As we were driving to the very first US D1 Grand Prix drift event, we weren't sure what to expect, but we knew it was guaranteed to make more history than the day Roel actually showed up for work on time. Would the hype and hoopla be greater than the event itself? After all, this drifting thing is getting more play than Kobe did in Room 35. Right before we got to the track, it hit us, or rather we hit it: complete gridlock leading into the venue. The Irwindale Speedway parking lot was more stuffed than Jonny in one of his silk-screened Care Bear shirts. (Uh, correction; it was actually Mickey Mouse.--JW) It took us 40 minutes to reach the gate, and once inside, the joint was packed to capacity. Some of the more ludicrous spectator estimates claimed upwards of 20 thou', but Irwindale officials placed the attendance at a more realistic 9,000. This is still a number with a lot of girth, and it's easily the largest crowd to ever witness a dedicated drift event.
The large-and-in-charge attendance figure is even more impressive considering that this event didn't even count for any points in the 2003 D1 Grand Prix Championship. Although this US D1GP was only an exhibition round, the Japanese and American drivers battled as if the championship was at stake. This begs the query as to what exactly is a D1 Championship? Is it some sort of award given to the best tofu delivery boy? Hardly.
By now you've probably seen all sorts of drift videos, but if, like us, you're patiently waiting for Betamax to make a comeback, allow us to drop a little D1 history on you. It was none other than the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya, who created the D1 in conjunction with Video Option. The series was established to provide a competitive arena for Japan's best drifters, and Video Option duly records each round. If you can navigate your way through the Japanese Web site at www.v-opt.co.jp, you can order any of these D1 videos. Nobuteru "No One Better" Taniguchi clenched the inaugural 2001 D1 championship in the HKS Silvia (see "Vanity Fair," Dec. '02). In 2002, this month's cover boy and perennial underdog, Katsuhiro Ueo, took top honors in his mighty little D'Sift Cusco Trueno.
We've brought you the D1 before. We hit the first round of the 2002 series at the Bihoku Circuit ("D1'S Da One," June '02) and the Blitz crew stuffed Ricky in a carry-on so he could check out the 2002 finals at the Nikko Circuit (see "Die Hard D1," Mar. '03). Now Japan's best were coming to America to eat our steaks and steal our women, and possibly spend some time schooling us on the drift.