Team Orange in D1GP USA Update
Posted by Wrecked Magazine on 06 Mar 2009 at 10:56 am | Tagged as: D1GP USA, Rumors/Gossip, Team Orange
From our reports two Team Orange drivers will be competing in America. Nobushige Kumakubo and Kazuhiro Tanaka are the two drivers slated to attend the complete D1 Grand Prix USA series. D1GP USA staff has confirmed that Tanaka will be driving a GDB Subaru Impreza at this time. As for Kumakubo they were unable to give confirmation on a vehicle for him but they provided us with some educational thoughts on the topic. They are assuming he will be driving a Mitsubishi Evo like in the Japanese series but have always been told he could be driving a S15 Silvia.
Nobushige Kumakubo – Mitsubishi Evo or S15 Silvia (not confirmed)
Kazuhiro Tanaka – GDB Subaru Impreza
wow… Team Orange vs a bunch of grass roots drifters… what a competition that will be. Why doesn’t D1 pay money to American drifters not spend tons of money importing the competition? There are a lot of great drivers that could use support to compete.
This is why D1 fails every time…
I hope you’re joking. What “grassroots driver” that isn’t already in FD/D1/DMCC is more exciting than kumakubo and still grassroots? Good drivers yes, but Kumakubo Tanaka quality no. Kumakubo quality built cars, DEFINATELY not from the grassroots scene. They’re doing what they need to do to get rolling, and they are leaving the door wide open for grassroots drivers, who should be able to sell themselves to sponsors no problem if they’re actually half of their hype if they / you think they are kumakubo quality. That logic fails as miserably as Hogan Drift near a palm tree. If they were doing a pro-am then that would make sense.
oh wait, they are doing a pro-am series underneath the actual d1 series also. maybe you shoudl send your overhyped theoretical drifter to that.
I think what “Does it Matter” is stating is that D1 is dumping money into their top guys, like paying for their cars to be shipped here and their travel here. Why not take some of that money and support the US drivers… it is call D1 USA not D1 Japan in the USA.
I assume Kumakubo will be driving the S15, as Suenaga is driving his old Evo in D1GP this year (unless they are building another). Also from what I have heard Tanaka will be driving his Impreza in D1GP again this year, so I assume that the GDB he will be driving in the US will be the one he competed in the European Drift Championship with last year.
Tankakas car he competed in Europe with last year was sold the other week so doubt he will be using that patrick
What American driver is worth the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that isn’t already locked down? the answer is NO.
These comment suck.
Thanks “dori jay” Thats what I’m saying… D1 is dumping money into Japanese drivers while trying to start a “professional” series here in America. why not put money into the drivers here that could potentially grow the series? Unless they are planning to ship all the competition over here from Japan then it would make more sense.
if D1 didn’t bring the Japanese drivers here then… to my opinion not a lot of people will go to it. am not saying that American driver are not good but really when you say drifting who comes to mind? most names I bet are Japanese, not many americas.the Japanese are here to brig down the people to the event. the last events I have gone to no one really knew the american driver but when the japanese came out the crowd went wild. so point blank is that Japanese driver are brought to the US D1GP for people to go to the events american drivers are there for to get the fame and to get known by competing with the best. and that’s how they make their name.