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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
D1 Drift Japan 2009 Round 1 Ebisu Results
The 2009 D1 GP Japan drift series kicked off with the first round in Ebisu over the March 28th 29th weekend.A sell out crowd filled the Ebisu south course stands and braved the ZERO degree chills and snow to see the best drifters Japan has to offer!
To cut to the chase, here are the Top 8 results from Round 1 of D1 GP Japan 2009:
1. Nomura Ken (white R34 skyline)
2. Imamura Yoichi (red S15 slivia)
3. Saito Daigo (red JZX100 chaser)
4. Tezuka Tsuyoshi (yellow R32 skyline)
5. Suenaga Masao (white FD RX-7)
6. Kuroi (blue Toyo S13 one-via)
7. Kumakubo Nobushige (Evo 10 Lancer)
8. Koguchi (dark red 180sx)
All eyes were on Kumakubo in his new Evo 10 Lancer drift machine (7th place) so it was a shame to see him get knocked out against Tezuka in the R32. Tezuka was in fact drifting like a champ all day, so it was good to see him advance.Another upset was Saito Daigo (last years overall champ - JZX100) getting knocked out in the semi-finals vs. Imamura (red S15)....Saito's car is an abolute monster and he was driving it aggressively all day.
The final round brought Nomuken and Imamura head to head.
Imamura lead the first run but his engine broke, stopped and he couldn't start it for the second run so Nomuken won by default.
It started snowing just before the final round so everyone was in a hurry to get home anyway...so thanks Yoichi, you saved us a few extra minutes of pain!
A great day of drifting even though it was freezing cold!
The next rounds in Ebisu will be round 5 and 6 in August (summer) so it will be nice and hot and I can watch it without shivering and catching a cold.
Ueno's Series 3 BMW drift car was in the pits but never made it out to the track. The car is beautifully made and will be great to see it out drifting amongst the Japanese cars.Also, Saito Daigo's Mustang was on display but not driven...that car is supposed to be prepped and ready for the track during this season some time. Keep your eyes peeled for that!
Round 2 of the 2009 D1 GP Drift season will be held in Autopolis on April 26th.
Unfortunately, it's at the other end of Japan and as much as I'd like to go, I'll have to skip it. But I'll keep you updated on the results from that and the rest of the 2009 D1 drift season!
Live hard - Drift safe!
Stu
Owner of www.DriftinJapan.com
Labels: 2009, BMW-drift-car, D1, d1-2009, d1-japan, d1-japan-2009, D1GP, D1GP-japan, ebisu, evo-10, evo-X, kumakubo, kumakubo-evo-X-10, lancer drift car, lancer-evo-10-driftcar, mustang-drift-car, nomuken
Monday, March 31, 2008
D1 GP Japan Round 1 Ebisu Drift Coverage
March 29 -30 2008 and the D1 GP drift competition kicked off Rd. 1 in Japan with a bang with at Ebisu south course.
The rain held off but there was still cold winds and cloud cover making a very cool day to see the pro Japanese drift drivers bring out there drift machines and rival each other around the tight but fast Ebisu south course.
The top 16 was made up of the usual bunch of drivers.
Kumakubo (Lancer Evo) and team orange team mate Tanaka (WRX Impreza) made it to the top 16. They actually had to battle each other in the first heat and Tanaka beat Kumakubo to go through to the next round. However, Tanaka was knocked out in the following round.
Drift Samurai in the yellow FC RX7 side swiped his opponent in the first round so he was eliminated.
A new drift machine made it's debut D1 appearance in the season opener. More like a family car rather than performance Drift car, was a fully decked out JDM Toyota Crown.
Usually, only Japanese highway police and wealthy semi-retired Japanese business men drive these cars but done up in Drift spec, these cars are pretty bad ass!
Yes, there were a few crashes too! The beautifully made pink S15 Silvia ended up hitting the tire barrier at the end of the first straight, going really fast. The tires didn't cushion the blow much at all. His car was finished for the day.
Then there were the front wheel drive cars that were supposed to be an attraction but one was running like crap and broke down, then his mate lost it at the entrance to the front straight and ended up in the wall. That was the end of the mini car FF drift attraction. The crowd loved to see it bend its fenders though. Truly a great addition to the D1 GP experience!
The winner of the D1 GP series Round 1 opener was Kawabata in the blue Toyo Silvia. He was the overall champ of the 2007 D1 series so he still has the drift skill after the off season.
He battled out the final heat with Nomuken (R34 Skyline) but beat him in a snap. After the final lap and the winner was annunced, we all rushed to go home out of the snow top mountain driven wind.
D1 GP Round 6 is at Ebisu too, so it should be fine without a beanie and hopefully my favorite driver Kumakubo can make it a bit further next time!
Cheers,
Stuart
www.DriftinJapan.com
The rain held off but there was still cold winds and cloud cover making a very cool day to see the pro Japanese drift drivers bring out there drift machines and rival each other around the tight but fast Ebisu south course.
The top 16 was made up of the usual bunch of drivers.
Kumakubo (Lancer Evo) and team orange team mate Tanaka (WRX Impreza) made it to the top 16. They actually had to battle each other in the first heat and Tanaka beat Kumakubo to go through to the next round. However, Tanaka was knocked out in the following round.Drift Samurai in the yellow FC RX7 side swiped his opponent in the first round so he was eliminated.
A new drift machine made it's debut D1 appearance in the season opener. More like a family car rather than performance Drift car, was a fully decked out JDM Toyota Crown.Usually, only Japanese highway police and wealthy semi-retired Japanese business men drive these cars but done up in Drift spec, these cars are pretty bad ass!
