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Scion FR-S With Nissan GT-R Engine Rips at Formula Drift Round 5, Driver Qualifies P1

If you've ever had any interest in drifting, you've probably seen at least one video of a Japanese driver going sideways at ludicrous speeds. After all, most of the pro drifters today grew up watching pros like Katsuhiro Ueo, Yasuyuki Kazama, Manabu Orido, or Nobushige Kumakubo. Before becoming popular at a global level, drifting evolved for over a decade in Japan first.
Scion FR-S With Nissan GT-R Engine Rips at Formula Drift Round 5, Driver Qualifies P1 23 photos
Photo: Larry Chen/ Formula Drift
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So far, Formula Drift has crowned two different Japanese champions: Daijiro Yoshihara (2011) and Daigo Saito (2012). Neither of them is still active in the North American series these days, but there is someone else representing the country that gave us Godzilla and drifting, to name a few things.

29-year-old Kazuya Taguchi has been drifting for almost 15 years now, and he made his Formula Drift debut back in 2018. Back then, he was driving a 2014 Nissan GT-R with a stroked VR41 engine.

It was a rather difficult first season for him, as he had to get used to the new judging format, new car, and new tracks. He finished 24th overall out of a total of 33 registered drivers in the Pro Series. In 2019 he switched to a Nissan S15 and managed to climb up the ladder finishing the season in 15th out of 35 competitors.

Things started moving for the Japanese pro in 2021. He secured enough points to get P9 at the end of the season, outranking FD veterans like Michael Essa, Jeff Jones, and even Daijiro Yoshihara.

Scion FR\-S With Nissan GT\-R Engine Rips at Formula Drift Round 5, Driver Qualifies P1
Photo: Justin Pawlak
Right now, Taguchi has moved back to a VR41 engine, but this time it's installed in a lighter Scion FR-S. 2022 hasn't been easy for him so far, as he's currently in 23rd on the leaderboard, not that far behind Ken Gushi or Wataru Masuyama, for instance.

But all is not lost yet, as he just secured his maiden Formula Drift qualifying pole position yesterday in Saint Louis. Scoring 91 points with a solid run also brought him an extra three points in the race for the championship.

Judges gave the drivers clear instructions on what they wanted to see for the KQF (Knockout Qualifying). First, you need to have a fast and accurate initiation. Then, the way you negotiate OZ1 (Outside Zone 1) will determine if you can line up properly for OZ 2.

The big transition between OZ3 and OZ4 would prove to be a crucial factor as well, and you'll need an impressive degree of angle through OZ4 to wrap it all up. Once you'll watch a few qualifying runs from yesterday's session, you'll get the gist of it.

Scion FR\-S With Nissan GT\-R Engine Rips at Formula Drift Round 5, Driver Qualifies P1
Photo: Larry Chen/Formula Drift
It felt equally as surprising to see Justin Pawlak back on top of the game, as his run was almost as good as Taguchi's. Claiming P2 in the KQF session will add an extra two points to his name at the end of the event. Dylan Hughes is once again back in third place, for the second time in a row.

This brings him one small step closer to the dream of securing his first-ever Championship title if he can get past the five superstar drivers that have more points than him this season.

Falken Tires representatives were more than happy to see three of their cars qualifying so high up in Saint Louis. Matt Field drove his C6 Corvette to fourth place after scoring 85 points, with Travis Reeder not that far behind in fifth. Ken Gushi and Michael Essa both put on a strong performance, and they even outranked the likes of Fredric Aasbo, who is down in P11.

What's more shocking is that Chelsea Denofa qualified 22nd, with Chris Forsberg right behind him in 23rd. But some fans have pointed out that this may be a strategic move to allow for quicker access to the Top16 battles.

Scion FR\-S With Nissan GT\-R Engine Rips at Formula Drift Round 5, Driver Qualifies P1
Photo: Larry Chen/Formula Drift
After the KQF, only three drivers were denied a chance to fight for the podium today, as the 32 slots had already been filled up. Those drivers are Alec Robbins and Trenton Beechum from the USA and Jhonattan Castro from the Dominican Republic. Looking at the brackets for today's race, you'll notice quite a few interesting match-ups.

Most notably, Chelsea Denofa will be facing Fredric Aasbo, and that sounds worthy of a final battle! If the RTR Mustang driver manages to stop the Norwegian Hammer early on in the game, he has a good chance of catching up to him on the leaderboard.

It always feels exciting to make some pre-race predictions, so if you'll indulge us in it, here goes nothing. In the upper left bracket, Kazuya Taguchi has a good shot at making it to the Top4, where he'll most likely encounter Michael Essa.

Going up against a former FD champion can't be easy, but then again, Taguchi is younger and probably more hungry for victory. On the lower left bracket, it's hard to tell if Travis Reeder can get past the Aurimas Backchis. But whoever manages to win that battle will probably go up against Matt Field for a spot in the final battle.

Scion FR\-S With Nissan GT\-R Engine Rips at Formula Drift Round 5, Driver Qualifies P1
Photo: Larry Chen/Formula Drift
Looking at the upper right bracket, Justin Pawlak is experienced enough to fight his way through Dean Kearney, but Masuyama might put a stop to his race weekend. At the same time, Ken Gushi might end up fighting Chris Forsberg in the Top8. But chances are that the Triple FD Champion won't be phased by his younger opponent.

Both Dylan Hughes and Ryan Tuerck have a word to say in the outcome of the lower right bracket, but they'll still have a difficult time going up against the winner of the Denofa-Aasbo tandem. The Pro battles start at 4:25 PM CDT today up until 11 PM CDT, with a short break in between the Top32 and Top16 heats.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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