Another pre-license, completely illegal our-company-whatsoever-does-not-endorse event?
[Laughs] Yes sir! Everything illegal I did was pre-license. Lesson learned: Never borrow a car and go drifting without a license.
Now would be an appropriate time to say, Don't try this at home, kids!"
[Laughs] Now, as a pro however, I do not participate in any illegal activities. I do admit, however, I fight the urge.
So you never got busted and went to jail or anything?
I got handcuffed when I was trying to teach a friend how to do donuts in a private parking lot when I was 15. But no, never went to jail.
Hilarious. Back to the Takumi references, the first car you drifted is the Corolla?
Yes, an '85 Toyota Corolla GT-S. I can't even remember how many Corollas we've been through since.
Money question: hatchback or coupe?
Coupe for life! Coupes look classier in my opinion.
Coupe?!? Takumi just shed an animated tear.
Not quite the Takumi you imagined now am I? More like Takumi's evil twin. Muahaha!
I actually owned a coupe before...a really beat up coupe.
Beat up or not, coupes are classy.
No, you never saw my coupe. It was super beat up.
[Laughs] Super dorifto-style beat up??
Worse. One headlight was stuck up, dents galore, and paint so bad it looked like rusted sheet metal. Quick story on how bad it was: I was getting into the car after lunch with my ex and as we were about to leave, my ex asked, "What are those people laughing at?" I looked up and saw two guys sitting in a Numero Uno pizza pointing and laughing at my hooptie.
[Laughter]
So tell us about this new car you're drifting this year.
This new car will definitely drop jaws and turn heads. It's a car no one has ever seen on a drift track: a Scion tC converted to a rear-wheel-drive platform. I'm leaving my supercharged V-8 to go back to a four-cylinder turbocharged engine, and I can say with confidence that it will suit my driving style. RS-R will be building the car from the ground up with the help of Scion Racing, Toyo Tires, Design Craft, and all of our sponsors. It's something new for me and for fans of drifting and I'm really excited!
Without having driven the tC yet [as of press time, it's still in development], what challenges do you foresee?
One of the biggest concerns I have is seat time. As I've experienced in the past, seat time is very crucial when developing a new drift car. Every car behaves differently, and it takes time to drive a car to its fullest. With seat time, I begin to build confidence as I learn the car's habits. Time is running out till the start of the season, and to make matters worse, the opening round is at Long Beach. Long Beach equals walls.
What differences do you anticipate between the Mustang and the tC?
The biggest difference I anticipate is the weight. The tC will obviously be a lot lighter than the Mustang. With that said, it will be a lot easier and faster to drive the Scion. Also, with RS-R behind the car, they bring a history of working with great drivers and building great drift cars. It should be a championship-ready vehicle!