Brian Wilkerson takes 2nd Place at the NOPI Drift season opener

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - Drift Alliance Ace Brian Wilkerson of MA-Motorsports was faced with many challenges on his long journey to Moroso Motorsports Park for the season opener of NOPI Drift. Brian overcame these challenges when he jumped in his newly debuted S13 drift machine and fought his way to the top taking home the 2nd place trophy.

Brian's first qualifying run Sunday was clean and conservative; he didn't want to go crazy on the first run - no question a smart tactic. For Brian's second run, he entered early and held his angle longer for that "wow" factor that the judges look for. He qualified in 6th place, not as high as he wanted, but he was "happy to be a part of the top eight qualifiers."

Tandem competition came and sooner than he knew it, Brian had battled his way through Ali Aljibouri in the top 16, Blake Fuller in the top eight, and Juan Henao in the final four - he was heading to the finals!

On the first run of the finals, Brian had such an intense angle that paired with the rain that suddenly occurred, the result was a spin. On the second run both Brian and his competitor, Esteban Falero, spun out. The advantage was given to Falero and Brian was awarded 2nd place - quite an achievement for the first event of the season.

Brian pushed himself to the max the week before the event to finish up his 2.2 liter Brian Crower SR20DET-powered Nissan 240SX S13 - getting only a couple of hours of sleep every night. After a successful test day and practice with the help of Vaughn Gittin Jr. of Drift Alliance, Brian wanted to tune the car some more to take care of some loose ends.

"Will Taylor from BRE Motorsports in North Carolina was nice enough to let me use their dyno," says Brian. So he packed his bags and said "goodbye Baltimore", beginning his journey down to Florida.  

Quite a journey indeed - at midnight and two hours away from BRE Motorsports, Brian realized one of his trailer wheels had blasted off somewhere on I-85. After some help and only three hours of sleep, the next morning Brian was right back to working on his car at BRE.

After about an hour on the dyno, something very rare happened - the S13 blew a tire!
"This is a freak occurrence that none of us have ever seen happen," says Brian. But nothing could stand in the way of his mission to make it to NOPI.

After the three hour set-back and a few energy drinks to prepare for the 11 hours of driving ahead of him, Brian was on the road again. But the long journey soon paid off as Brian arrived at his destination after only an hour of sleep and he was ready to do some serious drifting.

Saturday was practice for Brian and he made sure to use his time wisely - as he was still adjusting to the new car. But overall, the S13 felt solid.  

"I was about half-dead," says Brian. "The only thing that was keeping me awake was the amazing sounds my car made when I was hanging it wide open through the sweeper." Throughout the entire weekend, Brian received much praise from his competitors and the judges on his car and driving skills.  

Brian would like to thank all the people who helped him on his journey to NOPI and all his supporters. He would also like to thank all his sponsors for their support: MA-Motorsports, Electromotive Engine Controls, KW Suspension, Griffin Thermal Products, Origin Aero Parts, VersionSelect, Bullseye Power, World Electronics, and Drift Alliance. Stay tuned as Brian makes his way to Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, NJ in hopes of that number one podium position.