres, 100+ mph entries, not to mention the temperatures in the 40’s in the car that Lwi had to contend with.
Lwi Edwards Driftpro Championship Brands Hatch
After a practice session it was time to qualify. Putting in a safe run first to test the grip, Lwi then pushed the boundaries a little to qualify P3.
Lwi Edwards Qualifying DriftPro Championship
Top16 battle was with Matt Roberts, a fellow Welshman, BMW E36 driver and a newcomer to the Championship. He put up a good attempt but made a mistake that took him into the gravel trap, Lwi took the win easily.
Top 8 battle was against Dave Bastin in his amazing Nissan AE86 who was pushing hard as always. A small mistake on Lwi’s lead meant Dave took the win. So our day was over.
Round 4 : Another hot day and all the drivers had upped their game after having the practice the day before.
Qualifying was close, with a lot of drivers scoring in high 80’s and Lwi pulled out the stops to qualify P2, only to be beaten by Josh King who was on a mission.
Lwi Edwards Qualifying DriftPro Championship
Top 16 battle and unfortunately for Matt Roberts, he had Lwi again, Matt had improved a lot since previous day but Lwi took the win easily.
Top 8 battle and it was against the hugely experienced Martin Richards again, Lwi has battled him quite a few times in the Championship in the past with success but this weekend Martin was looking determined to win. Lwi had to push the limits to the max to take the win. So much so that Lwi won a prize for the “best chase of the day”
Lwi Edwards Vs Martin Richards DriftPro Championship Brands Hatch
Final 4 battle was against another hugely talented driver Ollie Evans so Lwi had to turn the screw up again to stand a chance and took the win again in style.
Lwi Edwards Vs Ollie Evans Drift Pro Championship Brands Hatch
Podium battle was against Axel Hildebrand who had been on form all day, luckily Lwi had the legs on him so took the win.
Round 4 Lwi finished on the podium in P1, the second win already this year so far and hopefully one of many. The level of driving in this championship is on a different scale this year so there is a challenge ahead.
Lwi Edwards Round 4 winner DriftPro Championship
Huge thank you to our partners who help make this happen. Bilstein, Haltech, Allitalia, TPW Engineering, Billy’s Speed shop, Learn2Drift and all the crew that keep the cogs turning over the weekend Dan, Jules, Damo, Howard as well as Kaylee, Mason and Alayla.
Check our the In Car footage below on our YouTube channel below 👇👇
We will soon be starting the long trek from Wrexham to Ballykelly in Northern Ireland for the first round of the Irish Drift Championship.
Lwi’s competitive drifting career started in Ireland in 2019 competing in the Drift Games Nationals championship so it will be good to get back to the Emerald Isle and compete with some familiar names from the season.
Difference this year will be competing in the Pro class and although still the same trust E36 M3, now fitted with much more powerful LSXV8 engine and more than double the horsepower!
Thank you to all our partners who help make this happen, we are proud to be promoting the brands to a new market in Ireland.
Round 1 and 2 of the Drift Pro Championship was held at the incredible mountain section of the Cadwell Park circuit.
Round 1 wasn’t going to plan, a mixed bag of weather and some conflicting opinions on the judging saw Lwi qualify a lowly 7th place and finished the day getting knocked out in the top 8.
Day 2 and Round 2,
Things improved for everyone. People settled in and results became more consistent.
Lwi qualified a respectable 2nd place battled through the field to take the top spot with a close battle in the final against Martin Richards
The first win of the 2023 season and the first podium carrying the Bilstein name, our main sponsor for 2023.
We thank all our partners who help make this happen, check out our partners page and support those who support us.
