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Atsushi Kuroi took First Place in his Nissan PS13 Silvia at the 2007 D1 Grand Prix Japan Round 2 held at Fuji Speedway – Shizuoka, Japan.

The Second Round of D1 Grand Prix was held on April 28th and 29th during the Japanese holiday of Golden Week. Golden week is the longest vacation period of the year for many Japanese workers. Judging for Round 2 started at the 300R corner and ended at the following hairpin curve. Fuji Speedway is also home to Formula 1 races and therefore is known as being a very high-speed course. To put things into perspective, driver entry speed for the 300R corner was measured at over 110 mph.

Results from Round 2 of the 2007 D1 Grand Prix Japan Season:

1. Atsushi Kuroi – Nissan Silvia PS13
2. Masao Suenaga – Mazda RX-7 FD3S
3. Nobushige Kumakubo – Subaru Impreza WRX GDB
4. Masato Kawabata – Nissan Silvia S15
5. Yoshinori Koguchi – Nissan Silvia RPS13
6. Michihiro Takatori – Nissan Skyline ER34
7. Daigo Saito – Toyota Chaser JZX100
8. Tetsuya Hibino – Toyota AE86
9. Tsuyoshi Tezuka – Nissan Skyline BNR32
10. Hideo Hiraoka – Nissan Silvia S15
11. Naoto Suenaga – Subaru Impreza WRX STi GC8
12. Youichi Imamura – Nissan Z33 (350Z)
13. Ryoji Zinushi – Toyota Soarer JZZ30
14. Toshiki Yoshioka – Toyota AE86
15. Takahiro Ueno – Toyota Soarer JZZ30
16. Ken Nomura – Blitz Nissan Skyline ER34

Overall D1 Grand Prix Japan Points Standings after Round 2:

• 1. Nobushige Kumakubo – Subaru Impreza WRX GDB
• 2. Masao Suenaga – Mazda RX-7 FD3S
• 3. Masato Kawabata – Nissan Silvia S15
• 4. Atsushi Kuroi – Nissan Silvia PS13
• 5. (tied for 5th) Tsuyoshi Tezuka – Nissan Skyline BNR32
• 5. (tied for 5th) Tetsuya Hibino – Toyota AE86
• 7. Ken Nomura – Blitz Nissan Skyline ER34
• 8. Yoshinori Koguchi – Nissan Silvia RPS13
• 9. (tied for 9th) Michihiro Takatori – Nissan Skyline ER34
• 9. (tied for 9th) Daigo Saito – Toyota Chaser JZX100

Brakes are an important part of any drift car. In most cars, the parking brake, hand brake, side brake, emergency brake or e-brake as it may be known, only affects the rear wheels. Since you will be using the e-brake to initiate the drift and to correct drift angle once the car is sliding sideways, you need to make sure the rear brake pads are in good condition. Otherwise, you will have a hard time getting the rear wheels to lock up when you pull the e-brake.

Here is an outline of a basic drifting technique that makes use of the e-brake and why it works. This drift technique has many names like Side Brake Drifting, Hand Brake Drifting, Emergency Brake Drifting or just E-brake Drifting but they all do the same thing to get the car sideways and drifting:

1. Brake for upcoming corner – This transfers the vehicle weight to the front wheels for traction while lightening the rear end and enabling the rear wheels to lock up more freely once the e-brake is pulled.
2. Turn the steering wheel to enter corner – You got to tell the car what direction it’s going.
3. Depress the clutch – This disengages the transmission from the engine and enables the rear wheels to lock up when the e-brake is pulled.
4. Pull e-brake momentarily (like 1 second) – This will suddenly lock the rear wheels causing the rear end to slide. Now you are drifting! If you do this correctly, it will be hard for spectators to even know you pulled the e-brake.
5. Release the e-brake
6. Countersteer - Countersteering is turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction that you first turned the steering wheel in - to initiate the turn. For example: Say you are about to drift a right hand turn. When entering the corner you turn the steering wheel to the RIGHT to get the car going in that direction. Once the car starts sliding, you would then turn the steering wheel to the LEFT to counter the skid.
7. Now wait until the car is facing the corner exit and gently give the car gas – how hard you step on the gas depends how much you are countersteering and sliding.

