Come time for the main event, it was time to take the seeded and unseeded drivers from both sides and knock 32 drivers down to a field of 16. The crowds packed the stands in the usual way, leaving few empty seats behind. This was it--make it or break it time. From the minute the action started, the Japanese showed no mercy, applying tremendous speed and in the process, leaving clouds of smoke, thick and plenty. Our boys put up a tough fight, but the only ones who would advance to the tandem runs would be JR, Sam Hubinette, Dai Yoshihara and Alex Pfeiffer. But don't think the Japanese had it easy the entire way--Nomura Ken, aka "Nomuken," piloting the Blitz four-door Skyline, went really hot following Team Orange's Kumakubo, running smack into the wall right in front of the judges. Keiichi Tsuchiya remarked at the end of the round that those who were able to advance to the next round were able to do so because they maintained speeds of nearly 80 mph!
The tandem elimination rounds commenced immediately after the opening round and things looked dismal as we found out who our drivers would be paired up against. Rod Millen, a well-seasoned driver but a drift rookie, would have to contend with Tatsuya Sakuma's 450hp S15 Silvia. The elder Millen went down gracefully as he just wasn't as prepared for the tandem runs as he was for the solo passes. Alex Pfeiffer had his hands full going up against multi-winner Youichi Imamura and the A'PEXi FD, losing due to Imamura's ability to read his opponent's moves.
Masao Suenaga was not only too fast for Sam Hubinette, but the Mad Swede lost the advantage on the first judged pass after spinning out at the last corner. Pacific Rim's Dai Yoshihara gave it his all against Masato Kawabata, but just couldn't find his groove against him in either run. Tanner Foust was on the verge of easily pushing Michihiro Takatori out of the way until he bumped Takatori during the second lap, giving Tanner the automatic disqualification. And just think, what if you had to be paired up with last year's D1 champion, Yasuyuki Kazama? Well, that's exactly who JR Gittin had to battle. But Kazama, who normally advances onward with few problems, had trouble keeping up with JR's expertise behind the Falken Mustang, losing and giving new life to the Americans. There was hope yet, but looking at the Top 8, these weren't the guys you'd really want to face off with.