A dominant win at the final round of this season’s Cody’s D1NZ National Drifting Championship at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday bodes well for top New Zealand drifter Daynom Templeman’s next challenge – competing in the home of the sport, Japan.
Templeman, 36, from Auckland’s North Shore, swept all before him at the gala final 2013/14 series round held under lights on a tight and unforgiving temporary drift course at the stadium.
He earned the highest ever score – 96 out of a possible 100 – awarded at a D1NZ event in qualifying before winning all four battles he contested, including his Top 4 encounter with series winner – and now four-time D1NZ Drift King – Gary ‘Gaz’ Whiter, and the Final against series’ young gun, Darren Kelly.
“It certainly gives us something to build on ahead of Fuji, “said Templeman, referring to the first ever Formula Drift Asia series round at Japan’s Fuji Speedway over the July 05/06 weekend. “It’s good, too, knowing that the car is now completely dialed in”
The win in his NAC Insurance-backed, Achilles-shod Toyota 2JZ-powered FD3 Mazda RX7 was not Templeman’s first; he stood on the top step of the podium at the Taupo round of the Cody’s D1NZ championship two years ago. Since then, however, the major focus of his family-based team has been on engine and chassis development.
Along the way they have faced multiple challenges. But if the round-winning performance at Mt Smart is anything to go by, Templeman and his close-knit team have finally got the unique mix of FD3 Mazda RX7 chassis, stroked 3.4 litre 2JZ Toyota engine, 6-speed sequential Hollinger gearbox, Winter’s quick-change diff and steering knuckles of their own design, right.
“Fingers crossed,” said Templeman on Monday. “As well as now having the reliability we obviously need we’ve also – finally – got the steering working the way we want it to. And that’s made a huge difference.”
Having started his four-wheel career in an off-roader at the tender age of 13 Templeman has enjoyed success on dirt, gravel (rallying), and tarmac (Formula Ford, the Toyota Racing Series and NZV8s).
As he has done in all the other categories he has tried his hand at, he was immediately successful when he took up drifting, a sport he says could have been invented with him in mind.
“It just kind of fits,” he says.” I really enjoy drifting and it’s something I’d like to continue to do for a long time to come.”
Templeman’s car – affectionately known as ‘Ginger’ – goes into a container bound for Japan next week. When he is reunited with it there he will face a 60-strong field of drivers from throughout Asia as well as from the United States, Europe and Australia including top Japanese drivers Daigo Saito and Robbie Nishida, Norway’s Fredric Aasbo, and fellow Kiwi ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett.
