Nobuteru Taniguchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese racing driver and former drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...

 driver who currently competes in Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...

. Taniguchi is commonly nicknamed "NOB" (first three words from his name, meaning "No One Better") or "The Pimp" as a reference to his S15 Silvia which he is best known for.

Career

Taniguchi began his motorsport career when he was racing minibike
Minibike
A minibike, sometimes called a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniature motorcycle. Most minibikes use two-stroke engines and chain drive.- History :...

s and won a Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

 sponsored All Japan Mini Bike race, which took place at its Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...

. Taniguchi would progress into four wheels and became interested in drifting when he acquired a Toyota AE86
Toyota AE86
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 lineup. For the purpose of brevity, the insider-chassis code of "AE86" is used to describe the whole range...

. He also worked at Takahiro Ueno
Takahiro Ueno
is a Japanese professional drifting driver and businessman, the former, currently competing in the D1 Grand Prix series for .He started out with a love for the Toyota Soarer JZZ30 and driving, and has turned it into a huge success. Starting his Tuning shop Car Make T&E in October 1996, it has gone...

’s car bodykit company, Car Make T&E to supplement his racing career whilst competing in various one make series racing with the Toyota Celica
Toyota Celica
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....

 and Vitz
Toyota Vitz
The Toyota Vitz is a line of three- and five-door hatchback subcompact cars produced since 1998 by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Now in its third generation, the name "Toyota Vitz" has been used consistently in Japan, with most international markets receiving the same vehicle under...

 and participating in drift
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...

 events. In 1999, he came into the attention of HKS when he won a Suzuka Clubman Race in a Honda Civic sponsored by Bride. HKS signed him up as a test driver and as a sponsor, as well as sponsoring his S15 Silvia for drift events.

Drifting

Taniguchi won the first season of D1 Grand Prix
D1 Grand Prix
The , 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...

 in 2001
2001 D1 Grand Prix Season
2001 D1 Grand Prix Point Seriesn.b. Winning Driver are mentioned on the rightRound 1 - October 6, 2000 - Ebisu Circuit South Course, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan - Youichi Imamura...

 for HKS. Taniguchi and HKS have not limited their racing campaign to Japan. In 2005, Taniguchi drove the HKS USA Mitsubishi Evolution in the Car and Driver Super Tuner Challenge against top US manufacturers and drivers. Taniguchi beat the nearest competitor by three seconds, and set the day’s fastest ¼ mile, 0-60, and road course times. In 2006, Taniguchi drove the HKS Speed Source RX-8 in the Grand Am Cup race at Arizona’s Phoenix International Raceway and set the fasted qualifying time for any Mazda RX-8.

HKS and Formula Drift made an exclusive partnership in 2007 that brought NOB to the United States to perform drifting exhibitions at Formula Drift events. Taniguchi made his first appearance at Formula Drift’s second event Road Atlanta, May 11 and 12, 2007.

He was also a test driver for HKS in 2004 and 2007 where he drove the HKS Time Attack
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...

 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 and set a 54.37 second lap time at Tsukuba Circuit
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...

 (famous for its complexity and focus on cornering skills), and again in 2007, where he drove the all carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...

 body HKS CT230R Mitsubishi Evolution and set the current Tsukuba Time Attack
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...

 record of 53.589 seconds (video). Mid way through the 2004 season of D1, NOB switched to an Altezza which had not been properly setup and had shown some technical issues that many believe cost him the championship that year. During the 2005 season, the switch to Altezza was proving to be a mistake for HKS and NOB which lead them to quit the series at the end of the season.

In all, Taniguchi has gone through four cars with HKS for D1, the RS1 Hyper Silvia S15 (Crashed by Keiichi Tsuchiya), and two RS2 Hyper Silvia S15s (One from HKS Power Japan, and the other from HKS Europe), and finally the Genki RP Altezza, which was designed without experimental/prototype HKS parts, for the purpose that a private drifter could copy the car. His recent drift car is a Toyota Aristo (Lexus GS300 in US). Taniguchi had the most wins in D1 Grand Prix until his tally was overtaken by Youichi Imamura
Youichi Imamura
is a Japanese professional drifting driver, currently competing in the D1 Grand Prix series for team with .He has always enjoyed driving, so drifting was a natural thing for him. His other passion is flowers as his parents ran a florist and he has always helped them out...

 in 2005.

Racing

Taniguchi won the Super Taikyu series in Japan in 2002 and 2005. In 2002 he began competing in JGTC with RE Amemiya
RE Amemiya
is an automotive tuning company from Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan founded by Isami Amemiya. Amemiya has made a name for himself tuning rotary engines since 1974 and has become a pioneer in tuning rotary-powered Mazdas...

 in a Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...

