Sympathizing with the aspirations of FDJ, he moved from drifting driver to management

The FDJ has continued its efforts to establish drifting as a motorsport sport, and many drifters have supported its activities. One such person is Yoichi Imamura, who is currently a member of the FDJ’s Disciplinary Committee, which sets the courses, conducts judging, and manages the events. Mr Imamura said.

“I have been involved in FDJ myself for about five years now, and until now I had the impression that drifting competitions were more of an event business. However, this has meant that only the drivers who have been popular for a long time have attracted attention and the next generation of drivers have not been nurtured, and it has also made it difficult to attract sponsors. I really sympathize with Mr Iwata’s idea that for drifting to remain in Japan, it needs to be a solid competition to continue. Indeed, I was once a champion, but to pass it on to the next generation, I am not just running the race, I am managing it and trying to make FDJ even better.”

Gymkhana announcer to take over play-by-play duties this season

A new member of the FDJ this year is announcer Eiichi Akutsu, known as ‘Akutsu-ana’, who is in charge of the on-the-spot play-by-play. With his wealth of experience in gymkhana, we asked Akutsu how he sees the FDJ and what kind of live commentary he hopes to provide to liven up the event.

“Last year, when I saw the FDJ, I was struck by the fact that drifting is now a proper motorsport event! I was shocked. I would like to make use of the experience I have gained in gymkhana competitions to make it more of a competition. But just being serious is not enough to get the audience excited, so I want to be the biggest FDJ fan and say, “The racers are doing such amazing things!　FDJ is so much fun!” And I hope I can tell people about that as well.”

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In the 2024 season, FDJ plans to introduce a new “Drift Ride”, more advanced live-streaming, and Japan’s judging criteria.

In addition, Kalle Rovanperä, who has made an impact on Japanese drifting fans in the 2023 season, has been confirmed as a spot entrant, and other famous drivers from other categories are currently being lined up to compete. The FDJ’s breakthrough as a motorsport competition will be something to keep an eye on in 2024.

■FORMULA DRIFT JAPAN official website:
https://formulad.jp

translated by DeepL