Lwi Edwards : Pro Drifter : UK Drift Championship : Three sisters circuit : Round 1
The first round of this brand new championship was to be held at the awesome Three Sisters Circuit, a venue that Lwi always performs well and has a good results
The BMW E36 LSV8 was given a thorough overhaul after the winter season by Allitalia Ltd with fresh oils supplied by Driven Oils and Sunoco Fuels but the main setup remains the same as 2020 apart from a few suspension tweeks to improve rear grip. Then the short journey to one of our closest venues on the calender
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship 2021
All set up at the Three Sisters Circuit ready for practice day and the weather was good. Friday was a full day of open practice before a day of rest on Saturday and the main Pro competition day on Sunday. The car ran faultlessly all day and apart from a collision with Fitzgerald when he span in front of Lwi, resulting in a damaged door, the car survived pretty well
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship : Damage on practice
Sunday was Pro Race day and after a morning practice and small setting up of suspension, the car was refilled with Sunoco Fuel, fitted with some new Accelera Tyres fitted to the 1Form Alloy Wheels ready for qualifying time.
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship : 2021 : Three Sisters : Qualifying Runs
Two qualifying runs and Lwi didnt disappoint, the first run was clean and a safe tidy run to give him 74 points, but Lwi turned up the screws on the second run, pushing out to the clipping points and running the line close to the edge, this gave him 85 points and third place qualifying place behind Luke Barker and Duane Mckeever. Pretty happy with the result!
So on to the battles
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship 2021 : Top 32 Battle : Three Sisters
Top 32 Battle: Lwi Vs Marcus Clare
Lwi’s first battle was with Marcus Clare who unfortunately span on his lead run narrowly missing Lwi in the process. However it gave Lwi the chance to do his now trademark Lunar bend wave.
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship 2021 : Round 1 : Top 16 Battle
Top 16 Battle : Lwi Vs Rob Black
This wasnt going to be an easy battle, Rob Black had come through from the Pro2 grid the day before and was on form, making his way to the Pro top 16. However, Lwi just put the perfect lead line as always and let the chase car make the mistakes, the extra grip we have dialled into the BMW starting to show around Lunar bend. Although Rob Black put a nice lead as well, the advantage was Lwi but a good battle for sure.
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship 2021 Rnd 1 : Great 8 Battle
Great 8 Battle : Lwi vs Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagione
Things were going to get hard now against the extremely experienced Baggsy who was also out to win the championship. Lwi putting on another perfect lead and gaining a little at the start, but Baggsy soon closed up the gap to finish the run. Lwi’s chase run was close and clean but he lost by a small margin. So close it split the judges in their decision after a good few minutes of deliberation . It would have been nice to go one more time but we were happy the judges decision and the result
Final Result:
A great start to the season, a solid finish and Lwi is currently sitting in 5th place overall in the Pro Class of the new UK Drift Championship.
Hard Charger Award
Surprise of the day was to be awarded the Hard Charger Award for the weekend !
Lwi Edwards : UK Drift Championship 2021 : Rnd 1 : Three Sisters : Hard Charger Award
Huge thanks to our Partners this year that help make this journey happen, Learn2Drift, Haltech, 1Form Wheels, Tirestreets UK, Accelera Tyres, Sunoco Fuels, Driven Oils, Beazy Media and our Family who contribute so much. It is going to be a busy year!
If you would like to get involved with our team or could offer support we would be glad to hear from you, drifting is a great platform to promote your company or brand even in these difficult times, drop us a line at support@lwiedwards.com
You can check out the YouTube channel below for more InCar footage from the weekend
Lwi Edwards : British Drift Championship Flier : Round 2 Three Sisters Circuit 2020
Round 2 of the British Drift Championship at Three Sisters circuit in Wigan, 12 months to the day when Lwi made the podium for the first time in the ProAms and almost qualified top in the Pro class, so he was looking forward to a good result now competing in the Pro class for 2020.
Practice day was booked for the Thursday prior to the event but a minor scare saw main sponsor Allitalia stripping the gearbox out of the car on Wednesday evening after a noise developed in the transmission while moving the car ready to load on the trailer. After checking the clutch and flywheel, the gearbox was replaced for the spare to avoid any failures on race day. The BMW LSV8 was given a clean bill of health and loaded ready for a later start on practice day.
