PR GITN 2010 Season Recap

8/8/2019 PR GITN 2010 Season Recap

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2010 Season Recap

2010 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Mats Baribeaus life. After only one season of

DMCC amateur competition, Baribeau was granted a probationary license to compete in the

professional ranks of the Castrol Driftmania Canadian Championships. To ensure that

Baribeaus Toyota Mark II could handle the rigors of pro-level competition, it went under the

knife for a couple pre-season modifications. To stiffen up the car and guarantee the safety of its

pilot, Simon from Sims Customs fabricated a custom 12 pt. DMCC spec roll cage. The Mark IIs

power plant was the recipient of some amazing headwork, also provided by our fiends atSims,

which would give Baribeau an added 80RWHP.

A new sponsor to join the Gold in the Net: Drift Team was Canada Synthetics, a key Canadian

distributor of Amsoil products. Thanks to Canada Synthetics and Amsoil, Baribeau and his team

were never short of fluids to make the beast run. With a competition-ready car, along with

solid support from both the sponsors, and his family, Baribeau was anxious to get the season

underway. He didnt have to wait too long to get some seat time, as Baribeau was invited to

participate in a demonstration exhibition at the Gumball 3000 pit stop at Shannonville Racewayon May 6, 2010. Unfortunately, during a warm-up lap, his car succumbed to technical gremlins,

forcing Baribeau to forgo his involvement in the days festivities. Or so he led the audience to

believe. To everyones surprise, Baribeau borrowed his friends car, a JDM Toyota Soarer, for

the demonstration, joining fellow DMCCers Pat Cyr, Brad Carlton, and Peter Chrisikopoulos.

Even behind the wheel of this unfamiliar car, Baribeau captivated fans with some amazing

tandem runs, and brought the small crowd to its feet with some ultra smokey burn-outs. The

Brockville native would enter his first professional season a rookie, but no longer unknown to

DMCCs loyal fan base.

Rd. 1 St Eustache, QC

Anxiety was high as Baribeau approached his first drift competition of 2010, not only because

he would be competing against a much more talented pool of drivers, but also because his 2010

pro license was issued as a probationary, and to secure a full unrestricted license he had to

qualify in the first two rounds of the 2010 season. Entering round one, Baribeau knew he was at

a disadvantage due to his lack of experience, and to not knowing whether his JZX90 was


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properly set up and dialed in for this level of competition. There was a lot to learn for the Gold

in the Net: Drift Team. Despite some issues with the car misfiring and a faulty wastegate,

Baribeau would qualify 11th

, and would move into his first ever professional tandem run against

crowd favorite Jonathan Thiffault. Baribeaus crew worked quickly and diligently to find a quick

fix for the wastegate and the misfiring. Their efforts proved successful as Baribeau lined up

against Thiffault for his Top 16 debut in DMCC. Unfortunately, Baribeau and his Toyota Mark IIwould be revisited by the same misfiring, and could not bring the fight to Thiffault. Baribeau

lost the battle, and was knocked out of competition.

Rd. 2 Montmagny, QC

Right after round one, the Gold in the Net Drift Team began testing, and tweaking the car s set

up for the upcoming round in Montmagny. Baribeau and his team, showed up to this new track,

confident in their car and its pilot. During practice Baribeau was able to feel out the right line,

and would continue to run that line in every session. With the JZX90 lacking grip, Baribeau knew

he would have some trouble keeping up with the faster cars in tandem. Qualifying 11th

once

again, Baribeau was matched up against Marc Landerville, the winner of round one at St.

Eustache. While chasing Landerville on the first run of the top 16 battle, Baribeau spun as hetried to compensate for the lack of grip with a lead foot. On Baribeaus lead run he laid down a

clean lap, and pulled away from Landerville creating a considerable gap. However, with

Baribeau spinning on the first run. It was too little too late, and Landerville advanced, sending

Baribeau back to the pits.


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Rd. 3 ICAR Mirabel, QC

Once, the site of Mirabel Airport, and now home to the exotic toys of the rich and famous, ICAR

was one of the two new tracks added to the DMCC schedule for 2010. Once again, Baribeau and

the Gold in the Net Drift Team would be challenged by a track unfamiliar to them, and to

Baribeaus 500 horsepower Toyota Mark II drift car. Even more exciting than a new track, was

the debut of Kenda Tire USA as the newest sponsor of the Gold in the Net Drift Team. With the

addition of Kenda tires, Baribeaus drift limo was transformed, laying down the fastest clocked

entry speeds of the 21 competing drivers during practice. All through Saturday, Baribeau and

his team performed flawlessly, but when Sunday came, the tide had shifted. During practice,

Baribeau blew his power steering pump, though luckily, the team had another one in the trailer.

