· Drift Event News

Japanese drifter Toshiki Yoshioka took first place driving his Toyota Corolla AE86 at round 4 of Formula Drift in Las Vegas, NV. Fellow Japanese driver Daijiro Yoshihara took second in the Pontiac GTO and Swedish drifter Samuel Hubinette finished third in a Dodge Viper. Another notable finish is that of Japanese drifting star Manabu Orido who made it to the Great 8 - Orido traveled from Japan to compete.

The more popular drifting becomes in North America, the more Japanese drift stars are going to start competing. Japan is the undeniable leader in drifting motorsports, so there is little incentive to leave the island to race. If drifting motorsports continue to flourish in North America, you can bet more Japanese drifters are going to be on the podium. Next Formula Drift event is August 9 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA.

2008 Formula Drift Round 4 Results:

1. Toshiki Yoshioka – Toyota Corolla AE86
2. Daijiro Yoshihara – Pontiac GTO
3. Samuel Hubinette – Dodge Viper
4. Michihiro Takatori – R34 Nissan Skyline

Formula Drift Overall Points Standings:

Tanner Foust - Nissan 350Z (321 points)
Sam Hubinette - Dodge Viper (313 points)
Daijiro Yoshihara - Pontiac GTO (308 points)
Chris Forsberg - Nissan 350Z (282 points)
Michihiro Takatori - R34 Nissan Skyline (265 points)
(Tied for 6) Ryan Tuerck - Pontiac Solstice (254 points)
(Tied for 6) Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice GXP
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Ford Mustang (182.25 points)
Conrad Grunewald - Chevrolet Corvette (173.25 points)
Darren McNamara - Saturn Sky (172 points)

Japanese drifting star Manabu “Max” Orido is scheduled to compete in Round 4 of Formula Drift at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada. Manabu Orido was one of the original D1 Grand Prix judges and shares a similar racing background with fellow D1 Grand Prix judge Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya.

Orido and Tsuchiya both started their racing careers in illegal underground street races and then progressed to professional racing motorsports. Much of Orido’s fame comes from being a D1GP judge and the fact that he is one of the only drivers to use a Toyota Supra in drift competitions. Manabu Orido has been successful in the JGTC series and his appearance in popular import racing videos like Best Motoring, Video Option, and Hot Version keep him in the JDM spotlight.

Yoichi Imamura (2003 D1GP Champion) wins Round 4 of D1 Grand Prix drifting the Boss sponsored S15 Nissan Silvia. Yoichi Imamura is on a winning streak after winning Day 2 of the Tokyo Drift in Odaiba event. Next D1GP event is Round 5 August 2 and 3 at Autoplis (Police Auto Facility) in Oita Prefecture.

D1GP Japan Round 4 Top Ten:

1. Yoichi Imamura - Boss S15 Nissan Silvia
2. Tomokazu Hirota - Toyota Verossa JZX110
3. Tetsuya Hibino - Toyota Corolla Levin AE86
4. Daigo Saito - Toyota Mark II JZX100
5. Masao Suenaga - RE Amemiya, Trust, Toyo FD3S Mazda RX-7
6. Ken Nomura - Blitz, Dunlop ER34 Nissan Skyline
7. Akinori Utsumi - Nissan Silvia PS13
8. Yoshinori Koguchi - Koguchi Power Nissan 180SX
9. Kazuhiro Tanaka - Subaru Impreza GDB
10. Takahiro Ueno - JZZ30 Toyota Soarer

D1GP Japan Overall Points Rankings:

Daigo Saito - Toyota Mark II JZX100 (59 points)
Ken Nomura - Blitz, Dunlop ER34 Nissan Skyline (57 points)
(Tied for 3) Yoichi Imamura - Boss S15 Nissan Silvia (53 points)
(Tied for 3) Tsuyoshi Tezuka - BNR32 Nissan Skyline
Masao Suenaga - RE Amemiya, Trust, Toyo FD3S Mazda RX-7 (51 points)
(Tied for 6) Toshiki Yoshioka - Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 (39 points)
(Tied for 6) Takahiro Ueno - JZZ30 Toyota Soarer
(Tied for 8) Yoshinori Koguchi - Koguchi Power Nissan 180SX (35 points)
(Tied for 8) Masato Kawabata - Nissan 180SX
(Tied for 8) Atsushi Kuroi - S13 Nissan Silvia

The 2007 Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust took fist place at the third Formula D event at Englishtown Raceway.  Next Formula Drift event is July 12 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada.