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2020 : Three Sisters Circuit : Paddock setup with Panda tyre support : Accelera 651 sport
Practice day ran smoothly and gave Lwi a chance to get used to the new Accelera 651 sport Xtra 100 TW softer compound semi slicks supplied by partner for 2020 Tirestreets UK now mounted to some new 1 Form 18 inch rear wheels. We dialled in some different settings to gain some more grip and tried some different tyre pressures. Some new cooling fans fitted after the problem in previous round turned out to be much more efficient and kept the temperatures down by about 20 degrees to around 90c, even when driven hard which was a relief. The car ran faultlessly until it suddenly cut out while waiting in line at the start. After being towed back to the paddock it turned out to be the main kill switch, brand new this year, which had failed! After searching the paddock, Luke Barker’s team came to the rescue with a new one, all fitted and ready to go in under 30 mins. The rest of the day was uneventful, Lwi just cleaning up the qualifying line ready for race day
After chilling out watching the Pro2 class it was time to get the race face on for the Pro day on Saturday. Fuel up with Sunoco race fuel, new Accelera 651 rear tyres and morning practice, the weather was good with a damp start but forecast was dry so it was going to be fast and furious all day for sure.
Qualifying Runs:
First qualifying run and Lwi was on it from the start, a nice clean line hitting all the clips and gaining a score of 94,holding top spot for a while but finished finished 2nd
Qualifying Run 2:
Never happy with his run and always chasing that perfect score, Lwi was advised by judges he needed to put more flare in his style, so this run was more smoke, speed and pushed out to the clipping points. Something was amiss this time though and a lesser score of 92. Back to the drawing board to chase the perfect score. However, Lwi did finish the qualifying in 3rd position which is pretty amazing for his first year in Pro’s
Top 16 Battles:
Due to Lwi high qualifying score he advanced through to the top 16 and his fist battle was to be with one of the most experienced drivers on the grid Martin Wonnacott in his awesome high spec Toyota Chaser, this was going to be a good one. Lwi pushed hard and put his usual flawless lead run which may have caught Martin on the hop but he caught up quickly on the chase run. Turning around and Lwi made a few mistakes on the first few clips so the judges voted for a OMT (One More Time) to give a chance for a cleaner run from both drivers.
Top 16 Battle OMT:
Lwi pushed hard on this battle, it was close and entertaining until Martin was forced into a mistake on the last few clips, running off the track and allowing Lwi to take the win and advance into great 8
Great 8 Battle:
After battling Martin, the great 8 battle should be more even with young irish driver Dylan Kehoe who had advanced through from Pro2 with a very nice spec Nissan with similar power to Lwi. It was very close and tidy battle which Lwi took the win to advance through to Final 4
Final 4 Battle:
Well, this was going to be a mission, Lwi was now up against the experienced and fellow welshman Ollie Evans in a much higher spec Nissan who was determined to win the championship. Lwi pushed as hard as he could, it was close and fast with Ollie losing his bumper on transitions but Lwi just couldnt beat Evans and the lost the battle.
Third Place Playoff:
Lwi had one final chance to make the 3rd place podium and his opponent was the young driver Max Cotton, who had stormed the field of Pro2 to this position in the Pro class. The battle again was close with both Lwi and Max rubbing doors but the win went to Max, so Lwi just missed out on a podium place. Well done Max!
Lwi finished the weekend with a 4th place o/all finish and although disappointed in not getting another podium at Three Sisters it was a great result after some hard battles. Currently sitting in 5th place in the Pro championship, once again it it a great result for the first year in the Pro Class
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2020 : Final Position after Round 2
Always looking for consistency like last year in Pro2, if Lwi can stay in top 5 for this season it will be a great achievement, but who knows what happens, with so few rounds of the championship, things can change quickly.
