It’s funny to think how drifting morphed from something teenagers used to do in vacant parking lots to look cool to one of the most popular racing series in the world. Formula DRIFT, or Formula D as most know it, is just getting its ninth season ramped up after Daijiro Yoshihara dominated the series last year, taking home the overall points championship. We even got a behind the scenes peak at how he did it via the Behind the Smoke series on GT Channel.

The ninth season of Formula D started earlier this month, so as expected, Dai and the guys are back for season 2 of their Behind the Smoke series. Episode 1 (posted above) gives us an inside look on the testing process Dai and his drifting machine, a 1993 Nissan->ke62 240SX, go through in getting ready for the season.

There’s tons of sideways and smoky action throughout the video, and even a little brotherly taunting between team members. Ultimately, Dai and his team must have gotten something right, as they pulled in a nice second place finish at the debut Formula D race this season, which was held at the Streets of Long Beach circuit.

There is not much that’s more adrenaline pumping than watching a nearly 3,000-pound machine careening sideways down a track only to have the driver flick it back under his control, using careful throttle control and counter-steering. So skip the coffee this morning, folks, and crank up the speakers for this one.

Also you get to see that even professional drivers forget the most basic items, as Dai breaks a cardinal rule of driving a manual transmission at the 7:35 mark. The car dies and he has no idea what happened. Watch as the guys all get a good laugh at this professional driver’s expense.

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