Formula D is a
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
'
driftingDrifting refers to a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while preserving vehicle control and a high exit speed...
series.
It is not a racing formula.
The series is sponsored by the popular video game series,
Need for SpeedNeed For Speed is a series of racing video games developed by Canadian based company EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The series was originally developed by the Canadian based company Distinctive Software, which became known as EA Canada. The series debuted with The Need for Speed in...
. Its official name is Need for Speed Formula Drift presented by Circuit City. It was inaugurated in 2004.
Formula D had somewhat of a partnership with the
Champ Car World SeriesChamp Car was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
, holding demonstration events at Champ Car race weekends, most prominently, the
Long Beach Grand PrixThe Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an open-wheel race held on a street circuit in Long Beach, California. It was the premier circuit in the Champ Car from 1996, and was the first event in the World Series each year from 2004...
. In 2007, five demonstration events were held as team events, and counted towards a points system separate from the individual championship.
There was also a Formula D in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, which was announced in June 2005. The three tracks Formula D Australia visited in 2005 were Mallala Motor Sport Park in
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories....
,
Oran Park RacewayOran Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit at Narellan in southwestern Sydney, Australia. Most of the circuit is visible from the main grandstand or the grassed banks surrounding the track....
in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
, and
Winton Motor RacewayWinton Motor Raceway is a Motor Racing track in Winton, near Benalla, Victoria, Australia.-History:The Benalla Auto Club began planning for a permanent racing track around 1958. In 1960 it was decided to build the track at Winton Recreation Reserve and was completed in twelve months.The first race...
in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
. The series was held in conjunction with the DRIFT AUSTRALIA Championship. After the season, the series' website was no longer updated, and has since been taken down.
The American Formula D series advertises nine tire manufacturers (Nitto Tires,
Toyo Tiresis a tire company based in Japan.-History:The company started in 1945. In 1966, the company expanded to the United States as Toyo Tire Corporation...
,
Bridgestone Tiresis a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
, Maxxiss Tires, Federal Tires,
Falken TiresFalken Tire Corporation The Falken Tire brand, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, launched in its native country of Japan in 1983 and was introduced to the North American market two years later. At its inception, Falken was created as the flagship high performance radial brand under Ohtsu...
,
Cooper TiresCooper Tire & Rubber Company is a United States based company that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of replacementautomobiles and truck tires, with additional subsidiaries that specialize in motorcycle and racing tires, as well as tread rubber and related equipment for...
,
Dunlop TiresDunlop Tyres is a British company owned 75% by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and 25% by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which sells Dunlop branded road tyres in succession to the Dunlop Rubber Company....
,
Hankook TiresThe Hankook Tire group, based in Seoul, South Korea is the seventh largest tire company in the world . Established in 1941 as the "Chosun Tire Company", it was renamed "Hankook Tire Manufacturing" in 1968....
, and Kumho Tires).
Formula D television coverage
Former Fox Soccer USA
host Brandon Johnson hosted the Formula D
show for G4 in 2006. Rossi MorrealeRossi Morreale is a television personality and former college football player.Morreale was a wide receiver and punt returner for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team, lettering from 1997–1999. After graduation he sought television exposure...
was the show's host in 2005. Johnson was joined by Attack of the Show co-host
Olivia MunnOlivia Munn is an American actress, model and television personality.She began her career being credited as Lisa Munn. However, since 2006, she has been using the name Olivia Munn personally and professionally...
who covered the pits and drivers during the events and drifting expert Adam Matthews who provided commentary and insight on the tandem battles. G4 aired each round on a tape-delayed basis. Jarod DeAnda is the
public addressA public address or "PA" system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a given sound, e.g., a person making a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often...
announcer at each event, earning him the moniker, "The Voice of Formula D." In 2005, G4 used DeAnda's event commentary track, but for 2006, used Johnson and Matthews calling each battle like a typical
play-by-playSports commentary, in broadcasting, is a term that means the reporting of a sporting event with a voiceover describing the details of the game in progress. In North America, in a lot of sports, the sports commentator is assisted by a color commentator, and sometimes a sideline reporter...