Huge thanks to everyone involved with the team from sponsors Accelera tyres, tirestreets UK, haltech, Sunoco fuels, Driven Oils, Learn2Drift, 1Form Wheels and bank of Nana and John, as well as all the Team Driftfam who all make this possible.
Always looking for support on this journey, please get in touch if you can help out in any way at support@lwiedwards.com
Lwi Edwards : Tullyroan Oval Driftnights 2019 : Organised by Kevin Quinn
Hidden away in Northern Ireland is the most immaculate Oval circuit named Tullyroan Oval and once in a while, Kevin Quinn organises the most amazing event called Tullyroan Oval Driftnights. Pulling together some of the best known names in the drift world from around Ireland, Europe and occasionally, the world. All under floodlights with Big prizes at stake
We had been given the heads up by a fellow drifter and, after speaking to the organisers, gained an entry for Lwi into this invitation only event, an amazing chance for him to pitch his driving ability against some top class drivers.
Tullyroan Oval Drift Nights 2019 : Lwi Edwards
The car was checked over again after last round of BDC in Allitalia workshop, some fresh fuel stocked up from new partner Sonoco UK and last minute ferry booking again with Irish Ferries and we, once again headed off to our happy place across the water for the hop from Wrexham to Northern Ireland.
Lwi Edwards Vs David Egan : Tullyroan Oval 2019 : Practice runs
Friday started with practice through the day and the chance to twin with names like David Egan. The weather was mixed with heavy showers and the track was patchy in places so made it quite challenging to run qualifying lines.
Lwi Edwards : Tullyroan Oval 2019 : Qualifying run
Qualifying: As darkness fell and the rain came down hard, the qualifying runs began. Lwi, as always putting his clinical line driving to score an 82 point run to put him just out of the top 10 in 11th place, with only names like Shanahan’s , Quinn , Larner, and McKeever and Drift Games Extreme drivers above him, another great result in the conditions
Saturday: And the weather was mixed again, heavy showers and dry spells and after a short practice during the early afternoon start it was time to run a Superlap which gave the running order for battles.
Lwi Edwards : Tullyroan Oval 2019 : Top 32 Battle : Lwi Vs Harry Kerr
Top 32 Battle: Now the battles were going to get serious and Lwi had been seeded against another hugely talented young driver, Harry Kerr, in pretty identical spec M3 BMW’s. The first run and both drivers made few mistakes and put pretty well identical runs in lead and chase, so much so, it was judged to go OMT (One More Time), a good call and both drivers agreed on the decision with another chance to battle.
Lwi Edwards : Tullyroan Oval 2019 : Top 32 Battle part 2 Lwi Vs Harry Kerr OMT
Top 32 Battle OMT : And another chance to battle Harry Kerr for a place in Top 16, it was close again but Lwi put a better run by a small margin and won! So Lwi was through to the Top 16. The next opponent was going to be interesting…
Lwi Edwards : Tullyroan Oval 2019 : Top 16 Battle : Lwi Vs Conor Shanahan
Top 16 Battle : And this couldn’t get any better, something Young Blood, Lwi Edwards had been praying for all year, the chance to battle arguably one of the best drifters in the world and recent Red Bull athlete, Conor Shanahan. It was a tall order to ever beat Conor but Lwi put up an amazing fight, held proximity and ran his perfect lead line. Conor’s smooth style is very similar to Lwi which gave him confidence to make a dive on his door but Lwi was certainly out car-ed and he was happy to take the defeat. The opportunity to be able to run with Conor was invaluable and has been a great experience for Lwi to prove he can battle with the best even with a inferior car. This sets him in good stead for 2020 when the next step up car is built.
An amazing weekend with some world class drivers, thank you to Kevin Quinn for the Invite, all our partners who help us out including Allitalia Wrexham, Irish Ferries, Sonoco UK fuels, L2D. We are always looking to work with new names, if you would like to get involved with this journey, get in touch ready for 2020. Its going to get exciting!