2008 Formula Drift Round 3 Results:

1. Tanner Foust - Nissan 350Z
2. Tyler McQuarrie - Porsche GT2
3. Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice GXP
4. Daijiro Yoshihara - Pontiac GTO

Overall Point Standings:

Tanner Foust - Nissan 350Z (259 points)
Sam Hubinette - Dodge Viper (228 points)
Chris Forsberg - Nissan 350Z (226 points)
Daijiro Yoshihara - Pontiac GTO (217 points)
Michihiro Takatori - R34 Nissan Skyline (206 points)
Ryan Tuerck - Pontiac Solstice (199 points)
Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice GXP (187 points)
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Ford Mustang (182 points)
(Tied for 9) Conrad Grunewald - Chevrolet Corvette (173 points)
(Tied for 9) Darren McNamara - Saturn Sky

The 2008 D1 Grand Prix Tokyo Drift in Odaiba took place over two days and featured the best drivers from Japan. Odaiba is a large man-made island in Tokyo Bay that was originally built during the Edo Period (1603-1868) to protect Tokyo from seaward attacks. In the late 20th century, Odaiba developed into a seaport and more recently a major commercial and residential district known for its shopping and entertainment. If you lived in Japan, you could take the train to this tourist hot spot.

The two day Tokyo Drift Odaiba Exhibition is two separate events. Each day consists of a single qualifying run followed by a tsuiso elimination tournament. Nobushige Kumakubo, 2006 D1GP Champion, took the win for day 1 driving his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, while Yoichi Imamura won day 2 drifting the Boss S15 Nissan Silvia. The Tokyo Drift Odaiba event is not part of the ongoing 2008 D1GP Championship, so placement will not affect the drivers’ overall points standings in the series. The goal of Tokyo Drift Odaiba exhibitions is to increase accessibility and awareness of drifting motorsports in Japan.

2008 D1GP Tokyo Drift in Odaiba Day 1 Results:

1. Nobushige Kumakubo - Team Orange CT9A Mitsubishi Lancer EVO
2. Masao Suenaga - Mazda FD3S RX-7
3. Yoichi Imamura - Boss S15 Nissan Silvia
4. Masato Kawabata - Nissan 180SX
5. Yoshinori Koguchi - Nissan 180SX
6. Daigo Saito - Fnatz JZX100 Toyota Chaser
7. Ken Nomura - ER34 Nissan Skyline
8. Akira Utsumi Toshino - S13 Nissan Silvia
9. Kazuyoshi Okamura - S15 Nissan Silvia
10. Tsutomu Huzio – Mazda FD3S RX-7

2008 D1GP Tokyo Drift in Odaiba Day 2 Results:

1. Yoichi Imamura - Boss S15 Nissan Silvia
2. Masato Kawabata - Nissan 180SX
3. Masao Suenaga - Mazda FD3S RX-7
4. Tsuyoshi Tezuka - BNR32 Nissan Skyline GT-R
5. Tetsuya Hibino - Toyota Corolla Levin AE86
6. Taniguti Akira Makoto (Nobuteru Taniguchi) - HKS Toyota Altezza
7. Drift Samurai - Mazda FC3S RX-7
8. Yoshinori Koguchi - Koguchi Power Nissan 180SX
9. Ken Nomura - Blitz, Dunlop ER34 Nissan Skyline
10. Tatsuya Sakuma - S15 Nissan Silvia

Round 3 of D1GP was held at Suzuka Circuit and Tsuyoshi Tezuka pulled off a win drifting his R32 Nissan Skyline. Next D1 Grand Prix event is June 28-29 in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Okayama International Circuit City.

D1GP Japan Round 3 Top Ten:

1. Tsuyoshi Tezuka - Goodyear BNR32 Nissan Skyline
2. Atsushi Kuroi - Toyo S13 Nissan Silvia
3. Toshiki Yoshioka - AE86 Toyota Corolla
4. Daigo Saito - Fnatz JZX100 Toyota Chaser
5. Yoichi Imamura - Boss S15 Nissan Silvia
6. Ken Nomura - Blitz ER34 Nissan Skyline
7. Takahiro Ueno - Team T & E, SUI: Vax JZZ30 Toyota Soarer
8. Nobushige Kumakubo - CT9A Mitsubishi Lancer EVO
9. Akira Utsumi Toshino - S13 Nissan Silvia
10. Kazuhiro Tanaka - Team Orange GDB Subaru Impreza

D1GP Japan Overall Points Rankings:

Tsuyoshi Tezuka - BNR32 Nissan Skyline (52 points)
Ken Nomura - ER34 Nissan Skyline (45 points)
(Tied for 3) Daigo Saito - Toyota Chaser (42 points)
(Tied for 3) Toshiki Yoshioka - AE86 Toyota
(Tied for 5) Masao Suenaga - Mazda RX-7 (38 points)
(Tied for 5) Atsushi Kuroi - S13 Nissan Silvia
Takahiro Ueno - Toyota Soarer (32 points)
Masato Kawabata - Nissan 180SX (28 points)
Yoichi Imamura - S15 Nissan Silvia (27 points)
(Tied for 10) Yoshinori Koguchi - Nissan 180SX (25 points)
(Tied for 10) Kazuhiro Tanaka - GDB Subaru Impreza

Rhys Millen took first place at Formula Drift Road Atlanta drifting the Red Bull sponsored Pontiac Solstice GXP. Next Formula Drift event is June 14 at Englishtown Raceway, NJ.

