I love lists, and I love hearing about people's opinions on things. That is unless, of course, I totally disagree with them. Anyhow I'll try posting up at least one cool list a week to refelct how I feel about a certain topic that week, because lord knows my tastes constantly change. This week will be my favorite foreign AE86 drifters since I am an AE86 fanatic.
10) Djan Ley
Oddly enough, my #10 driver comes from Malaysia. Tengu Djan Ley was virtually unknown until a few years ago when he came over to compete in the D1 international round at Irwindale. I must say, he was shockingly good. The thing that inspires me about him, is that hardware wise his vehicle is very simple. I spoke to him a bit about his setup and really, he has a car that really isn't any more built than most fully fitted AE86 race machines including my own. The difference is, he can harness every single ounce of function out of those parts and deliver a stunningly good show. What he also showed me is that regardless of continent, some things stay constant among AE86 drivers, and one of those things is tanacity and fearlessness (or complete insanity, but call it what you will). Take for instance his battle against JR Gitten at the world battle a year ago. They went against each other in tandem, and Djan more than held his own. As a matter of fact I believe he even passed JR on one occasion, and on a reverse battle held his line to secure his place. He had the "I'm coming, and you'd better move out of the way" attitude that baisically gives the middle finger to 700 horsepower. Can't really argue with that.
9) Hisashi Kamimoto
He's one of the first pro drifters in D1 to consecutively place well. Back in the days of tight circuits and attainable power goals, Kamimoto used his supercharged Levin coupe to run with the big boys. He later moved onto a Trueno hatchback with an HKS stroked 20v engine, which in my mind was his best machine. He later moved onto using the Veilside S15 with huge horsepower, but never attained the success he had in his AE86. He now acts as D1 staff.
8) Toshiki Yoshioka
Some of us remember him way back when he was using a side-draft carbed 16v powered orange Levin. Those days are long gone, but his driving style still continues to impress. He is perhaps one of the only guys to carry on the purists AE86 mantile (until recently with his switch to the new Lexus chassis) but in our hearts and minds (and probably his) he's an AE86 guy. He's proven that in the United States, it is still possible to win in an AE86. He's proven that with the right setup, you can take down just about anybody. Just look at his Vegas FD performance! He took out 2 previous FD champions, and not just champions but factory backed champions. He also drove 2 of them to crash. With the momentum he's got right now, he's bound to make believers out of even more people.
7) Gen Terasaki
Gen is one of the most O.G. AE86 drifters out there. I remember one of the first Option videos I watched featured him and his jet black AE86 Levin. He was one of the few who would consistantly make best 16 and posed a real threat to all of his competitors. He's an engineer by trade, and also had a relatively simple and orthodox setup. If I remember correctly, he used an AE101 injected 16v with high lift 304-304 cams. The setup was good for roughly 200fwhp, which was enough back in those days to put the hurt on those S chassis guys. He drove with a very clean style which wasn't too flashy, but his steady nature put him in the top most of the time. After he switched to the AP chassis Honda, things just haven't been the same.
6) Yoichi Imamura
Really though, who doesn't love this guy. He's one of the very few AE86 guys that were able to jump into another chassis and be just as sucessful if not more so. Most of us however love him most as the driver of the doo doo brown AE86 Trueno. He had one of the most fully built and nice looking AE86's back in the day with good power to boot. He had the traditionalist setup and even only ran an aftermarket front bumper. His style is what defines most common street AE86's these days with the mesh wheels, aggressive offset, and minimalist aero. Then you get to his driving. Oh boy, his driving. This guy could really run with the best of them and he had a relatively unique and flambouyant style. While appearing wild, he always seemed to reel it back in and made it look like he intended to grind the underside of his car on a burm and run with two wheels off the ground. Really though, if this guy is #6, I know I'd think "this guy better have a good explanation for those guys that rank higher". Guess you'll have to wait for the next post to find out!
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