A common mistake is to floor the car as soon as you see the corner exit but this can make you spinout. Drifting is NOT about horsepower. Drifting is about weight transfer and maintaining the car’s momentum through a corner. However, there is a drifting technique called the Power Over Drift where you DO floor the car while exiting the corner but that is another subject.

Click Here to learn about the Power Over Drifting technique and 6 other basic drifting techniques Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya covers in the Best Motoring video, Drift Bible.

Nissan is introducing the next generation Skyline GT-R in Japan at the end of 2007, and in a first for Nissan; the Skyline GT-R will be available in North America for 2008. The new Skyline will carry the Nissan badge worldwide unlike the current North America version of the Skyline that carries the Infinity G35 name.

Read more…

Daijiro Inada may be the largest celebrity in Japanese automotive culture. Daijiro Inada is most notably the founder of Option Magazine and its video spin-off series, creator of the D1 Grand Prix series, and founder of the Tokyo Auto Salon, which is the largest automotive event in the world. Daijiro Inada is the heart of Japanese automotive culture.

Daijiro Inada was not always at the top of the Japanese automotive market. He got his start as an automotive journalist. “At the very beginning, before I even got into this industry, I was a big fan of automotive racing. For me to foresee a future in motorsports as a racer was hard because it was so costly at the time. I could not become one unless I was a millionaire or financially established so I decided to get involved with a publishing company to deal with racecars and write about racecars,” Inada said. “Back about 25 years ago the tuning industry in Japan started prospering. I could see the tuning industry becoming a good size and mainstream. I quickly organized the origins of Tokyo Auto Salon and about five years from the beginning of the first auto salon I started publishing a magazine.” That publication would become Option Magazine.

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Option Magazine, is an automotive magazine founded by D1 Grand Prix creator Daijiro Inada in 1981, to meet the demand for enthusiasts of modified Japanese cars in Japan. During its early years, Option Magazine was used to cover street races held on Japan’s expressways before it became illegal.

Option Magazine also covers the exploits of founder Daijiro Inada’s attempts at breaking various land speed records, whether it was at Bonneville, at the German Autobahn or at the Silver State Classic. Currently, Option Magazine features Wangan competitions on closed roads where it is legal to race.

Beside speed tests and modified car features, Option Magazine regularly features, a rate-my-car section where readers send in a photo of their car to be judged by Manabu Suzuki, who was an original D1 Grand Prix judge and former racecar driver, typically to receive a comedic response. Other monthly features include Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya solving readers’ problems related to drifting, a column called Sugoiyo Osaru-chin by Ken “Nomuken” Nomura, plus features from other racecar drivers like Eiji Yamada and Manabu “Max” Orido. Option Magazine also has a D1 Grand Prix mini-magazine that showcases the drifting series.

Read more…

Formula Drift is introducing a new race format to the familiar drift competition regiment. In addition to the standard tsuiso battle, or tandem drift run, Formula Drift is adding a Team Drift competition to the 2007 Formula D Season.

Cash prizes will be awarded to 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place teams.

Team Formation:

• Teams must consist of a minimum of 3 to maximum of 6 drivers/vehicles.
• All drivers must either hold a Formula Drift Pro license or have petitioned with Formula Drift to compete in the Team Drift Championship.
• Team entries must be approved by Formula Drift.
• Team entries must be entered by January 1, 2007 to be listed on Team Drift promotional materials.

Team Drift Competition Format:

• All drivers/vehicles listed on the team entry are eligible to compete.
• Each team may only have 3 vehicles on-track during each session.
• Drivers are able to rotate driving duties between sessions and between competition rounds.
• Teams will be driving an entire street/road course, but will only be judged on selected, key turns. (Detailed judging criteria available)
• 20 to 35 minute session each day (Fri, Sat, Sun)
  • Friday = open practice
  • Saturday = qualifying
  • Sunday = competition

2007 D1 Grand Prix USA Authorized Tires for Competition:

Slicks (Racing) tires are not allowed in D1 Grand Prix Events. If your running different tires then any listed below please contact the D1 Office at 949-753-0202 to make sure the tire is appropriate for the D1 Grand Prix Event.

