JDM RacingDrivers
From Keiichi Tsuchiya the Drift King to Kazuyoshi Hoshino the Nismo legend, these are the drivers who defined Japanese motorsport. Champions, pioneers, and icons. 7 driver profiles.
Katsuhiro Ueo: The Team Orange AE86 Legend
Katsuhiro Ueo ran Team Orange and kept an AE86 Trueno competitive in D1 Grand Prix when everyone else had switched to the Silvia. His aggressive style was a crowd favorite.
Kazuyoshi Hoshino: The Nismo Racing Legend
Kazuyoshi Hoshino is Japan's most decorated touring car driver. He won 3 consecutive JTCC championships in the Group A R32 GT-R and 50+ consecutive races for Nismo.
Keiichi Tsuchiya: The Drift King
Keiichi Tsuchiya is the most influential driver in drift history. Without his Pluspy footage, drifting as a discipline wouldn't exist. This is his complete story.
Manabu Orido: The Versatile Japanese Racer
Manabu Orido is Japan's most versatile racing driver. JGTC, Super GT, D1 Grand Prix, Nürburgring 24h — he's raced in all of them. Decades of Japanese racing experience.
Masato Kawabata: The 5-Time D1 Champion
Masato Kawabata won 5 D1 Grand Prix championships between 2009 and 2015. He's statistically one of the most successful drift drivers in history, known for driving a drift R35 GT-R.
Nobuteru Taniguchi: The Serial D1 Champion
Nobuteru Taniguchi won two D1 Grand Prix championships (2002, 2004) and competed in Super GT. He's one of the most technical drift drivers ever to compete.
Youichi Imamura: The 2003 D1 Grand Prix Champion
Youichi Imamura won the 2003 D1 Grand Prix championship in a Nissan S15 Silvia. His clean, methodical driving style proved consistency could win at the highest level.