The D1 Grand Prix , abbreviated as D1GP and subtitled Professional Drift, is a production car drifting series from Japan. After several years of hosting amateur drifting contests, Daijiro Inada, founder of Option magazine and Tokyo Auto Salon, and drifting legend, Keiichi Tsuchiya hosted a professional level drifting contest in 1999 and 2000 to feed on the ever increasing skills of drifting drivers who were dominating drifting contests in various parts of Japan. In October 2000, they reformed the contest as a five-round series. In the following year for the following round, the introduction of the two car tsuiou battle, run in a single-elimination tournament format, a common tradition for tōge races which became popular with car enthusiasts.
Yoshinori Koguchi drifting the Koguchi Power 180SX at D1GP Fuji Speedway 2007
A Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 adorning an official D1GP sunvisor during a practice run
Masato Kawabata's, Nissan Silvia S15
Ryuji Miki's, Nissan Silvia S15
Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner or a turn. The technique causes the rear slip angle to exceed the front slip angle to such an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn. Drifting is traditionally performed using three methods: clutch kicking, weight transfer, and employing a handbrake turn. This sense of drift is not to be confused with the four wheel drift, a classic cornering technique established in Grand Prix and sports car racing.
Steve Moore drifting his Nissan Silvia (S14) around Lydden Hill at King of Europe Round 3 (2014)
Team Drift Competition in Melbourne
A Nissan Silvia S15 and a BMW E36 tandem drifting
Nissan Silvia S15 drift car built to compete in Formula Drift Japan