After the draw in round 3 at Nutts Corner, round 4 of the Ulster Drift Championship shaped up to be a heated battle back at its base in Bishopscourt Airfield Circuit.

Top qualifier Chubby McCord faced Andy Cooper in the top 8 battle with McCord going through. Rob Barnett who has been putting in great performances met a hard charging Clive Heatherington in the top 8 with Barnett going through after a one more time run to separate the two men.

Thirteen year old Duane McKeever has made a mega impression on the drift scene since he started this season and knocked out Ian Purcell in the top 8 to make it into the top 4 yet again. Paul Conlan had a tough battle with Chris Burnett but got the advantage to meet young McKeever.

Into the top 4 battles and Rob Barnett had to borrow a car from a fellow competitor as his own had a turbo problem so not only had Barnett the problem of learning a new car he also faced McCord, sadly it wasn’t to be for Barnett as he ran wide onto the grass and pulled a tyre off the wheel forcing him to accept defeat.

Next up in the top 4 was McKeever and Conlan and with Conlan having more experience, young McKeever had it all to do and he certainly put the battle to Conlan to take victory by just one point while Conlan went on to take third overall.

McCord to meet McKeever in the final, this was the 13 year olds first time in a UDC final and the nerves certainly didn’t get to the young Tyrone lad at all, after run one it was petty much a dead heat and it was McKeevers turn to lead in where he held his lines and speed which in turn forced a hard chasing McCord into a spin giving Duane his first ever UDC win.

 Graham Curry