/
color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The term is of North American origin. The color commentator provides expert analysis and background information, such as statistics, strategy and injury reports...
combination. Johnson and Matthews were on-site for each event, but it sounded as if they had taped their commentary after the event had already taken place. This practice is not uncommon in the motorsports business; an article in the December 2006 issue of
Car and DriverCar and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. Originally headquartered in New York City, the magazine has been based in Ann Arbor, Michigan since the late 1970s.-History:Car and Driver was founded...
revealed that longtime motorsports announcer
Rick BenjaminRick Benjamin is Speed Channel's voice of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, and has been the voice of Champ Car racing for HDNet since 2004, and will be so again this year for the series, which will appear on ABC, ESPN, CBS, and NBC...
uses this same method when calling
USAR Hooters Pro Cup SeriesUSARacing is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned by the United Speed Alliance Racing. The series races throughout the United States primarily on short tracks....
races. Benjamin travels to
AtlantaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States....
, views a tape of the most recent event, makes notes, then tapes his commentary.
In the 2005 season, there were two people working the pits — driver interviewer Mayleen Ramey, who was a roving reporter for the half-hour episodes, and a second anchor, who patrolled around the car show at each event. In 2005, G4 used three reporters for this job. From the round in Wall to the round in Houston, actor Emeka held the job. At the Infineon round,
Attack of the Show!Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Tech TV in Canada and Fuel TV in Australia .The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn...
co-host Kevin PereiraKevin Pereira is co-host of G4's Attack of the Show! with Olivia Munn.-Biography:While at high school, Pereira hosted Pointless Audio under the pseudonym Captain Immy...
took the duties, while Street Fury host Big C finished things out in Chicago and Irwindale. Also, G4 showed half-hour episodes in-between rounds, most of which focused on the network having its own drift car built from scratch, with other segments focusing on the aspects of drifting. One of the first half-hour episodes in 2005 had one Formula D competitor,
Chris ForsbergChris Forsberg , is an American self-taught drifting driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania who currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan 350Z for NOS Energy Drink and Maxxis Tires.- History :...
go to Japan, and meet up with another competitor,
Daijiro YoshiharaDaijiro Yoshihara is one of the world's best drifters in the motor sports of Drifting. With 10 years of competition under his belt, Dai has always been a thrill seeker and it was only natural for him to get into drifting...
, to explore the country and get more perspective on the birth of drifting. Episodes that featured event coverage lasted an hour-and-a-half, and featured the top 16 tandem rounds, including those that needed to be run again, because the judges deemed them too close to call. These episodes aired the night after the next round in the series had already taken place.
In 2006, however, coverage was dramatically different. The half-hour episodes were gone, and event coverage was reduced to an hour, and their scheduling was quite random. The Long Beach and Atlanta rounds premiered on June 18, with the Chicago round airing on July 2, and the Sonoma round airing a week after it took place. During the Sonoma round, G4 noted that the Seattle round would premiere on September 10, but that date was changed to October 8, with the last two rounds (Wall and Irwindale) airing every other week afterward. These episodes featured more interviews and driver profiles, many of which would've been placed in a half-hour show last year, and many of the tandem battles have been cut out, and any battle that needed to be run again did not have its second run shown. This led to some criticism from those in the drifting community, including fans and some Formula D drivers.
At the 2006
SEMA ShowSpecialty Equipment Market Association of the automobile aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Roy Richter, Ed Iskenderian, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand, Jr., Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock, Jr...
in
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
, Formula D co-founders Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage announced that the series would have a new television partner in 2007. That partner was
ESPN2ESPN2 is a American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
. Each round began airing in a one-hour block on November 15 with the Long Beach round. All subsequent airings were supposed to be every Thursday afterward, but beginning with the Evergreen Speedway round on December 5, the air dates for new rounds switched to Wednesday.
The ESPN deal lasted just one season. SPEED Channel will air all rounds of the 2008 Formula D season, as well as the World Championship, scheduled for after the Irwindale round. Airings will take place on Sundays, beginning with the Long Beach round on October 26. All airings will begin at 4 PM Eastern.
