Formula DRIFT: Behind The Scenes

For the last installment of our season-long journey documenting the behind-the-scenes aspect of what makes a professional drift team work, I knew there was one driver we needed to cover and would provide a fitting end: Daijiro Yoshihara, one of the most recognizable drivers in the FD field.

The fact that Dai is charismatic and friendly toward everyone he meets (including the colossal line of fans that seems to follow Dai everywhere he goes), combined with his fantastic car control and use of one of the most iconic drifting vehicles in the pro drifting circuit, make Dai a crowd favorite and a force to be reckoned with.

Coming into the final round of competition, Dai was leading the points standings, but not by much. The way that FD is scored is fairly straightforward: points are awarded to each driver based on qualifying position and final event standings. Because Dai took first place at Road Atlanta and Evergreen Speedway (he also had podium finishes at Long Beach and Wall Speedway), Dai not only needed to do well in the final round but he needed other drivers (namely Justin Pawlak, Chris Forsberg and Darren McNamara) to not do well in order to win the season championship.

Dai Yoshihara is a familiar face to anyone who has been following the Formula DRIFT series. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Dai first discovered his love for motorsports at a young age. He started off as many young racers do, by carving the mountain roads near his home, except Dai began with a motorcycle instead of a car. Soon thereafter, though, Dai purchased a ’85 Toyota Corolla and his passion for racing grew quickly. After holding a series of what some would call “normal jobs,” Dai was given the opportunity to travel stateside and compete in the inaugural D1 Grand Prix USA in 2003, and even though Dai was admittedly not an experienced competitive drifter, he managed to finish in the top half of the field. And as they say, the rest is history — Dai has been hooked on drifting ever since and has been involved with Formula DRIFT for the past eight years. Dai has come close to the championship many times, but has always been chasing the ever-illusive season win.
Dai Yoshihara is a familiar face to anyone who has been following the Formula DRIFT series
There is more to a competitive racing team than just the driver — a lot more. Dai’s Falken Tire/Discount Tire team consists of a few tightly knit guys who’ve been working hard since 2009 to help make the team effort as competitive as possible. Mike Kojima, team engineer, owner of the fantastic motoIQ.com online site and a general all-around bad ass, came into drifting in 2009. With a background in road racing and OEM suspension design and manufacturing, Mike has a knack for being able to diagnose how Dai’s car is reacting to any given track conditions from the spotter’s stand and quickly pass on instructions for how to change the setup to the guys in the pits. Mike says that being able to see things from the spotter’s stand is advantageous because the physical positioning is right next to the judge’s stand; the view spectators get of the track and what you can see from the pits isn’t always the same as what the judges see. Some of what Mike looks for while spotting is how Dai’s car is behaving on track, how h
There is more to a competitive racing team than just the driver — a lot more. Dai’s Falken
Here, Mike has a chat with Chris Marion (left). Chris’ daily grind is with KW Suspensions, and he does much of the suspension tuning for the team, handling between-run suspension tuning changes and maintenance of suspension parts, as well as general chassis setup work. Most of the parts on the S13 are off the shelf, meaning anyone can buy them for their own car. KW 3-way Competition coilovers are the foundation of Dai’s suspension setup. These adjustable race shocks are equipped with a custom spring rate for Dai’s application and can be adjusted in three different parameters: low-speed compression, high-speed compression and rebound. Chris tells me that having such a wide range of adjustability helps the team dial in grip levels, while ensuring that the vehicle is compliant over bumps and smooth during transitions. Having a core understanding of what these adjustment parameters actually do on a physical level is one thing, but don’t expect to master a solid setup quickly or easily. Chris is skilled in the sub
Here, Mike has a chat with Chris Marion (left). Chris’ daily grind is with KW Suspensions,

Because the point standings were so close going in, it was really anyone’s game. After qualifying sixth, Dai and his team felt confident going into the top 32. After facing Jeff Abbott and moving on without issue, everyone in the stands and pits had a bit of an “oh shit moment” as Dai lost it against Ken Gushi in the top 16. With Dai out of contention for the Irwindale event win, the battle for the championship was now even tighter than before. As the great eight came up to bat, Justin Pawlak went hard into the back wall, taking himself out of contention for the season win. But Dai wasn’t able to breathe easily just yet — Darren McNamara and Chris Forsberg were still statistically able to take the championship away if they managed to win their respective final four battles. By now, everyone was on edge, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife! Forsberg fell at the hands of Rhys Millen, while Tyler McQuarrie beat DMac, ending his chances for a championship. Even though it wasn’t a podium victory at Irwindale, Dai Yoshihara couldn’t complain, he was just crowned 2011 Formula D champion! After eight long years of trying, Dai finally has his championship, a win made that much sweeter by the additional Tires.com Triple Crown victory. To say Dai was ecstatic would be a gross understatement — after all, he finally made it all happen, but not without the help of his fantastic crew along the way. We can’t wait to see how the guys fare next season — can you say “repeat”?