Round 5 of the British Drift Championship was to take place at the Three Sisters race circuit in Wigan, a tight and twisty track, using a new layout. Although Lwi had only done a novice day in 3 sisters previously, the new layout helped level the field a little against regular visitors.
The weather forecast was good, warm and dry, unlike previous rounds, this would give Lwi the chance to silence the doubters who think his current position in the championship, 1st, is due to the previous wet conditions favouring the lower power of the M3.
Friday, was a short drive from the Allitalia base in Wrexham after the M3 had been checked over and was spent with free practice and Lwi familiarising himself with the new layout. A very technical line had been set out to challenge the drivers, Lwi inputted the data into his processor type brain, spent some time perfecting the line then called it a day.
Lwi Edwards : BDC2019 Rnd 5 : Qualifying run : Top qualified
Saturday morning and the weather was dry and warm, after a short practice it was time for qualifying. Lwi was the last to run due to his position in championship and was determined to prove a point. His first run was a tidy 94 points and a second run topped this with a 95.6! Top qualified again but always chasing that perfect 100 score
The Battles
Top 32 Battle: The first battle was to be with local drift god Karl Farrar with Lwi putting in his now almost perfect lead line, Karl was able to get up close, physically pushing him over the finish line. Lwi chase was tidy and close enough to win the battle. Advantage Lwi and through to Top 16.
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Top 32 Battle Lwi Vs Farrar
Top 16 Battle: Lwi second battle was with Paul Cunnington, another driver who is close in championship, Lwi now has qualifying line dialled in and Cunnington made a few more errors than Lwi. Advantage Lwi and Great 8 beckons
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Top 16 Battle : Lwi Vs Cunnington
Great 8 Battle: A battle that Lwi was looking forward to, Martin Cowley, sitting a few points behind Lwi in championship, this was to be a head to head battle, and the conditions were dry, advantage should go to Cowley with his superior powered Nissan. But Lwi drove a clinical lead and an impressive chase which impressed the judges, against the odds he took the win and finally made it into the Final 4, a position that has eluded him a few times this season and achieving this by taking his direct competition out made it a special moment
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Great 8 Battle : Lwi Vs Cowley
Final 4 Battle: This was going to be a tall order in the M3, pitched against Andy Frost in the 600hp FastR BMW. Frost had started to gel with the car after spending some time testing and he was driving well. The battles were very close but Frost took the deserved win by a close margin.
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Final 4 Battle : Lwi Vs Frost
Final battle : The battle for the final place on the podium was against Minelga, another hard fought battle that Lwi managed to clinch with his precise line driving. 3rd position was in the bag!
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Final Play off for Podium : Lwi Vs Minelga
The Pro Class
But it was not over, the top 4 finishers in ProAm had opportunity to race on Sunday in the Pro class
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Pro Class : Qualification run 91 point : Qual 2nd in Pros
Qualifying: And Lwi pulled it out of the bag and put a safe first run in with a 78 point then nailed it with a 91 point run. He held the top place in qualifying until knocked down to 2nd by Martin Wonnacott. This put Lwi straight into Top 16 battles and he could sit back and watch the remainder of the field battle it out.
Lwi Edwards : BDC 2019 Rnd 5 : Pro Class ; Top16 Battle : Lwi Vs Simmons
Top 16 Battle: This level of the Pro class was alway going to be difficult and Lwi was to battle Adam Simmons in his LS powered BMW. Another very close battle that Lwi lost by just one point.
Overall a very productive weekend that showed what Young Blood, Lwi Edwards is capable of, wet or dry. The fact that Lwi has only owned a drift car for 18 months, this is the first year in competition and he is still only 17yrs of age. Looking forward to seeing what can be achieved in the Pro class in 2020.
The last round of British Drift Championship is Buxton on Friday 11th October for Pro Ams and a full weekend of competition. Buy your tickets here and support us
