Keiichi Tsuchiya
Encyclopedia
is a professional race car driver. He is also known as the "Drift King" (or Dorikin (ドリキン)) for his nontraditional use of drifting
in non-drifting racing events and his role in popularizing drifting as a motorsport
. He is also known for touge (mountain pass) driving
.
The car he drives, a Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, has become one of the most popular sports cars; the car is also known as "Hachi-Roku" in Japan (hachi-roku meaning "eight six"); his car is also called "The Little Hachi that could." A video known as Pluspy documents Tsuchiya's touge driving with his AE86.
and became an underground legend.
He would continue to take part in the Japanese Formula Three Championship, Japanese Touring Car Championship
(JTCC), the latter while driving a Nissan Skyline GT-R
(previously in the Cosmo Oil Sierra Cosworth) in the Group A
championships and later a Honda Civic
in the Supertouring
car championships.
Le Mans
He went on to score a class win and an 8th place overall at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans
in a Honda NSX
. In 1999 of the same race
, this time in a Toyota GT-One
, during the last hour while co-driver Ukyo Katayama
was building up pace to the leading BMW V12 LMR he was forced into the grass by a backmarker privateer's BMW LMP, blowing the tire out. They survived the ordeal and went onto score the fastest lap but were forced to settle for second.
NASCAR
He has raced in NASCAR
-sanctioned exhibition races at Suzuka Circuit
(Suzuka Thunder 100) and at Twin Ring Motegi
Superspeedway for the 1998 NASCAR-sanctioned exhibition and 1999 NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series races at the circuit, both named the Coca-Cola 500K.
, he advised street racers to leave the illegal racing scene if they want to become involved with professional racing.
JGTC Team until the team disbanded their GT300 operation at the end of the 2005 season. He owned the aftermarket suspension company Kei Office until he sold the business in 2005. His trademark color is jade green which appears on his overalls and helmet and is the adopted color of the company he used to own, Kei Office. It was also the color of the D1 Grand Prix
Kei Office S15 Silvia
of driver and employee Yasuyuki Kazama
who also wears a suit similar in pattern.
He also hosts the video magazine "Best Motoring
" which features road tests of new Japanese cars including a special section called "Hot Version" which focuses on performance-modified cars. He is a guest presenter in Video Option
, a monthly video magazine, similar to the Hot Version which also regularly covers the D1GP and its sister video magazine Drift Tengoku
which deals purely with drifting.
He has been an editorial supervisor on the televised anime
Initial D
and Wangan Midnight
. He appeared in episode 23 of Initial D First Stage as a special guest. He also appeared in the semi biographical film Shuto Kousoku Trial 2,3,4,5 and was also featured in the Super GT magazine show in Japan. His life in driving is parallel to that of the Initial D main character, Takumi, as both of them started exploring their local touge while doing regular deliveries for their family businesses. In Initial D 1st Stage episode 23, he was alluded to when Takumi's father was having a conversation on the phone with someone referred to as "Mr. Tsuchiya" who addressed Takumi's father as "Bunta," adding that the memories of his drifting still "scared the shit" out of him. In the Initial D 3rd Stage, the color can also be seen on the overalls and helmet of the sportsbike rider who overtook Takumi as he was en route to an initiation battle with Ryosuke Takahashi. The color of Tomo's racing suit from the Initial D 4th Stage is jade green and has a similar pattern to Tsuchiya's suit. Lastly, Keiichi himself is featured in one episode of Initial D right before the battle with Ryosuke Takahashi when he calls Bunta (Takumi's father) to inquire about the young man. Here he is shown wearing a similar race suit design.
He also made an appearance opposite Top Gear
's Jeremy Clarkson
in a Motorworld in Japan special showing drifting competition in the late 1980s in Japan.
After 1995, he sometimes appeared as a Formula One
guest commentator in Japanese Fuji TV
. He now owns a new suspension company called DG5.
In 2006, he made a cameo
as a fisherman in the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
in which he was also stunt coordinator and stunt man. Although he only had two lines, it is considered to be an inside joke to the drift racing community.
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
in non-drifting racing events and his role in popularizing drifting as a motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
. He is also known for touge (mountain pass) driving
Touge
is a Japanese word literally meaning "pass." It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas, like the legendary Nordschleife in Germany....
.
The car he drives, a Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, has become one of the most popular sports cars; the car is also known as "Hachi-Roku" in Japan (hachi-roku meaning "eight six"); his car is also called "The Little Hachi that could." A video known as Pluspy documents Tsuchiya's touge driving with his AE86.