Drivers
Other than domestic drivers, the series also attracts many drivers, Japanese in particular, who have competed in
D1 Grand PrixThe , abbreviated as D1GP and subtitled Professional Drift, is a production car drifting series from Japan. After several years of hosting amateur drifting contests, Option Magazine & Tokyo Auto Salon founder Daijiro Inada, and drifting legend Keiichi Tsuchiya hosted a professional level drifting...
. This is in the interest of sponsors who the United States as the larger share of the tuning market.
Other drivers who crossed over to FD from another series is Darren McNamara who competed domestically in
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and the
British IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland...
, his performance in the D1 exhibition event in 2005 attracted attention from
Falken TiresFalken Tire Corporation The Falken Tire brand, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, launched in its native country of Japan in 1983 and was introduced to the North American market two years later. At its inception, Falken was created as the flagship high performance radial brand under Ohtsu...
who signed him up to compete in the US the latter part of 2006. He was joined in 2009 by fellow compatriot Eric O'Sullivan, who like McNamara did in 2007 (as well as competing in the same series), became the series Rookie of the Year.
To this date, only three drivers have won both FD and D1GP events, they are Mitsuru Haraguchi,
Toshiki Yoshiokais a Japanese professional drifting driver, currently competing in the D1 Grand Prix series for and Even before he started drifting professionally he always used the Toyota AE86. He first competed in the D1 Grand Prix in the first round of 2002 and has always scored points in every season. He got...
and Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
Regulation differences between D1GP and Formula D
There are numerous differences between D1GP and Formula D in terms of car and competition regulations
Car eligibility
D1GP only allow convertible models as long as a supplied roll cage is used, whereas Formula D permits cars to be driven with its roof down. During the 2004 season, the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe was permitted to compete, whereas it was ineligible in D1.
Although Formula D do not permit
Front-wheel driveFront-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
cars, it allows them to be converted to
rear wheel driveIn automotive design the automobile layout describes where on the vehicle the engine and drive wheels are found. Many different combinations of engine location and driven wheels are found in practice, and the location of each is dependent on the application the vehicle will be used for...
, one example of this is
Ken Gushiis one of the nation's top competitors in the sport of drifting. Born in Okinawa, Japan, but raised in Los Angeles, he was taught by his father Tsukasa Gushi at the age of 13 with a Toyota AE86. Ken has become the youngest competitor in both the D1 Grand Prix of Japan and the Formula Drift...
's
Scion tCScion tC, based on the Toyota Avensis platform, is a compact coupe introduced by Japanese automaker Toyota in 2004 as a concept car under its recently introduced Scion brand name....
.
Unlike D1, which the numbering are according to the driver's ranking, drivers in Formula D are allocated to their own numbers.
Scoring and judging
Formula D uses a different scoring system to D1GP. In D1, points are given to drivers who compete in the tsuiso (twin run) round, known as Tandem Battle
in Formula D; 20 for the winner going down to 2 for the 10th place finisher as well as 1 point for the rest of the drivers who competed in the tsuiou round.
In D1, drivers are given three runs during a tansou (solo run) round, in Formula D as Qualifying Single Runs
and only the best of them will count which at the end of that round, drivers who score the perfect 100 points will be awarded one extra point to add to their championship score. In Formula D, competitors are given two non-consecutive judged runs during the Single Runs segment of the competition which both will be judged. Starting orders will consists of drivers from the lowest rank starting first with those of the highest rank starting last whereas in D1, it is the other way round as it is seen that lower ranked drivers can take advantage of the surface grip when they start last.
Formula D drivers are scored on a points-deduction system where every driver will start their judged run with a perfect score of 100 pts. For every mistakes, points will be deducted. These points will vary between .25 point to the most severe mistakes (-1.75).
When there is a tie in scores during a competition, rather than in D1 which will call for a rerun until the winner can be decided, in Formula D, judges will use the driver’s entry speed of the best run from the Qualifying Round as a tie breaker.