After a quick changing of the pumps, Baribeau returned to practice, but after one lap, the

engine began misfiring, and was not producing full power. Inspection by Baribeaus crew,

revealed that the plugs needed to be replaced, and that the IACV was stuck in the open

position. After a few minutes of work, the team was able to make the needed repairs and the

engine was back to running at full power, with no mechanical issues. Baribeau and his teamwere confident as practice concluded, and qualifying was only minutes away. Unfortunately, on

Baribeaus first qualifying run, the power steering pump exploded once again, followed shortly

thereafter by the third gear in his transmission. Baribeau and his team were hopeful that they

could fix the damage, and make their second qualifying run, and advance to the top 16, but it

was not to be. The blown steering pump was beyond repair, and a replacement was not

available. Due to mechanical issues, Baribeau was forced to leave the competition.


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Rd. 4 Montmagny, QC

Suffering a major disappointment at the hands of a blown power steering pump in round three

at ICAR, Baribeau was anxiously awaiting his return to Montmagny for round four. This being a

one day night event, the teams were not given much time to practice. With his beloved JZX90

running gremlin free, Baribeau was prepared to bring a real show to these die hard Quebec

drift fans. Baribeau expertly piloted his Toyota Mark II in qualifying, to take the 13th

spot in the

top 16. This would see him line up against the 2009 DMCC champ Matt the Wolf Waldin. On

Waldins lead run, the Wolf would turn to his e-brake to scrub speed, forcing Baribeau to act

quickly to avoid making contact with Waldin. When adjusting to Waldins slower than usual

speeds, Baribeau applied a little too much brake, causing the Mark II to spin and giving Waldin

the advantage. On Baribeaus lead run, Waldin found himself trying to chase down Baribeau,

after Baribeau had pulled away from Waldins 350Z shortly after initiation. But this was not

enough. Even though Baribeau ran a flawless lead run, his spin on the chase run would be the

nail in the coffin. Baribeau was eliminated and Waldin moved on.


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Rd. 5 St. Eustache, QC

Coming off a very controversial defeat at the hands of the 2009 DMCC champ, Matt Waldin,

Baribeau was excited to return to his home track, the St-Eustache Autodrome. St-Eustache

would serve as the venue for the debut of the new and improved Gold in the Net Toyota Mark

II, which had been updated with a new body kit, and fresh paint scheme, thanks to our sponsor,

Dezs Paint Shop. Having shed its old skin, the GITN Toyota Mark II now looked much more

aggressive. Both the car and its pilot, Baribeau arrived at round five with something to prove.

The fans immediately embraced the Mark IIs new look, and the Gold in the Net pit area was

buzzing with supporters, and media taking pictures of Baribeaus JDM beast.

At the drivers meeting, the DMCC judges informed the competitors that the track would be run

in reverse, instead of the traditional layout, which most of the drivers had grown accustomed

to. Baribeau took to the new track layout like a bee to honey. Baribeau and his JZX90 fell right

into the tracks line, and going into qualifying appeared to be a top contender. On his first

qualifying run, he ran the perfect line, and showed the judges some incredible angle as hepiloted his way through the new course. Unfortunately, due to some mechanical issues,

Baribeaus 1JZGTE wasnt delivering the power he was looking for, and he was consequently

docked points for lack of speed.


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Shortly after Baribeaus first qualifying run, it began to rain heavily, and due to some concerns

about safety. DMCC staff decided to hold off on the remaining qualifying runs, and address the

conditions of the track. After discussion with drivers and DMCC officials, it was determined that

the track was unsafe because of rain, and concerned that his car could potentially be destroyed,

preventing him from competing the following weekend at Mosport for round six. Baribeau and

the Gold in the Net Drift Team made the decision to not run, Baribeau qualified 15th

overall.

Rd 6. Mosport International Raceway Bowmansville, ON

A new track, a new city, and with the closing of the 2010 DMCC season only an afternoon away,

the Gold in the Net Drift Team, and its leader, and pilot, Mats Baribeau, prepared for what was

sure to be an epic close to their rookie season. Round six of the Castrol Driftmania Canadian

Championships would be played out in one of Canadas most prestigious and decorated

motorsport facilities, Mosport International Raceway. Though the event was originally planned

to take place on a modified for drift version of Mosports oval track, the teams were informed

that the event had been moved to Mosports driver development track, a course as technical,

as it is fast. Then in Toronto for Importfest, Baribeau and his now more aggressive-looking

Toyota Mark II(JZX90), were invited to test the new course layout that weekend. With some

valuable testing time on the DDT DMCC track, the GITN Drift Team felt confident going into

Mosport the following weekend.