Biography
Tsuchiya started his career through the Fuji Freshman series in 1977. Unlike many drivers who came from wealthy families or motorsport backgrounds, he honed his skills from street racingStreet racing
Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and...
and became an underground legend.
Racing career
National championshipsHe would continue to take part in the Japanese Formula Three Championship, Japanese Touring Car Championship
Japanese Touring Car Championship
The Japanese Touring Car Championship , is a former touring car racing series held in Japan...
(JTCC), the latter while driving a Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
(previously in the Cosmo Oil Sierra Cosworth) in the Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
championships and later a Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
in the Supertouring
Supertouring
Super Touring, Class 2 or Class II was a motor racing Touring Cars category defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile for national touring car racing in 1993. It was based on the "2 litre Touring Car Formula" created for the British Touring Car Championship in 1990...
car championships.
Le Mans
He went on to score a class win and an 8th place overall at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans
1995 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 63rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18 1995.-Race:The 1995 race was won by a McLaren F1 GTR entered in the GT1 category. The car was already well known for dominating the BPR Global GT Series with customer teams, but the car that won was...
in a Honda NSX
Honda NSX
The Honda NSX, or Acura NSX, is a sports car that was produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. It is equipped with a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, powered by an all-aluminium V6 gasoline engine featuring Honda's Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control ...
. In 1999 of the same race
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...
, this time in a Toyota GT-One
Toyota GT-One
The Toyota GT-One was a racing car initially developed for grand touring style rules, but later adapted into a Le Mans prototype. It raced in the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.-History:...
, during the last hour while co-driver Ukyo Katayama
Ukyo Katayama
is a Japanese racing driver, most notable for competing six years in Formula One. Despite struggling with under-funded teams throughout his career, Katayama's performances impressed on several occasions, and was popular in the F1 paddock for his unshakeably sunny disposition and self-deprecating...
was building up pace to the leading BMW V12 LMR he was forced into the grass by a backmarker privateer's BMW LMP, blowing the tire out. They survived the ordeal and went onto score the fastest lap but were forced to settle for second.
NASCAR
He has raced in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
-sanctioned exhibition races at Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
(Suzuka Thunder 100) and at Twin Ring Motegi
Twin Ring Motegi
is an automobile racing track located at Motegi, Japan. Its name comes from the facility having two race tracks: a oval and a road course. It was built in 1997 by Honda, as part of Honda's effort to bring the IndyCar Series to Japan, helping to increase their knowledge of American open-wheel...
Superspeedway for the 1998 NASCAR-sanctioned exhibition and 1999 NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series races at the circuit, both named the Coca-Cola 500K.
Drifting career
When Tsuchiya was a freshman in circuit racing, he got his racing license suspended because of the illegal racing he was still doing. In the movie series Shuto Kousoku TrialShuto Kousoku Trial
is the original title of a series of six Japanese films, about illegal highway racing in the Shuto Expressway, released between 1988 and 1996. An English subtitled version of the films series -renamed Freeway Speedway- was released on DVD in North America in 2004 due to commercial success of...
, he advised street racers to leave the illegal racing scene if they want to become involved with professional racing.
After his retirement
After his retirement, he remained in racing and is now an official Drift Muscle(He Quit D1 in Jan 2011) judge and was Team Director for both GT500 (for one year) and GT300 Class of ARTAAutobacs Racing Team Aguri
AUTOBACS Racing Team AGURI is a joint racing project formed between former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki and Autobacs Seven Co. in 1997. The team's original name was "ARTA F1 Project," but due to copyright claims based on the usage of the word "F1," the name has since been shortened to "ARTA." ARTA is...
JGTC Team until the team disbanded their GT300 operation at the end of the 2005 season. He owned the aftermarket suspension company Kei Office until he sold the business in 2005. His trademark color is jade green which appears on his overalls and helmet and is the adopted color of the company he used to own, Kei Office. It was also the color of the D1 Grand Prix
D1 Grand Prix
The , abbreviated as D1GP and subtitled Professional Drift, is a production car drifting series from Japan. After several years of hosting amateur drifting contests, Option magazine & Tokyo Auto Salon founder Daijiro Inada, and drifting legend Keiichi Tsuchiya hosted a professional level drifting...
Kei Office S15 Silvia
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...
of driver and employee Yasuyuki Kazama
Yasuyuki Kazama
is a drifting driver from Japan.Kazama was first introduced to drifting at age 17 when he watched Gengo-San, who later became his spotter and mentor, drifting on a touge....
who also wears a suit similar in pattern.