. He has continued to compete in the series as it became Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...

 in 2005. Having previously raced for Team Taisan in 2007/08 he has returned to Amemiya in 2009. After RE Amemiya's withdrawal at the end of 2010 season, he moved to Goodsmile Racing using a BMW Z4 GT3.

He will make his World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...

 debut with Proteam Motorsport
Proteam Motorsport
Proteam Motorsport is an Italian auto racing team based in Arezzo that was set up by former driver Valmiro Presenzini in 1997. They are best known for their efforts in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. Their time in the WTCC has seen them become the most successful independent team in the...

 at the 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
The FIA WTCC Kenwood Race of Japan 2009 was the eleventh round of the 2009 World Touring Car Championship season and the second running of the FIA WTCC Race of Japan. It was held on November 1, 2009 at the Okayama International Circuit near Mimasaka, Japan. The two races were won by BMW drivers...

, at the Okayama International Circuit.

He has won the 2009 Super Taikyu Championship with his team mate Masataka Yanagida and Fariqe Hairuman in Petronas Syntium Team BMW Z4M Coupé. He also won the A5 petrol class and second overall in 2010 Dubai 24Hours with his team mate Fariqe Hairuman, Masataka Yanagida and Johannes Stuck in Petronas Syntium Team BMW Z4M Coupé.

Other Work

Taniguchi appears in many DVD series, such as Video Option
Video Option
was introduced in March 1988 by Sunpro as a monthly direct-to-video magazine version of the long running Option magazine.The video has always being presented by Daijiro Inada, who do many of the tuner car road tests, either on a test track, on public road with Daijiro's adventures at Bonneville...

, Drift Tengoku, Best Motoring, Rev Speed Video and Hot Version. He now lives in an apartment in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

 opposite his friend and former employer Ueno.

D1 Grand Prix

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Position Points
HKS Nissan Silvia S15
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...

EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


4
NIK
1
BHH
TAN
EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


4
NIK
1
1 68
HKS Nissan Silvia S15
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...

BHH
TAN
EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


1
EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


10
SGO
16
TKB
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...


3
SEK
3
NIK
6
2 64
HKS Nissan Silvia S15
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...

TKB
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...


TAN
BHH
16
SGO
DNQ
FUJ
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...


2
EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


6
SEK
3
TKB
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...


1
4 64
HKS Nissan Silvia S15
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...

IRW
Irwindale Speedway
Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California, United States. It features banked, paved 1/2- and 1/3-mile oval tracks and a 1/8-mile drag strip. It opened on March 27, 1999, as Irwindale Speedway and held that name until Toyota purchased the naming rights...


2
SGO
2
EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


3
APS
Autopolis
Autopolis is an international racing circuit located near Kamitsue village in Ōita Prefecture, Japan . Opened in 1990, it hosts a range of domestic and international motorsport events throughout the year. Although the track meets a high standard in terms of its facilities, it has never hosted a...


1
ODB
Odaiba
is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential...


6
2 82
Toyota Altezza SXE-10
Lexus IS
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars sold by Lexus since 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup...

EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


TAN
TKB
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...


TAN
HKS Nissan Silvia S15
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...

IRW
Irwindale Speedway
Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California, United States. It features banked, paved 1/2- and 1/3-mile oval tracks and a 1/8-mile drag strip. It opened on March 27, 1999, as Irwindale Speedway and held that name until Toyota purchased the naming rights...


10
10 36
Toyota Altezza SXE-10
Lexus IS
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars sold by Lexus since 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup...

ODB
Odaiba
is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential...


2
SGO
TAN
APS
Autopolis
Autopolis is an international racing circuit located near Kamitsue village in Ōita Prefecture, Japan . Opened in 1990, it hosts a range of domestic and international motorsport events throughout the year. Although the track meets a high standard in terms of its facilities, it has never hosted a...


EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


8
FUJ
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...


6
TKB
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...


HKS Toyota Altezza SXE-10
Lexus IS
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars sold by Lexus since 1998. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup...

EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


FUJ
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...


9
SUZ
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...


OKY
APS
Autopolis
Autopolis is an international racing circuit located near Kamitsue village in Ōita Prefecture, Japan . Opened in 1990, it hosts a range of domestic and international motorsport events throughout the year. Although the track meets a high standard in terms of its facilities, it has never hosted a...


EBS
Ebisu Circuit
is an established race complex at 1 Sawamatsukura, Nihonmatsu-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, 964-0088, Japan. The complex features 7 individual tracks plus 2 skid pan type circuits. The circuits are, Nishi , Kita , Higashi , Minami as well as Drift Land, the School Course, The Touge and 'KuruKuru...


FUJ
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...


- 8

External links

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