Drifting champion Katsuhiro Ueo caused quite a bit of controversy when he entered the Red Bull World Drift Championships last year in a red Silvia. That is because D1->ke3353, the original professional drifting league, bans their drivers from competing in other drifting championships and is also the explanation for the lack of D1 professionals at the event.

Ueo was not drifting his signature white AE-86 Toyota Corolla at the competition in Long Beach, the car he won the 2002 D1GP championship with, instead Ueo was behind the wheel of an S15 Silvia->ke558, the same Nissan that won the 2005 D1GP Championship with the help of Yasuyuki Kazama.

Ueo has abandoned his hachi-roku for good. The drifter will be competing in this year’s Formula DRIFT Championship piloting the same red Driftspeed Silvia that he drove in the Red Bull WDC. Ueo is well known for getting the most out of lightweight vehicles, perhaps with a little extra power from the turbocharged SR20 Katsuhiro will become a champion once again.

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