Team Toyo Tires Drift’s Masato Kawabata has dominated an exhibition round pitting an international field of top ranked drifters against each other, to compete for the title of world’s best drifter.
24 high profile drivers lined up on Toyko’s Odaiba Special Course to contend for the ultimate in drift bragging rights in the D1 Grand Prix World Champions exhibition.
The drivers comprised top ranked D1-GP series drivers and former champions, 2014’s D1 Street Legal (SL) leader and six foreign drivers from five countries representing Russia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and Italy.
Representing Team Toyo Tires Drift, Tatsuya Sakuma in the GP Sports S15 Silvia and Seimi Tanaka in the Taka Neostyle D-Max S15 Silvia joined Kawabata to take on the global field.
Despite being an exhibition round, competition was stiff.
Sliding Through the Motions
Qualifying consisted of two stages, Kawabata advanced to the finals with an overpowering high speed and error-free performance along with Tanaka, who has been in top form this season. In the eight-driver “Ultimate Eight”, Kawabata demonstrated masterful control over his heavyweight GT-R by piling up points with exactingly precise drifting. A consistent and skilful display by Tanaka saw him race his way into a top-four finish.
Pasting his Toyo Proxes onto the tarmac courtesy of the R35-X’s 1000 horsepower VR38DETT, run after run saw Kawabata throwing an acrid fog over the Odaiba stadium.
2013 D1-GP and 2014 D1-SL Champions Showdown
The final tsuiso battle saw Kawabata up against the notorious Naoki Nakamura, a member of the brightly coloured Team Burst.
Once arrested and banned from D1-GP for illegally plying his trade on public roads, Nakamura is 2014 D1-SL champion. The series win is thanks in no small part to a precise ability to kiss, rather than scrape or miss the wall on high speed entries, as well as maintain intimidating proximity during tsuiso battles.
Nakamura, who visited Australia earlier this month and drove local cars in Queensland’s grassroots Drift Matsuri, was on form. In his “street legal” nimble pink Origin Labo S13 Silvia, Nakamura on paper had the upper hand against Kawabata in the heavy R35 on the tight, low speed Odaiba course.
However Kawabata, the originator of the reverse entry and 2013 D1-GP champion, was not going to miss the opportunity to put the junior series champion in his place. Having dominated every battle, outclassing incredible drivers like Tezuka, Suenaga, Hibino, Nomura and Immaura in hyper 86’s, JZX100’s and Silvia’s, the champ was ready to fight.
Confrontation: Osaka vs Kansai Final Battle
Blasting towards redline the pair threw their cars into angles defiant of physics. The purple and pink SR20DET-powered S13 howled, bouncing off its rev limiter as the menacing R35 stayed door to door while both drivers tied on lashings of speed. Nakamura led strongly, forcing Kawabata to extract every inch of performance from the unorthodox FR GT-R.
Refusing to succumb to the Osaka docks drifter, the final battle saw Kansai favourite Kawabata locked up, throwing the big body car completely sideways before the entry of the first corner. Nakamura, who was struggling to match the torque and horsepower of his competitor, picked up speed and charged headlong into the course, battling to hunt down Kawabata as he muscled through the course.
Showing no restraint, Kawabata continued with speed and poise. Keeping Nakamura at arm’s length, the twitchy Silvia grappled from behind, gradually catching but again losing proximity and angle, while thick tyre smoke poured out of Kawabata’s rear quarters. Overwhelmed, Nakamura completed the course.
Quietly deliberating, the judges awarded a hard earned victory to Kawabata, claiming the crown for Toyo Tires Team Drift as 2014 D1 Grand Prix World Champions victor.
Odaiba also hosted the final round of D1-GP, with Kawabata finishing second behind Masao Suenanga, with fellow Toyo team mate Tanaka third. The result places Kawabata in a respectable sixth overall in the D1-GP series in 2014.
With a year of practice and refinement, Kawabata now feels comfortable with the burly and experimental R35, with the team continually tuning the car to his driving style and exacting specifications as the season wore on. His first choice for tyres remains Toyo Proxes.
NOTES:
Tsuiso - a knockout race in which there is a lead car and a chasing car drifting in tandem with the lead. There are two passes, with each driver taking a turn to lead. For this exhibition match, both the qualifier and the finale were contested as a tsuiso tournament.
D1 Street Legal (SL) - A drift competition class contested using fine-tuned road-going cars.
