Ken Nomura may be one of the oldest drifters hanging around the D1 paddock, but that doesn’t mean he is a step behind the competition in this youth oriented competition. Nomura made his professional drifting debut back in 2001 and has been piloting the same Blitz sponsored Nissan Skyline ever since. Unlike most drifters that prefer lightweight agile machines, Nomuken (as he is also known) prefers to celebrate the larger four-door skyline and is best known for his big smoke technique and comedic antics. He is also the reason why the aftermarket parts manufacturer Greddy made a high performance intake manifold for Nissan’s RB25 engine.
The Japanese drifter Nobushige Kumakubo is praised for his efforts behind the wheel as well as his contributions to the sport and is considered a pioneer of drifting. Kumakubu was fortunate enough to inherit a large parcel of land in the Fukushima countryside where he gave back to the drifting community by constructing the acclaimed Ebisu Circuit. Aside from being a track owner he is also the founder of Team Orange, one of the most successful drifting teams in D1 history. He also founded Big X, a motorsport spectable that combines drifting with freestyle motocross, supermoto and other extreme automotive activities.
Drifting is a difficult motorsport to master, after initiating the drift with either a pull of the handbrake or a drivetrain shocking clutch kick with you are then charged with delicately balancing the sideways sliding machine. Everyone’s favorite racing driver turned television host Tiff Needell from Fifth Gear tried his hand at drifting a Toyota Soarer (read Lexus SC300) at the inaugural D1GP event in the UK. Check out the video to see how he did.
Get ready drifting fans, because the top tier of this professional motorsport is coming stateside. The D1GP USA schedule is limited to only 4 events so make sure you get out there before they slide on past a location near you.
There is a lot more to the D1GP USA than just sideways smokey burnouts. On hand will be the lovely ladies of the D1 Model Program, the Extreme Autofest car show, motorcycle stunt riding, skate demos, R/C drifting and of course umbrella girls!
The first event will take place at Anaheim Stadium on May 2nd, if you are lucky enough you could win two free tickets compliments of Top Speed.
The D1GP is the championship series that legitimized drifting as a professional motor sport. The series was founded in 2001 and over the past eight years has grown into a worldwide phenomenon causing the creation of region specific spin-offs, like the D1GP USA here in America.
The FOX television network and the D1GP have reached an agreement that will bring every round of D1GP USA action to television sets across the country. As they sit right now, the FOX owned and operated stations reach about 45 million homes in America. At this time talks are being help with various cable providers and FOX affiliates to increase the coverage to 60 million broadcast, and 70 million cable households by the series premier. This will ensure the largest U.S. audience to ever witness the sport of drifting.
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, 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, 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.
Drifting is an interesting form of motor sport. The sport attracts a wide variety of competitors from around the world. Unlike most motor sports, winners are not determined by elapsed time, but rather a combination of speed, angle and crowd reaction. Drifting is a form of competition where a 1980’s Toyota Corolla with 120 HP can get the best of a factory backed 700 HP Dodge Viper.
That was the 2002 D1GP Champion, Katsuhiro Ueo, drifting his signature AE86 Toyota Corolla.