The team spends a lot of time in the pits discussing how the event is unfolding with the specific setup they have dialed in. Scott Dodgeion (center) is Dai’s crew chief, and he plays an important role as the main fabricator and boss man of the program. Scott is the owner of SPD Metalworks, the shop that maintains and built Dai’s car, and since he built the S13 from scratch, Scott knows the car inside and out like the back of his hand. Scott also mans the portable welding setup should the need arise for on-the-fly repairs during a race weekend. Scott is the backbone of the team and has the final say over what’s done to the car; Mike tells me that Scott rarely questions what the rest of the crew says or does, but when he does, everyone listens. Shay Alexander (not pictured) is another important crewmember; he’s in charge of many of the routine between-run maintenance items (like tire changes, refueling, keeping the car clean and replacing body and suspension components as they are damaged on track), as well as
The team spends a lot of time in the pits discussing how the event is unfolding with the s

Formula Drift Behind The Scenes Traqmate Gps

For data acquisition purposes, the team members don’t only rely on their trusted intuitions — Traqmate GPS data acquisition helps the guys out by providing parameters like lateral g-forces and speed. Mike and Chris can analyze the data trackside and decide what changes should be made to accommodate the current conditions, as well as the track layout itself. According to Mike, the setup will vary a lot between a banked track (like Irwindale or Seattle) and a flat track (like Long Beach or Las Vegas). Some of the aspects that play a big role in how the car performs include track surface temperature, wind speed/direction, tire pressure and air temperature/humidity, among others. Throughout the weekend, tire rubber builds up on the racing line, and that will affect how much traction the car has in any given corner, and on top of all that, the weather changes throughout each individual day can also play a huge role in how the car reacts. But more than anything else, the team relies on Dai’s input on how the car is

For data acquisition purposes, the team members don’t only rely on their trusted intuition

In the midst of all the excitement, Before Dai was swept off to the podium, he was able to tell me that he’s incredibly pleased with the results, and that he can’t say “thank you” enough to all his sponsors, team members and, of course, his fans. He also wishes the Irwindale event had gone better for him, but I could tell by the grin on his face that he wasn’t complaining.

It’s hard to believe the time has flown by so quickly since the 2011 Formula DRIFT season opener in Long Beach, CA. Looking back on everything that happened this season, I’m reminded of unfortunate wrecks, epic comebacks, surprise rainstorms, hot summer nights and good times all around. As each event came and went, it became more clear how tight-knit the FD community really is. The amount of hard work that goes into making FD happen is really something you have to admire; the drivers, crew chiefs, mechanics, sponsors, family members and, of course, the fans all put in a lot of time and money to participate in Formula D. It’s really nothing short of astonishing how much dedication is involved from everyone.

Yup, you guessed it: V-8 power. Love it or hate it, the V-8 is here to stay in the professional drifting circuit. Dai’s car runs on a Chevrolet LS7 with LSX heads and intake manifold and makes around 560 hp. That might sound like a lot, but when compared to some of the Mustangs and Camaros that push well over 800 and 900 horses, it’s easy to forget that Dai is up against some serious muscle. Thankfully, he has the weight advantage on his side.
Yup, you guessed it: V-8 power. Love it or hate it, the V-8 is here to stay in the profess
The Falken Tire/Discount Tire ’93 Nissan 240SX coupe (which sports a custom vented fiberglass hood and a TRA KYOTO Four Six (6666) Customs GT Rodeo widebody kit, often erroneously referred to as the “Rocket Bunny” kit) is one of the oldest cars that’s able to consistently hang with the bigger-budget builds on the circuit. A big part of that is due to the lightweight and properly balanced setup that the team has achieved through countless hours of research and development. Dai is also a fantastic driver, by no means do I want to downplay that aspect, but the car itself is a truly fantastic piece of engineering that needs to be seen up close to be appropriately admired.
The Falken Tire/Discount Tire ’93 Nissan 240SX coupe (which sports a custom vented fibergl

Wheels and tires are an important part of any proper drifting setup. Dai has his own custom wheel line, aptly named Dai Yoshihara Design. These two-piece forged wheels will be available for purchase very soon, in varying sizes and styles not only reserved for drift cars. The tried-and-true Falken Azenis RT615K tires are all that Dai drifts, for several reasons. The RT615K provides a huge amount of grip, over 1-g under acceleration, and 1.4-g of lateral force while the car is drifting. Mike and Dai also say that these tires do not deteriorate as quickly as some other tires do under the heavy strain of what is essentially boils down to burning rubber all weekend.
Wheels and tires are an important part of any proper drifting setup. Dai has his own custo