Manabu “Max” Orido is an underground street racer that has made his way to the D1 Grand Prix Judges table and into the world of professional Japanese GT Championship (JGTC) racing. Orido’s drifting career launched after he won the Japanese Carboy drift contest.

Manabu Orido was one of the original D1 Grand Prix judges and shares a similar racing background with fellow D1GP judge Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya. Orido and Tsuchiya both started their racing careers in illegal underground street races, then progressed to touge racing in Japan’s mountains and finally began professional racing in the Japanese GT Championship. Much of Orido’s fame comes from being a D1 Grand Prix judge, the fact that he is one of the only drivers to use a Toyota Supra in drift competitions, his success in the JGTC series, and his appearance in popular import racing videos like Best Motoring, Video Option, and Hot Version.

At the end of the 2004 D1 Grand Prix season, Orido resigned from judging only to compete in the following 2005 D1GP season.

Manabu Orido’s choice to drive the RS-R Toyota Supra JZA80 in the D1 Grand Prix is more personal than strategic because the Toyota Supra is not an ideal car for drifting. The Toyota Supra has a very heavy front end that makes getting traction to the rear wheels difficult because the weight distribution is so uneven. Typically, drivers look for drift cars like the Nissan Silvia and Mazda RX-7 that have almost equal front and rear weight distribution simply because they are easier to handle when drifting. This is why you don’t see many Supras in D1GP or other drifting events. Nevertheless, Orido chose the Toyota Supra because he drives a Supra in the JGTC series and he drives one on a daily basis as his personal car. Plus, Orido says, “If I had chosen the S15 or FD3S as my drift car, it would be easy for everyone to compare me to the other contenders. The individuality of the Supra enables me to be myself.”

Soon after Orido joined the D1 Grand Prix as a driver, an unfortunate transportation accident, caused by a sleeping truck driver, destroyed Orido’s prized RS-R Supra and forced him out of the tournament. Currently, Manabu “Max” Orido is pursuing his Japanese GT Championship career. As a big fan of Orido’s style, Supra, and drifting, I hope he will return to the sport of drifting.

Notable races:

• 1992 Fuji Freshman Race Champion

• 1995 Super Sylvia series champion

• 1996 Won the 24 Hours of Tokachi N Class
  • Competed in the JGTC GT300 Class

• 1997 Won the JGTC (Japanese GT Championship) GT300 Class title in a Nissan Silvia

• 1998 2nd in the JGTC GT300 Class

• 1999 3rd in the JGTC GT300 Class

• 2000 Participated in the Suzuka 1000kms

• 2001 JGTC GT500 Class
  • Finished 2nd in the Macau GP Guia Race

• 2002 JGTC GT500 Class 2003JGTC GT500 Class (1 win)

• 2004 JGTC GT500 Class (One 2nd prize)

• 2005 SUPER GT 500 Class (1 win)

Official Manabu Orido Website:

http://www.orido.jp/