Andrew Date Drifts RX-7s in Japan, and He's Loving It

I consume a lot of YouTube content. I started playlists in 2007 with clips you'd have trouble finding today. I've seen content creators come and go, trends sweep the Internet, and I've been part of the story in my own way. The most successful video I've ever shot has almost 800,000 views. And I hope one day, something I'll work on passes that magic one million threshold. I still remember when Misha Charoudin was just Boosted Boris, and I still know his previous work.

Forget about Tokyo Drift: Meet Andrew Date

And I remember when guys like Nobuteru Taniguchi, Tetsuya Hibino, and Manabu Orido were some of the rising stars of Japanese drifting. I also enjoy observing how the YouTube algorithm has evolved over the years, delivering more relevant content to users as it learns their viewing habits. I've been following RX-7-related stuff since Mad Mike put on a show in the middle of Auckland circa 14 years ago. I've been watching more FC-related views in recent years, given I have one at home.

I saw a video of someone drafting a Turbo II on the Ebisu Touge course in Japan. It was mesmerizing to watch, and it arrived at a point when I doubted whether my car could really be effective at going sideways. The guy behind the wheel was Andrew Date, and I instantly started digging through his content for more RX-7 videos. Upon seeing what he's doing with an FD in Japan, I felt inspired but sad that I had decided against moving to Japan in 2019. After almost two years of watching his adventures at Mobara, Nikko, and Ebisu, I contacted the 31-year-old Australian for an interview.

And within days, we were on the phone, talking about the wonderful world of drifting and rotary-powered cars. Before getting to the "juicy" part of the story, I wanted to know more about his background. "My dad was a motorsports mechanic, building everything from production-style race cars to tube chassis, circuit cars, etc. That's how I first discovered rotaries. I sometimes had the chance to warm up the engines while the vehicles were in the pits. I was crying from the fumes but thrilled to do it!"

As you'd expect, Andrew always had the latest Gran Turismo or Forza game at home, and it wasn't long before he discovered Sim Drifting through Live for Speed and rFactor. But he had already seen the sport live several years before: "I was at the local track on a Friday night, I was probably around 12, and at the time drifting looked pretty bad- everyone was bad at it, it looked unprofessional but fun."

I started with a Hachiroku

"For my 14th birthday, my dad gave me an Option Video DVD showing D1 drivers in the USA. What got my attention was seeing one guy driving a 180-hp Corolla competing against a 600-hp JZX. From that point on, I was hooked!" It didn't take long for Andrew to get his driver's license, and you'd be right to guess he bought a Hachiroku.

"At the time, beginners couldn't drive anything with a supercharger, turbocharger, or a V8. The AE86 was lightweight, had a naturally-aspirated engine, was fun, and only cost me roughly $3,500." Andrew has been drifting for 14 years and has become quite good at it. He went through several AE86s, including one with a 20V Blacktop engine. He also experienced two S-chassis vehicles (an S13 and an S14) and an R32 GTS-T.

But rotaries were still in his mind, which got him behind the wheel of a second-generation RX-7 (FC3S). If you're even remotely familiar with the drifting world, you'll know Japan is the Holy Land for us. So, I figured the answer to my next question would be pretty simple. "Why did you move to Japan?" "In Australia, going to the circuit is very difficult and expensive. You're looking at insurance problems, complaints from neighbors, and so on. Here in Japan, I've got four of five circuits within a two-hour drive radius of my home."

"If you can afford it, you can go there every day. It might sound funny, but I love drifting more than anything. I've already driven at Mobara, Nikko, Tsukuba, Ebisu, Bihoku, and, of course, the Gunsai Touge! The rush of driving there feels like your first time in a drift car; it's quite challenging!" Before talking about his FD, I asked for some tips and tricks on how to build my FC for drifting. And he was more than happy to share some of the secrets he has discovered through trial and error.