• Bridgestone Tires

  • Potenza RE-01
  • Potenza RE 750
  • Potenza RE 050
  • Potenza S-03 Pole Postition

• Cooper Tires

  • Zeon 2 XS
  • Zeon Z PT

• Dunlop Tires

  • Kirezza Sport Z1
  • Direzza DZ 101
  • SP Sport 9000

• Falken Tires

  • Azenis ST-115
  • Azenis RT-215
  • Azenis RT615
  • Azenis FK-452

• Goodyear Tires

  • Eagle Sports Radial
  • G-18

• Hankook Tires

  • Ventus R-S2 Z212

• Kumho Tires

  • ECSTA MX
  • ECSTA Supra
  • ECSTA SPT
  • ECSTA ASX
  • ECSTA KH11

• Maxxis Tires

  • MA-Z1 Victra

• Nitto Tires

  • NT 01
  • NT 555 R II
  • NT 555 R

• Pirelli Tires

  • P Zero Nero M+S
  • P Zero Nero
  • P Zero Rosso
  • P Zero Corsa

• Toyo Tires

  • Proxes T1R
  • Proxes T1-S
  • RA-1

• Yokohama Tires

  • Advan Neova
  • Advan Sport
  • AVS Sport
  • AVS ES100
  • AVS DV S2

The D1 Grand Prix professional drifting series will make it’s first-ever United States east coast appearance with the 2007 D1 Grand Prix season opener on May 4 and 5th at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. This first-ever east coast D1 Grand Prix event will also include an “ikaten,” or D1 Grand Prix Driver Search - where amateur drift drivers will have a chance to earn their D1GP license.

The “ikaten” will be held on May 4th, cost the Driver Search applicant $100 USD, and give local drifters a chance at becoming the next D1 Grand Prix star driver by showing their drift skills to D1 Grand Prix judges, Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya and Daijiro Inada - the founder of Option Magazine and the Tokyo Auto Salon. If Tsuchiya and Inada think you got the drift skills to hang with pro Japanese drift drivers like Kumakubo, Tanaka, Nomura, Ueno, Yoshioka, Saito, ect., you might see yourself in the D1GP! This is a great opportunity for aspiring pro drift drivers.

Like the 2006 D1GP All Star Exhibition Event held last July in Las Vegas, D1 Grand Prix is again teaming up with the NHRA Sport Compact Drag Racing Series for this drift and drag sport-compact event.

This D1 Grand Prix event will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Click Here for D1GP Driver Search Application

Best Motoring: Drift Bible is an in-depth instructional drifting video that looks into six different drift techniques that Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya uses while racing. Throughout the Drift Bible, Tsuchiya uses the Kei Office Nissan S14 Silvia on Ebisu Circuit’s East Course 2nd Hairpin (21R) corner to demonstrate the six basic drifting techniques: Side or E-brake drifting, Shift Lock drifting, Power Over drifting, Braking drift, Feint drift, and Lift-off drifting a form of Dynamic drifting.

Here is a brief overview of the six basic drifting techniques that Keiichi Tsuchiya demonstrates during the Drift Bible.

Side or E-brake Drifting – (Does not require weight transition) Use the car’s e-brake to lock the rear tires.

Drift Sequence:

1. Brake
2. Turn wheel
3. Step on clutch
4. Pull E-brake
5. Release E-brake
6. Countersteer
7. Then wait until car is facing corner exit, then gently give the car gas – how hard you step on the gas depends how much you are countersteering and sliding.

Read more…

Many of Drift Japan’s MySpace friends ask me how I liked the movie, Fast and Furious 3 - Tokyo Drift. My typical response is that anything that has to do with drifting is great! Overall, Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift has some cool drifting sequences with nice camera angles that really show off some of the nicer cars in the movie like the Veilside Mazda RX-7, Veilside Nissan Fairlady Z, the Nissan Skyline GTR R33, and the Nissan S13 and S15 Silvias.

Like any other movie Hollywood produces, you are going to have your obvious product placements and hey look at this advertiser’s logo moments but mostly, I was just excited to see drifting being shown in American movie theaters. I would rather watch Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya’s Drift Bible over Fast and Furious 3 – Tokyo Drift, but considering the movie is for entertainment purposes and not a technical guide to drifting, the filmmakers did a great job.