Shiftech Drift Series: Salim crowned French runner-up and the E90’s first victory at Lédenon

Lédenon is a first for the team. It’s a fast – very fast – circuit, with technical descents, high-speed transitions and a patch of smoke in the middle of the track that can completely block visibility in a matter of tenths of a second. Conditions that could have disoriented any driver tackling the circuit without any prior experience.

Salim arrives with an unexpected advantage: hours spent on the Doorbreakers simulator. His first tentative run quickly proves his worth. The feel of the track matches his expectations, and the layout quickly takes shape in his mind. From the second run onwards, he’s going flat out. The morning session is very positive.

The afternoon proved more challenging. Rubber built up on the track, the car bounced around more, and the calm of the morning gave way to greater hesitation. There’s nothing to worry about on the mechanical front, however: no breakdowns, no electrical faults, just a few tweaks to the set-up. At speeds exceeding 150 km/h in certain sections, the cars hold up well. The potential is there for the next day.

On Saturday morning, the first qualifying session. Salim leaves the paddock with what look like new tyres. They aren’t. The day before, the team had carried out a rolling shot with a Porsche 992 GT3 RS on that very same set of tyres. The information hadn’t been passed on. Everyone had given the instruction, but in the hustle and bustle of Friday, the detail had fallen by the wayside.

Right from the start, Salim senses that something is wrong. There’s a lack of grip. On the descent, just as he’s about to initiate the transition, the rear end breaks away. He spins at the final corner, the most technical on the circuit. A zero in the first qualifying session.

The pressure was immediate. A weekend with the overall standings at stake, the runner-up spot still within reach, and the risk that it could all end there because of a communication error. Salim took it in his stride. The second run was clean, complete and controlled, despite the mounting stress. He finished qualifying in P3, behind Cristiano and Pascal Lia. He turned the situation around just when it could have been fatal.

On Saturday evening, just after 8 pm, the Top 16 battles get underway in almost total darkness. The area of the circuit where the runs are taking place is an unlit hollow. Salim is up against Alexis Cancian, the round’s wild card.

The team is set up above the live action at the spot. The problem: there’s no mobile signal in the hollow. It’s impossible to reach Salim by phone to warn him that his opponent has changed tyres between the two runs. He sets off in pursuit without this information.

In the smoke-filled section of the descent, he makes his move too late. As he emerges from the smoke, Salim finds himself facing a car that is braking, whilst he has not yet begun his own change of direction. He slams on the brakes, skids, skids, and narrowly avoids a collision. Alexis ends up in the gravel trap; Salim spins to avoid the collision. A sticker on the bodywork, nothing more. He is granted a ‘one more time’.

For the second run, the coach manages to get hold of Salim on the phone. He points out a button on the dashboard that Salim hadn’t had the chance to use since the start of the season: the headlights. Salim switches them on. The final clip, which until then had been plunged into complete darkness, lights up. He can see where he’s going. The lead run is flawless; the distance is well managed. On the way back, Alexis’s car breaks down due to a power cut. A victory by walkover – not the sort we prefer – but a place in the top eight is secured. He’ll be racing on Sunday.

Sunday morning, 9.35 am. The warm-up is scheduled for 10 am. The rear left suspension is out of action. All night long, the car had been lifting abnormally, to the point where Salim had lost all downforce on that side. The problem is only discovered at the last minute.

Xav, a driver for the Drift Spirit Soso team, doesn’t hesitate for a moment. He removes the shock absorbers from his own car and fits them to Salim’s. In less than 25 minutes, the job is done. Salim heads back out for the warm-up in a car he’s never driven in this configuration before, and he trusts it completely.

His opponent in the top 8 is Loï Rigoni, the man who, the previous year, had denied Salim’s coach a runners-up spot in the final round. A name that had been cropping up in discussions for several days. Salim was wary of this draw. Three experienced drivers from the team convinced him to adopt a different strategy to his usual set-up rather than trying to outdo Rigoni in his own way. He listened. In the lead, he managed his lead. In the chase, he took the ideal lines and avoided being caught out by the speed differential. Rigoni was eliminated. Salim is at least third in the overall standings. A podium finish is guaranteed.

In the semi-final, Salim beat Trossé, who suffered a mechanical failure on the return leg. The result is there, even if it wasn’t achieved in the way one would have liked. What matters is that he’s through to the final.

His opponent is Charlie Palma. Two rookies in the elite category, two top-class cars. A duel decided purely on driving skill.

First run in the chase: Salim follows cleanly; Charlie makes no mistakes. Nothing is decided yet. Second run: Salim takes the lead. He sticks to his lines, maintains a steady pace and takes every clip seriously. In the final corner, Charlie drifts wide. Salim finishes his run cleanly. He gets out of the car, sensing the result but not quite certain. Charlie confirms with a gesture that he’s missed his corner. The chequered flag is waved on the track.

He walks over to Salim.

First round victory in the French Drift Championship. First victory for the E90, built and entered by the team since the start of the season. French runner-up in the overall standings. Rookie Cup secured several rounds ago. The full package, just as the objective had been set out before the weekend.

A year ago, Salim had no competitive experience at the level of the French Drift Championship. He was spotted during a Shiftech Drift Series session, a programme open to all, accessible from 60 euros, with no skill level requirements. Not a driver who’d come through a racing school. Not someone moulded by years of karting. Just someone with passion, a willingness to learn and the desire to prove his worth.

In just one season, he racked up podium finishes right from the first round, improved weekend after weekend, beat experienced drivers in difficult conditions and finished as French vice-champion. The Shiftech team – Médo, Med, Soso and everyone else involved – mentored him, built his confidence, steered him back on track when necessary and supported him right up to the chequered flag.

This result didn’t just happen by chance. It demonstrates what a structured programme, with genuine professional guidance, can achieve when applied to someone with the ability and the drive.