He also hosts the video magazine "Best Motoring
Best Motoring International
was Japan's preeminent automobile magazine, video, and DVD series. Alongside Best Motoring were Hot Version and Video Special. With the first edition debuting in 1995 and the last in 2011, the videos were marked by non traditional races and challenges such as Touge battles, in which one car tries...
" which features road tests of new Japanese cars including a special section called "Hot Version" which focuses on performance-modified cars. He is a guest presenter in Video Option
Video Option
was introduced in March 1988 by Sunpro as a monthly direct-to-video magazine version of the long running Option magazine.The video has always being presented by Daijiro Inada, who do many of the tuner car road tests, either on a test track, on public road with Daijiro's adventures at Bonneville...
, a monthly video magazine, similar to the Hot Version which also regularly covers the D1GP and its sister video magazine Drift Tengoku
Drift Tengoku
is a monthly automobile magazine dedicated to drifting and was the first of its kind. Published by San-Ei Shobo Publishing in both print and video format, it is the sister publication to Option, Option2 and Video Option...
which deals purely with drifting.
He has been an editorial supervisor on the televised anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Initial D
Initial D
is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by OB Planning, Studio Comet, Studio Gallop, Pastel, and A.C.G.T, and a live action film by Avex and Media Asia...
and Wangan Midnight
Wangan Midnight
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki and serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits since 1990, later in Kodansha's Young Magazine. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....
. He appeared in episode 23 of Initial D First Stage as a special guest. He also appeared in the semi biographical film Shuto Kousoku Trial 2,3,4,5 and was also featured in the Super GT magazine show in Japan. His life in driving is parallel to that of the Initial D main character, Takumi, as both of them started exploring their local touge while doing regular deliveries for their family businesses. In Initial D 1st Stage episode 23, he was alluded to when Takumi's father was having a conversation on the phone with someone referred to as "Mr. Tsuchiya" who addressed Takumi's father as "Bunta," adding that the memories of his drifting still "scared the shit" out of him. In the Initial D 3rd Stage, the color can also be seen on the overalls and helmet of the sportsbike rider who overtook Takumi as he was en route to an initiation battle with Ryosuke Takahashi. The color of Tomo's racing suit from the Initial D 4th Stage is jade green and has a similar pattern to Tsuchiya's suit. Lastly, Keiichi himself is featured in one episode of Initial D right before the battle with Ryosuke Takahashi when he calls Bunta (Takumi's father) to inquire about the young man. Here he is shown wearing a similar race suit design.
He also made an appearance opposite Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
's Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
in a Motorworld in Japan special showing drifting competition in the late 1980s in Japan.
After 1995, he sometimes appeared as a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
guest commentator in Japanese Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
. He now owns a new suspension company called DG5.
In 2006, he made a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as a fisherman in the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
in which he was also stunt coordinator and stunt man. Although he only had two lines, it is considered to be an inside joke to the drift racing community.
AE86 Specs
| Car | (Kouki)TRD Street Tuned Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-V AE86 Toyota AE86 The AE86 generation of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno is a small, lightweight coupe introduced by Toyota in 1983 as part of the fifth generation Toyota Corolla lineup. For the purpose of brevity, the insider-chassis code of "AE86" is used to describe the whole range... |
| Year | 1986 |
| Body Color | Super White II |
| Engine | A TRD Mid-Tuned 20v Blacktop 4AGE, TRD WaterPipe, TRD Header, Outputs 170PS with Freedom ECU w/ Garage Motore(from Touge Showdown 200 Round 2 with AE86 Coupe) setting, OEM Injectors, Engine rebuild and TODA 1800cc Kit(TRD Sakurai Special) |
| Custom Parts | TRD N2 AE86 FRP Spoiler, SSR/Modex Dori Dori Mesh Rims, Zenki Front Lip, TRD Reclining Bucket Seats, Sabelt Harness, GT Wing(added for downforce and grip), TRD Carbon Fiber Hood, Nardi TRD 3 Spoke Steering Wheel, Freedom ECU, ARTA Floor Mats, TRD Short Shifter Kit with Wrap Leather, DG5 Suspension Kit(Kei Office Suspension Kit before DG5), Image C2 Brake pads, TRD 2-way LSD, DLI Ignition, Yokohama Advan Neova Tires(Sometimes Potenza RE Tires)and a Kenwood CD Player |
Quotes
- "I drift not because it is a quicker way around a corner but the most exciting way."
- "Speed isn't everything; you gotta look cool on the touge too."
- "This is fun! I wish that Toyota could make cars like this again!" (on the Toyota AE86)
- "Yeah! How come this car gets me fired up all the time?" After winning a downhill touge against a Skyline R34 with the Toyota AE86
- "カウンターステアが遅いんだな？ (Countersteer is late, huh?)" (from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, dubbed as "You call that drifting?")