Yes, there were a few crashes too! The beautifully made pink S15 Silvia ended up hitting the tire barrier at the end of the first straight, going really fast. The tires didn't cushion the blow much at all. His car was finished for the day.
Then there were the front wheel drive cars that were supposed to be an attraction but one was running like crap and broke down, then his mate lost it at the entrance to the front straight and ended up in the wall. That was the end of the mini car FF drift attraction. The crowd loved to see it bend its fenders though. Truly a great addition to the D1 GP experience!
The winner of the D1 GP series Round 1 opener was Kawabata in the blue Toyo Silvia. He was the overall champ of the 2007 D1 series so he still has the drift skill after the off season. He battled out the final heat with Nomuken (R34 Skyline) but beat him in a snap. After the final lap and the winner was annunced, we all rushed to go home out of the snow top mountain driven wind.
D1 GP Round 6 is at Ebisu too, so it should be fine without a beanie and hopefully my favorite driver Kumakubo can make it a bit further next time!
Cheers,
Stuart
www.DriftinJapan.com
Labels: 2008, D1, d1-gp-japan, D1GP, drift, drifting, ebisu, kumakubo, nomuken, round-1, tanaka, team-orange
Monday, January 14, 2008
D1 Drift Demo at Tokyo Auto Salon 2008
The D1 GP drift boys were at it again! This time at 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon in a small drift circuit transformed car park just outside the Tokyo Makuhari Messe complex.
Japanese D1 drivers letting loose! Nomuken in the Blitz Skyline making the smoke as usual, Kumakubo in the buzzing Team Orange Lancer Evo 9!
Small area to drift in but still enough to put on an impressive drifting demo!
Japanese D1 drivers letting loose! Nomuken in the Blitz Skyline making the smoke as usual, Kumakubo in the buzzing Team Orange Lancer Evo 9!
Small area to drift in but still enough to put on an impressive drifting demo!
Labels: 2008, drift-demo, kumakubo, lancer drift car, nomuken, team orange, tokyo-auto-salon
Thursday, August 30, 2007
D1 Grand Prix Ebisu 2007 Round 5 - Kumakubo's New Lancer, Nomuken Wins
Round 5 of the D1 Grand Prix Professional Drift Series was held last weekend in Ebisu on the 25th - 26th of August 2007. I made the whole 15 minute trip up the mountains of Nihonmatsu to one of the most challenging drift circuits in the world - Ebisu. I arrived just as the lunch break started so I had time to walk around the pits taking pictures of the baddest drift cars and hottest promotion girls in Japan.
The most highly antcipated car was of course Kumakubo's NEW Lancer Evolution drift machine. A little awkward for a lancer but not unsurprisingly, it was decked out in TEAM ORANGE colors jsut like his Impreza WRX. Actually, for someone who doesn't have a keen eye, they would have trouble telling themapart. Same color scheme, both 4 doors, about the same size and even the sound of the exhaust was similar.
(see the post below for pics of Kumakubo's Lancer)
None the less, the JUN built Lancer Evo is built for drift...and performs great. Despite it being the first ever competition run for Kumakubo in his new lancer, he managed to finish in the top 8. In one of his last runs, his clutch didn't return so he missed a gear shift. But there was definitely nothing wrong with Kumakubo's drifting.
The champion of Round 5 was the monkey man himself, Nomuken in his BLITZ Skyline R34 4 door! Nomuken always seems to make it high in the rankings (if he doesn't crash early) but rarely gets to hold the trophy. Last year at D1 Ebisu, he was in the final with Kumakubo and after about 2 "sudden death"s, Kumakubo took the win just marginaly.
It must have been an emotional win for him this time, as he broke down in tears of joy(?) right after his deciding win. Throughout the day he was having "sudden death" runs in just about every round. I think he deserved to win just for that. But, he never made a mistake which proves he was the best drifter of the day.
D1 Drift Grand Prix 2007 Ebisu Round 5 Highlight Video
The most highly antcipated car was of course Kumakubo's NEW Lancer Evolution drift machine. A little awkward for a lancer but not unsurprisingly, it was decked out in TEAM ORANGE colors jsut like his Impreza WRX. Actually, for someone who doesn't have a keen eye, they would have trouble telling themapart. Same color scheme, both 4 doors, about the same size and even the sound of the exhaust was similar.
(see the post below for pics of Kumakubo's Lancer)
None the less, the JUN built Lancer Evo is built for drift...and performs great. Despite it being the first ever competition run for Kumakubo in his new lancer, he managed to finish in the top 8. In one of his last runs, his clutch didn't return so he missed a gear shift. But there was definitely nothing wrong with Kumakubo's drifting.
The champion of Round 5 was the monkey man himself, Nomuken in his BLITZ Skyline R34 4 door! Nomuken always seems to make it high in the rankings (if he doesn't crash early) but rarely gets to hold the trophy. Last year at D1 Ebisu, he was in the final with Kumakubo and after about 2 "sudden death"s, Kumakubo took the win just marginaly.
It must have been an emotional win for him this time, as he broke down in tears of joy(?) right after his deciding win. Throughout the day he was having "sudden death" runs in just about every round. I think he deserved to win just for that. But, he never made a mistake which proves he was the best drifter of the day.
D1 Drift Grand Prix 2007 Ebisu Round 5 Highlight Video
Labels: 2007, D1, drift, ebisu, gp, grand prix, japan, kumakubo, nomuken, video
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