In D1GP, during a tsuiou round, if a driver wins his round but is unable to take his place up, due to breakages, they must forfeit their place to the losing opponent. If neither is able to compete, the winning driver gets his place and as a result, that following round will not take place. In Formula D,in that situation, should the driver be without an opponent, they will be allowed to run on his own.
Judges are Ken Takahashi, Ernie Fixmer, and Andy Yen. Randy Hembrey is the Race Director for the series.
Overtaking
Formula D rules are structured so as not to encourage drivers to overtake their opponents; doing so incurs a penalty. Overtaking is only permitted when the lead car makes a mistake such as coming to a complete stop or going completely off course, whereas in D1, being overtaken is seen as a disadvantage to the driver, incurring a loss.
US
- 2004 Samuel Hübinette
Samuel Hübinette, aka The Crazy Swede , is a professional race car driver and Hollywood stunt driver. He started working as a test driver for Volvo Cars...
- Mopar Viper Competition Coupe
- 2005 Rhys Millen
Rhys Millen , nephew of IMSA GTS driver Steve Millen, son of Rod and elder brother of Ryan, is one of the world's top competitors in drifting...
- RMR Pontiac GTOThe Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is often considered the first true muscle car. From 1964 until midway through 1973 it was closely related to the Pontiac Tempest and for the 1974 model year it...
- 2006 Samuel Hübinette
Samuel Hübinette, aka The Crazy Swede , is a professional race car driver and Hollywood stunt driver. He started working as a test driver for Volvo Cars...
- Mopar Viper SRT-10
- 2007 Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He was slated to become co-host for the American version of the motoring television series, Top Gear, on NBC before the series was cancelled. He has also hosted other shows including SPEED Channel's SuperCars Exposed,...
- AEM/Memphis Audio Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model...
- 2008
The 2008 Formula D season will be the fifth season for the Formula D series. The series will begin April 12, 2008 and conclude on October 11...
Tanner FoustTanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He was slated to become co-host for the American version of the motoring television series, Top Gear, on NBC before the series was cancelled. He has also hosted other shows including SPEED Channel's SuperCars Exposed,...
- AEM/Rockstar Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model...
- 2009
The 2009 Formula D season will be the sixth season for the Formula D series. The series began April 11 and will conclude on October 11.-Schedule:-Final Championship Results:...
Chris ForsbergChris Forsberg , is an American self-taught drifting driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania who currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan 350Z for NOS Energy Drink and Maxxis Tires.- History :...
- NOS Energy Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model...
Triple Crown Champions
(consisting of
Road AtlantaRoad Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located in Braselton, Georgia, USA, . The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...
-
Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayLas Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
-
Irwindale SpeedwayToyota Speedway at Irwindale is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California. It features banked, paved 1/2 and 1/3 mile oval tracks. It opened on March 27, 1999, as Irwindale Speedway and held that name until Toyota purchased the naming rights to the facility in 2008....
)
- 2006 Rhys Millen
Rhys Millen , nephew of IMSA GTS driver Steve Millen, son of Rod and elder brother of Ryan, is one of the world's top competitors in drifting...
- RMR Pontiac GTOThe Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is often considered the first true muscle car. From 1964 until midway through 1973 it was closely related to the Pontiac Tempest and for the 1974 model year it...
- 2007 Chris Forsberg
Chris Forsberg , is an American self-taught drifting driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania who currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan 350Z for NOS Energy Drink and Maxxis Tires.- History :...
- Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model...
- 2008 Rhys Millen - Red Bull/RMR Pontiac Solstice GXP
- 2009 Chris Forsberg
Chris Forsberg , is an American self-taught drifting driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania who currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan 350Z for NOS Energy Drink and Maxxis Tires.- History :...
- NOS Energy Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Co, LTD. The 350Z is the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line, originally introduced in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model...
Rookie of the Year
- 2006 Bill Sherman - Nissan 240SX
The 240SX is a two-door compact car that was introduced to the North American market by Nissan in 1988 for the following model year. It replaced the outgoing 200SX model. All versions of the 240SX were equipped with the 2.4-litre inline 4 engine...