- "Men with guts attack those corners!" - it was a reply to Nobuteru TaniguchiNobuteru Taniguchiis a Japanese racing driver and former drifting driver who currently competes in Super GT. Taniguchi is commonly nicknamed "NOB" or "The Pimp" as a reference to his S15 Silvia which he is best known for....
who, driving a more powerful car on the touge, said " I'll get away with turbo power on the straights."
- "The most important thing is balance." (Tsuchiya says this word in every drift action.)
- "There's tension on the track; now you see how hard it is. You may be fastest on the street but, unless you know the track, you're not good enough to sit behind the wheel." (Tsuchiya speaking to Shikiba, subtitled portion, Shuto Kusokou Trials MAX)
- "I'm afraid that if I raced you on the street I'd push you to your death." (Tsuchiya speaks to Takahiro Yamanaka, subtitled portion, Shuto Kusokou Trials 2)
- "What is power without control?"
- "It's so fast it will make a dead man scream" (Tsuchiya describing the performance of the Mines R34 Skyline)
- "This is a CefiroNissan CefiroThe Nissan Cefiro is a intermediate-size automobile range sold in Japan and other countries. The 1989 model was introduced initially as a 4-door sedan, however a wagon was later produced. A large proportion were equipped with automatic transmissions....
!" (Tsuchiya negatively describing the performance of the V35 SkylineNissan SkylineThe first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
)
- "The important thing is to keep trying"
Career results
- 1977 Debut in Fuji Freshman series.
- 1977-1984 Ran selected entries in All Japan Touring Car championship.
- 1984 Fuji Freshman series race (Toyota AE86)= 6 wins
- 1985 All Japan Touring Car championship (Toyota AE86) 1st in Class 3
- 1986 Corolla Sprinter Cup-2 podium places
- 1987 All Japan Touring Car championship (Honda Civic) -1 win
- 1988 Toyota Cup-1st overall
- All Japan Touring Car championship (BMW E30) -3rd in Class 2
- Macau Guia race (BMW M3) -4th overall
- 1989 All Japan F3 championship
- All Japan Touring Car championship (Ford Sierra Cosworth) -1 win
- 1990 All Japan Touring Car championship (Ford Sierra Cosworth)
- Macau Guia race (Ford Sierra Cosworth)
- New Zealand Touring Car series (Toyota)
- 1991 All Japan F3 championship (Ralt-Mugen)-10th overall
- All Japan Touring Car championship (Nissan Skyline GT-R) -5th overall
- 1992 All Japan Touring Car championship (Nissan Skyline GT-R)
- 1993 All Japan Touring Car championship (Taisan Nissan Skyline GT-R) -1 win
- Japan Endurance series (Honda Prelude) -2nd Tsukuba 12 Hours
- 1994 All Japan GT championship (Porsche 911T) -1 win
- All Japan Touring Car championship (Honda Civic)
- Suzuka 1000 km (Porsche 911T) -1st in class, 2nd overall
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Honda NSX) -18th overall
- 1995 All Japan GT championship (Porsche911TRSR)
- All Japan Touring Car championship (Honda Civic)
- Suzuka 1000 km (Honda NSX) -5th overall
- Tokachi 12 Hours (Honda NSX) -1st overall
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Honda NSX) -1st in class
- 1996 All Japan GT championship (Honda NSX) -13th overall
- Entered NASCAR Thunder Special race at Suzuka
- Le mans 24 Hours (Honda NSX) -3rd in class
- 1997 All Japan GT championship (Porsche 911/Dodge Viper)
- Fuji InterTec race (Toyota Chaser)
- Suzuka 1000 km (Lark McLaren F1 GTR) -9th overall
- Entered NASCAR Thunder Special race at Suzuka
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Lark McLaren F1 GTR) -qualified 10th, retired from race
- 1998 All Japan Touring Car championship (Toyota Chaser) -7th overall
- All Japan GT championship (Toyota Supra) -8th overall
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Toyota GT-One) -9th overall
- NASCAR at the California Speedway.
- 1999 Japan Touring Car Championship (Advan Altezza Touring car).
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Toyota GT-One) -2nd overall
- 2000 Le Mans 24 Hours (Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S) -8th overall
- 2000-2003 he joined team ARTA racing an NSX once again in the All Japan GT championship.
External links
Official site- IMDb profile
- AsianAthlete.com profile Bridgestone Automobile Radio
- Best Motoring International
- Drift Japan » Keiichi 'Drift King' Tsuchiya - Driver Profile and Overview