The FD has been one of my dream cars

"The FC had an HKS T04e turbo; it was quite small, and I never ran too much boost in that car: 0.6 bars max. The engine is 10 years old; it has the standard gearbox, some modified knuckles, and old coilovers, and that's about it." Seeing how the car handles Ebisu Touge with such a basic setup gives me a lot of hope, and if you have an FC at home, it may inspire you, too! His next step was bolder, as if Andrew wasn't already living the dream. It also proves that you should follow your dreams, regardless of how impossible they may seem.

So when I asked why he switched to an FD, this is what he had to say. "I just think they're so cool. When I first got into cars, I had no money, so I just drove what I could afford. One day, I spotted a cheap FD for sale and put everything I had into buying it. It has always been one of my dream cars. And I'm glad I bought them because they're getting increasingly expensive daily."

"Finding the right parts for it is harder compared to what the Silvia guys have to go through. I went through multiple parts and suppliers to find the right parts. The Wisefab kit felt amazing, but I felt like I should try something else. I tried Parts Shop Max and another Japanese company and ultimately opted for Just Engineering from Canada. Their front setup ticks all the boxes for me; there's plenty of lock (65 degrees), and it's still working fine after two years of abuse."

Andrew built the 13B engine, using mostly Mazda parts inside (including the apex seals), with no extra dowels, balancing, or machining. The half-Bridgeport setup uses upgraded Injector Dynamics injectors and a host of other upgrades. With a Pulsar G40-900 turbo, the RX-7 makes around 430 horsepower on around 14 psi (1 bar).

Challenging the Japanese at their own game

With that kind of power and this driving style, you can be sure that the FD now has a CD009 gearbox with an upgraded clutch that ensures the drivetrain's reliability. I asked Andrew about some of the events he has competed in and his long-term goal with drifting next. "I still remember my first event ever in Australia. I was driving a street-registered S13 and qualified 11th out of 40 drivers."

"I won against a 2JZ-powered S15 in the Top32 battles and had less than 300 hp. He wasn't very happy about it, but I was! But my drifting highlight has to be winning 7s Day at Mobara last year. I'm just one person and do all the work, so racing against some well-known Japanese drivers with sequential gearboxes, semi-slick tires, and plenty of experience was amazing. My fiance (who also drifts) was in Australia at the time, so I attended the event alone. It wasn't easy."

"I also fondly remember drifting with Tomoya Suzuki at Gunsai and Mobara; he's a cool guy and very knowledgeable about FCs! As for my plans for the future, my big goal is to become a D1 Lights driver. I know I can do it, as I've qualified 3rd at a Divisional event. I just need to put everything together in one round to get the license." It hasn't been all fun and games for Andrew since he moved to Japan. And he has had to go through some difficult times, blowing six or seven engines due to a minor fault that no one could identify.

It wasted two years of his life and a lot of money, but he finally realized the ignition timing constantly led to disaster. When talking about the rotary reliability and people talking trash about Mazda's engineering, his answer was clear: "It's poor attention to detail more than anything else. It's a fantastic motorsport engine; it loves RPMs, is small, sounds great, and is fun to drive. It won't keep going for half a million miles, but for motorsports use, I think they're perfect."

Andrew just bought an RX-8 to see what the hype is all about, and we might just see him taking it out for a spin at Tsukuba Circuit soon. As he's trying to build his own Parts Export business, we will likely see more interesting content on his channel soon. But I didn't want to end our interview before asking him for advice to help any upcoming drifters.

"Quit. No, I'm joking. People ask me: is the FD a good car? Would you recommend it? Is it going to be competitive? I bought it because I like it. That's very important. You can buy any car, but it will still cost money and break, so you may as well use something you love. Be realistic about what you will use the car for: do you need 1,000 hp or just want to have fun with friends? Those things can greatly affect how the car turns out."

If you, please excuse me, I must find a way to hop on a plane back to Japan and dive deeper into the drifting world: something I, Andrew, and probably thousands of other people love with a passion.