Drift fanatics from across the globe marked December 17th on their calendars as anticipation and hype boiled to the limit for the second annual D1GP USA vs. Japan All Star Exhibition. With Irwindale Speedway once again playing host to both competitors from overseas and on the mainland, a star studded cast of the world's best drift competitors gathered for three days of vehicle shakedown and course recognition, finally leading up the big event. For more than 70 D1 hopefuls, a driver search was conducted on Thursday to determine who held the golden ticket and would proceed to join the ranks of drivers such as Imamura Youichi of A'PEXi and Kazama Yoshiyuki of Kei Office, to name a few. When all was said and done, only six drivers made the cut. Of those few, professional drag racer and now drift competitor, Steph Papadakis, and newcomer to competitive drifting, Rod Millen, in his Grenade Motorsports RX-8, made it in. Don't be fooled by this rookie. Millen is an accomplished driver who holds numerous track records including the hill climb at Pikes Peak. A sigh of relief was cut short for the selected six as they were to return the following day to join both Japanese and American D1 drivers already licensed to qualify for the main event taking place on Saturday.
Once again, the American drivers fell underdog to the more skilled and experienced Japanese D1 competitors. All hopes seemed to be lost as number 1 US contender Rhys Millen slammed his Pontiac into the barricades, totaling his car in the process and ruining any chance of moving to the next round. Word of the crash resonated throughout the paddock area as some were quick to point out the new course layout, now flowing in the clockwise direction, which caught many of the drivers off guard-complements of Keiichi "Drift King" Tsuchiya. As the day progressed, leaving many of the drivers packing for home, US drivers seemed to be loosing an uphill battle vs. their Japanese adversaries. Out of the qualifiers for the top 16, only Daijiro Yoshihara, Alex Pfeiffer, Sam Hubinette, Rod Millen and Vaughn Gittin were left to wage war.
Tsuisou battle (tandem drifting) for the top 16 brought the crowds to their feet as Sam Hubinette and his Dodge Viper battled Masao Suenaga in the aqua blue GReddy FD3S. An uncharacteristic spin by Hubinette in the last corner gave the automatic win to Suenaga. Rod Millen was putting on a show during his rookie debut but was no match for his competitor Tetsuya Sakuma and his silver S15 as horsepower and drift angle was far more aggressive in the Nissan than the Renesis-powered Mazda, leaving Millen to trailer his car home early.
A hard fought battle among competitors lead to the final top eight as only one American was left standing. JR Vaughn Gittin, in his Falken-sponsored Mustang faced his worst nightmare, Youichi Imamura of A'PEXi. With nothing to loose, Gittin charged hard though the course with plenty of smoke and kakudo (angle) as the crowd roared to their feet. Imamura also displayed a flawless run and the first run is a draw. "One more time" is called with Imamura leading this time. Unfortunately, he took the FD too far and spun out, leaving Gittin to take the win. Final four matched up Yoshioka in the white and pink AE86 vs. Sakuma, who has been on a tear all day long. Always a crowd favorite, the underdog AE86 was quoted to be "faster than any American driver" over the entire day, a slap in the face for many. Even with speed on the AE86's side, it was no match for Sakuma and the Silver S15 as he devoured the underpowered Corolla. With blood pumping and on an adrenaline high, Gittin went to work on Masato Kawabata and the blue GReddy S15. The run seemed a draw when the S15 suddenly spun out, giving Gittin the 10-0 advantage. A second run drew no errors as, to the crowd's excitement, the Mustang made its way to the finals.
Hype, emotion, and excitement was all rolled into one as a true US vs. Japan final was about to take place-Gittin vs. Sakuma. With the S15 taking the lead, it was obvious with the large gap that Gittin had his hands full keeping up with the Silver S15. Not to be outdone, the Mustang displayed some of its signature moves and kept the score close with a 6-4 advantage going to Sakuma. The next round, Sakuma fell behind and sacrificed his drift angle to keep things close. It was obvious that we needed a classic "one more time." Sakuma lead once again, but Gittin was close on his heels, almost overtaking Sakuma while the points were in his favor at 7-3. The final run seemed too close to call, but the judges were clearly in control of who was the winner. Both drivers pulled up towards the judges table and Gittin was claimed the winner. In true fashion, an American finally takes the win to the crowd's enjoyment.