- 2007 Darren McNamara - Toyota Corolla Coupe GT
The AE86 generation of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno is a small, lightweight coupe introduced by Toyota in 1983 as part of the fifth generation Toyota Corolla line-up. For the purpose of brevity, the insider-chassis code of "AE86" is used to describe the whole range...
/Nissan SR20
- 2008 Michihiro Takatori - Nissan Skyline
The Nissan Skyline is a line of compact cars originally produced by the Japanese carmaker Prince Motor Company starting in 1957 and subsequently by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1966...
ER34
- 2009 Eric O'Sullivan - Subaru Impreza WRX STI
The Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
Most improved driver
- 2007 Bill Sherman - Nissan 240SX
The 240SX is a two-door compact car that was introduced to the North American market by Nissan in 1988 for the following model year. It replaced the outgoing 200SX model. All versions of the 240SX were equipped with the 2.4-litre inline 4 engine...
- 2008 Stephan Verdier - Subaru Impreza WRX STI
The Subaru Impreza STI is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru....
All-time Formula Drift event winners list
- Samuel Hübinette
Samuel Hübinette, aka The Crazy Swede , is a professional race car driver and Hollywood stunt driver. He started working as a test driver for Volvo Cars...
- 9 wins (2004 at Road Atlanta, Houston, and Infineon; 2005 at Road Atlanta and Chicago; 2006 at Long Beach, Chicago and Wall; 2007 at Summit Point)
- Chris Forsberg
Chris Forsberg , is an American self-taught drifting driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania who currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan 350Z for NOS Energy Drink and Maxxis Tires.- History :...
- 6 wins (2005 at Irwindale; 2007 at Road Atlanta and Infineon; 2008 at Long Beach; 2009 at Road Atlanta and Seattle)
- Rhys Millen
Rhys Millen , nephew of IMSA GTS driver Steve Millen, son of Rod and elder brother of Ryan, is one of the world's top competitors in drifting...
- 5 wins (2004 at Irwindale; 2005 at Wall; 2006 at Infineon; 2008 at Road Atlanta and Seattle)
- Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He was slated to become co-host for the American version of the motoring television series, Top Gear, on NBC before the series was cancelled. He has also hosted other shows including SPEED Channel's SuperCars Exposed,...
- 5 wins (2006 at Road Atlanta; 2007 at Irwindale; 2008 at Englishtown and Sonoma; 2009 at Las Vegas)
- Daijiro Yoshihara
Daijiro Yoshihara is one of the world's best drifters in the motor sports of Drifting. With 10 years of competition under his belt, Dai has always been a thrill seeker and it was only natural for him to get into drifting...
- 3 wins (2006 at Irwindale; 2007 at Seattle and Wall)
One win each for:
- Ken Gushi
is one of the nation's top competitors in the sport of drifting. Born in Okinawa, Japan, but raised in Los Angeles, he was taught by his father Tsukasa Gushi at the age of 13 with a Toyota AE86. Ken has become the youngest competitor in both the D1 Grand Prix of Japan and the Formula Drift...
(2005 at Houston)
- Calvin Wan (2005 at Infineon)
- Yukinobu Okubo (2006 at Seattle)
- Mitsuru Haraguchi (2007 at Long Beach)
- Toshiki Yoshioka
is a Japanese professional drifting driver, currently competing in the D1 Grand Prix series for and Even before he started drifting professionally he always used the Toyota AE86. He first competed in the D1 Grand Prix in the first round of 2002 and has always scored points in every season. He got...
(2008 at Las Vegas)
- Vaughn Gittin, Jr.
Vaughn Donald Gittin, Jr. , commonly known as JR, is an American self-taught professional drifter from Annapolis, Maryland who currently competes in the Formula D series in his 2010 Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang. When he's not competing, Vaughn performs drifting demonstrations for Ford in his...
(2008 at Irwindale)
- Ryan Tuerck (2009 at Long Beach)
- Darren McNamara (2009 at Wall)
- Stephan Verdier (2009 at Infineon)
External links