Barra Turbo-powered Ford Falcon XD to drift at WTAC

Another week, another exciting addition to the line-up at World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) 2018, this time a Ford Falcon XD powered by a modern Barra Turbo straight-six.

It'll be competing in the International Drifting Cup, up against the world's best drift cars and drivers.

The entrant and driver of the car, Danny Probert, is a drifter from Darwin who’s a three-time Top End Drift Association champion and part of the Xdrift team.

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His car is something that you’d not expect to see amongst the primarily Japanese cars of the drift community, but the XD has become part of his personal ‘brand’.

“It certainly would have been easier starting with a Toyota or Nissan but that was never in the equation,” he says.

“I am the XD Ford guy and that’s what it had to be. But this one had to stand out and be capable of mixing it with not only the best in Australia but the best in the world.

The engine was lifted from a 2016 FG F6, with cams, chains, a dry sump, and other engine parts from Atomic Performance. An upgraded Garrett turbo, a set of 2200cc Bosch injectors, a Haltech ECU, are also part of a seemingly endless list of upgrades.

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“We don’t talk horsepower numbers, it’s more about usable powerband and torque in this application,” Probert tells WTAC, where you can read more about the car itself.

Probert says his love of drifting started in 2004, with an XD running a “351 (5.8-litre V8) with leaf springs and lowering blocks.”

“The guys were teaching me how to do a ‘Scando’ and I stuck it straight into the wall. But it got me hooked and I haven’t looked back since!”

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CEO of Superlap and the man in charge of WTAC Ian Baker says it’s exciting to have competitors from a variety of places, with some cars even being shipped from Europe.

“Something we have long envisioned is to have a competitor from every state in Australia, but both the driver and the car need to be at an international competition level, which is harder than it sounds.

“Most of the top drivers are located where the bigger competitions and the sponsors are – certainly not way up North.”

Baker says he was introduced to Probert and the car via a mutual friend.

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“He said I needed to see this car in person the fully understand the level of the build and that the driver has the skills to back it up, so we connected with Danny and the rest is history.

“We cannot wait to see this crazy machine in action!”

WTAC 2018 kicks off on Friday October 12, and runs all through Saturday.