Who is the Drift King?

Timing board · updated every 2 weeks

This fortnight in drift

Results, title fights and what's next across Formula Drift, Drift Masters, D1 Grand Prix and the scene in India.

Where the name comes from

The original
Drift King

Nickname: Dorikin
Signature car: Toyota AE86
Made famous by: Best Motoring videos
Helped launch: D1 Grand Prix

Keiichi Tsuchiya is the Japanese racing driver the world first called the Drift King, or Dorikin (ドリキン) in Japanese. He learned to slide cars on the mountain passes of Nagano and brought that style into professional racing, where using drift on purpose was almost unheard of.

His little Toyota AE86 became a legend. Through the Best Motoring video magazine he showed millions how drifting worked, and he advised on the anime Initial D, which carried drift culture around the world.

He then helped turn street sliding into a real sport as a founder and judge of the D1 Grand Prix, Japan's top drift series. Every pro series today, from Formula Drift to Drift Masters, grows from that idea.

driftking.me is an independent fan site. It is not affiliated with Keiichi Tsuchiya, any racing series or any film studio.

How it works

Drifting 101

Drifting means steering a rear-wheel-drive car sideways through a corner on purpose, with the rear tyres sliding while the driver stays in control. Judges score how it looks, not who is fastest.

Starter move

Power over

Turn in, then add throttle until the rear tyres lose grip. Works best in powerful cars on slow corners.

Starter move

Handbrake entry

A quick pull of the handbrake locks the rear wheels and starts the slide. The most common way to learn.

Intermediate

Clutch kick

Dip the clutch with the engine revving, then snap it back. The jolt breaks rear traction in one move.

Advanced

Feint entry

Flick the car away from the corner, then back into it. The weight swing throws the rear out. Also called the Scandinavian flick.

Advanced

Braking drift

Trail the brakes into the corner so weight shifts forward and the light rear slides. Tsuchiya's mountain-road style.

Competition

Twin battles

Two cars run together, leading and chasing, then swap. The chaser tries to stay as close as possible.

TANSOSolo qualifying run (Japan) TSUISOTwin-car chase battle LINEFollowing the judges' set path ANGLEHow sideways the car is STYLESmoke, speed and commitment

Tsuiso · twin battle

How a battle is judged

Two cars, two runs. The lead car shows the judges' line. The chase car copies it as close as it dares. Then they swap places and go again.

Lead carSets the line. It must touch every clipping point and zone at full angle.
Chase carCopies the lead's line and angle while staying as close as possible, ideally door to door.
Clipping pointA marker on the inside of a corner. Get the bumper as close to it as you can.
Outer zoneAn area on the outside of a corner. Swing the rear of the car right to its edge.
Tyre marksThe evidence. You can read every line from the rubber left behind.