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The day started off as most days do in DMCC: the teams rolled in and set up their pits. Having

arrived there the night before, the GITN Drift Team secured a prime spot in the front. The

drivers meeting took place at 9am, and the DMCC judges had some surprises for Baribeau and

his fellow competitors. Instead of the original layout, where drivers were initiating long before

the elevation change, competitors would now do a blind initiation right before it. The course

change meant nothing to Baribeau as he felt confident in himself, his team, and the set up theyhad done on the Gold in the Net JZX90. Practice was underway at 930am, and Baribeau and his

team used vital feedback from spotters to nail down the proper line and the high speed entry

transition. Baribeau, a rookie qualified 11th, while as some of the more seasoned drivers failed

to qualify.

The top sixteen began shortly after lunch and would see Baribeau against a good friend, Kevin

Grenier. To kick the battle off Grenier would lead Baribeau. After hitting the second clipping

zone, Grenier oversteered and spun out, giving Baribeau the advantage. In the second run,

Baribeau would lead Grenier, Baribeau made short work of the Warrior, clocking one of his

highest entry speeds of the day, 10km/h faster than his previous runs. Trying to catch up to the

faster Baribeau, Grenier once again spun, handing Baribeau a spot in the great eight.

In the great eight Baribeau was matched up against veteran race car driver, and former

Mosport DDT instructor Claude Poirier, from Team BFGoodrich. What was to come as a result

of this battle would make for one of the most exciting runs of the day. Poirier in his BFG 350Z

would lead Baribeaus Mark II(JZX90), Poirier managed to create some gap on the initiation but

Baribeau and the drift limo caught up to the LS powered Z at the first clipping zone. During

Poiriers lead run, he ended up dropping his wheels off the track as he was setting up for the jug

handle. On Baribeaus lead run, Poirier again went off course, but not enough to score a zero in

the minds of the judges. The two competitors made their way to the middle of the track to

await thejudges decision. The judges ruled unanimously that they wanted to see this battleone more time! The first run of this one more time saw Baribeau mirror his first chase run. On

the second run, Baribeau and the Toyota Mark II would lead, and again it was a deja vu, as the

run looked identical to his first lead run, well that was until Baribeau pushed his 500

horsepower sedan into the outer clipping zone, where he over rotated and spun out. Poirier

would move on to the final four, and DMCC competition for the GITN Drift Team would be over

for another year.


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In closing we would like to thank all of the Gold in the Net Drift Teams valued sponsors.

Without you, our 2010 season would not have been possible. Thank you to Kenda Tire USA,

Canada Synthetics, Feast Auto Group, Brian Crower, Bully Clutch, Sims Customs, Dezs Pai nt

Shop, Visual Sugar, and JHD Productions.

2010 Gold in The Net Drift Team Sponsors

Kenda Tire USAhttp://www.kendausa.com Canada Syntheticshttp://www.canadasynthetics.ca

FEAST Auto Grouphttp://www.feastautoexport.com

Brian Crowerhttp://www.runbc.com

Bully Clutchhttp://www.bullyclutch.com

Sims Customshttp://www.simscustoms.net

Dezs Paint Shop-http://www.dezspaintshop.com

Visual Sugar-http://www.visualsugar.com

JHD Productionshttp://www.jhdproductions.com
http://www.kendausa.com/http://www.kendausa.com/http://www.kendausa.com/http://www.canadasynthetics.ca/http://www.canadasynthetics.ca/http://www.canadasynthetics.ca/http://www.feastautoexport.com/http://www.feastautoexport.com/http://www.feastautoexport.com/http://www.runbc.com/http://www.runbc.com/http://www.runbc.com/http://www.bullyclutch.com/http://www.bullyclutch.com/http://www.bullyclutch.com/http://www.simscustoms.net/http://www.simscustoms.net/http://www.simscustoms.net/http://www.dezspaintshop.com/http://www.dezspaintshop.com/http://www.dezspaintshop.com/http://www.visualsugar.com/http://www.visualsugar.com/http://www.visualsugar.com/http://www.jhdproductions.com/http://www.jhdproductions.com/http://www.jhdproductions.com/http://www.jhdproductions.com/http://www.visualsugar.com/http://www.dezspaintshop.com/http://www.simscustoms.net/http://www.bullyclutch.com/http://www.runbc.com/http://www.feastautoexport.com/http://www.canadasynthetics.ca/http://www.kendausa.com/


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We encourage you to follow us in the off season, as we begin preparations for our 2011 season.

Keep an eye out for some new sponsors, and updates on developments to the Mark II.

To get the most update info on the Gold In The Net Drift Team join our Facebook Fan Page here

- Gold In The Net: Drift Team Facebook Fan Page

For press or sponsorship inquiries, please contact:

Frank Maguire Race Day Media

[email protected]

416-531-6267
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Brockville-ON/Gold-in-the-Net-Drift-Team/293564951430?ref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Brockville-ON/Gold-in-the-Net-Drift-Team/293564951430?ref=tsmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Brockville-ON/Gold-in-the-Net-Drift-Team/293564951430?ref=ts

PR GITN 2010 Season Recap

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