2008 Formula Drift Round 2 Results:

1. Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice GXP
2. Michihiro Takatori - R34 Nissan Skyline
3. Ryan Tuerck - Pontiac Solstice

Overall Point Standings:

(Tied for 1) Chris Forsberg - Nissan 350Z (162 points)
(Tied for 1) Sam Hubinette - Dodge Viper (162 points)
Tanner Foust - Nissan 350Z (152 points)
Michihiro Takatori - R34 Nissan Skyline (148 points)
Ryan Tuerck - Pontiac Solstice (143 points)
Daijiro Yoshihara - Pontiac GTO (140 points)
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Ford Mustang (126 points)
Darren McNamara - Saturn Sky - (117 points)
(Tied for 9) Grunewald - Chevrolet Corvette (110 points)
(Tied for 9) Kenji Yamanaka - Nissan S14 Silvia (110 points)
Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice GXP (103 points)

Round 2 of D1GP was held at Fuji Speedway and Yoshinori Koguchi of Koguchi Power took first place. Next D1 Grand Prix event is May 24-25 at Suzuka Circuit, Japan.

D1GP Japan Round 2 Top Ten:

1. Yoshinori Koguchi - Koguchi Power Nissan 180SX
2. Daigo Saito - Fnatz JZX100 Toyota Chaser
3. Tsuyoshi Tezuka - BNR32 Nissan Skyline
4. Masao Suenaga - RE Amemiya, Trust, Toyo FD3S Mazda RX-7
5. Toshiki Yoshioka - Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno
6. Atsushi Kuroi - Toyo S13 Nissan Silvia
7. Tsutomu Hata - HPI S15 Nissan Silvia
8. Ken Nomura - Blitz, Dunlop ER34 Nissan Skyline
9. Akira Makoto Taniguti (Nobuteru Taniguchi) - HKS Toyota Altezza
10. Takahiro Ueno - JZZ30 Toyota Soarer

D1GP Japan Overall Points Rankings:

Masao Suenaga - FD3S Mazda RX-7 (34 points)
Ken Nomura - ER34 Nissan Skyline (32 points)
(Tied for 3) Masato Kawabata - S15 Nissan Silvia (26 points)
(Tied for 3) Tsuyoshi Tezuka - BNR32 Nissan Skyline (26 points)
(Tied for 5) Yoshinori Koguchi - Nissan 180SX (25 points)
(Tied for 5) Daigo Saito - JZX100 Toyota Chaser (25 points)
Takahiro Ueno - JZZ30 Toyota Soarer (21 points)
Toshiki Yoshioka - AE86 Toyota Corolla Trueno (20 points)
Kazuhiro Tanaka - GDB Subaru Impreza (18 points)
(Tied for 10) Yoichi Imamura - S15 Nissan Silvia (14 points)
(Tied for 10) Kazuyoshi Okamura - S15 Nissan Silvia (14 points)

Formula Drift held its first event ever in Singapore at the Changi Exhibition Centre in front of a sold out crowd April 27, 2008.  11,000 drifting fans attended the inaugural Formula D event to watch 38 drifters from around the world compete.  In the end, Japanese drifter Ryuji Miki and his A’PEXi sponsored Mazda RX-7 took the win.

The event was organized in part by tire distributor Binter & Co’s motorsports division Binter Drifter.  A partnership between Formula Drift Holdings LLC and Binter & Co has formed to host additional Formula Drift Singapore events.

“This was truly a success for the first-ever Formula Drift Singapore and it certainly won’t be the last!” - Marcus Lim, General Manager of Binter & Co.

Chris Forsberg took first place at the Formula Drift season opener in Long Beach, CA. Samuel Hubinette took second and had a few choice words to say about Chris’ last run.

“In the last corner as I was following Forsberg he purposely slowed down and choked me so I had to ether hit him or the wall so I ended up touching the wall with my passenger side door. I am surprised he was using that type of tactics. Now I know and I will not forget,” says Hubinette.

It was a tight battle from the first run, but whether or not Forsberg “purposely slowed down” is not up for debate as the Formula D judges awarded Chris the win. Had there been proof of Sam’s allegations, Forsberg would have been disqualified under Formula D rule.

2007 Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust took third and Kyle Mohan finished fourth. Round 2 of the 2008 Formula Drift season is scheduled for May 9 and 10 in Braselton, GA.

2008 Formula Drift Round 1 Results

1. Chris Forsberg – Nissan 350Z
2. Samuel Hubinette – Dodge SRT-10 Viper
3. Tanner Foust – Nissan 350Z
4. Kyle Mohan – Mazda RX-7