Keiichi Tsuchiya

Philosophy

“Drifting is an art that requires a deep connection between driver and machine. True drift must be smooth, controlled and precise, never aggressive. This 'smooth drift' philosophy is exactly what we see in Takumi Fujiwara in Initial D.”

• Initial D technical consultant for 19 years (1995-2014)
• Named 'Drift King' by Car Boy magazine - the title that defined an era
• 6 consecutive Fuji Race series championships with his AE86 (1980s)
• JTCC Class 3 winner (1985) driving a Toyota Corolla Levin
• Formula Mirage winner (1990) in the category's debut year
• GT2 class win at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans (8th overall) - the first 100% Japanese team, with Kunimitsu Takahashi and Akira Iida in a Honda NSX
• LMGTP class win at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans - a dramatic 2nd overall with the Toyota GT-One after a puncture in the closing laps
• 9th overall at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Toyota GT-One
• 7 Le Mans appearances (1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003)
• All Japan GT Championship runner-up (2001)
• 2nd place at the Suzuka 1000km (1994)
• Teammate to Kunimitsu Takahashi at Team Taisan (1992-1993) and Team Kunimitsu (1994 onwards)
• Co-founder and judge of the D1 Grand Prix (2000) - he legitimized drifting as a professional sport
• Creator of the 'Pluspy' video (1987) - an underground drift phenomenon
• A track record in his final race (0:51.875) before retiring in 2004
• ARTA JGTC team director (2005) for the GT500 and GT300 classes
• Formula 1 commentator on Fuji TV (1995-present, occasional guest)
• Cameo in Initial D First Stage episode 23
• Cameo and stunt coordinator on Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
• He recorded the AE86 engine sounds for the Initial D series
• He popularized modern drifting worldwide - turning it from an illegal technique into a cultural phenomenon
• He popularized the AE86 as the iconic drift car

Official technical consultant on Initial D for 19 years (1995-2014), guaranteeing absolute realism in the physics, engine sounds and driving manoeuvres. He personally recorded the AE86 engine sounds for the series. He has a cameo in Initial D First Stage episode 23, where he calls Bunta Fujiwara wearing his trademark jade green racing suit. He also appeared in Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) as a fisherman who ironically asks 'You call that drifting?', on top of working as the stunt coordinator.

1. 01 He owns 2 AE86s (a Levin and a Trueno) with over 500,000 km each that he swears he will never sell
2. 02 As a teenager he watched Kunimitsu Takahashi race and was inspired to become a driver
3. 03 Years later he raced alongside his hero Takahashi at Team Taisan (1992-1993)
4. 04 Together they won the GT2 class at Le Mans 1995 with the Honda NSX - the first 100% Japanese team
5. 05 Cameo in Initial D episode 23: he calls Bunta wearing his jade green suit (his signature color)
6. 06 Cameo in Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift: the fisherman who says 'You call that drifting?'
7. 07 Initial D technical consultant for 19 years (1995-2014) - he ensured maximum realism
8. 08 He personally recorded the AE86 engine sounds for Initial D
9. 09 The 'Pluspy' video (1987) documented illegal touge racing and made him famous
10. 10 His signature color is jade green (seen in his Initial D cameo)
11. 11 He learned to perfect his drifting on Usui Pass during the 1970s
12. 12 The Pluspy video earned him a temporary suspension but catapulted him to fame

• Keiichi Tsuchiya - Wikipedia
• Le Mans Challenging History - Toyota Gazoo Racing