We haver quite the confirmation (about 99%) that Ken Gushi will be driving a Scion FR-S for the 2012 Formula Drift season. Our source also heard that RS*R will not be building the new Scion FR-S for the Scion Racing team but more news on that later. What does everyone think about Ken Gushi driving a Scion FR-S next year? Will anyone step up in the new Subaru BRZ STI as well? I personally cannot wait to see Ken Gushi in a new platform with some new support to push him in the right direction!
I think this is the first confirmed new car in the off season… it’s about freakin time!
Gushi was due for a new car. Hopefully he has a good team building this one. I think everyone saw the writing on the wall with RS*R, the new team should be much better (can’t get much worse, right?)
Not surprising, he was in a official scion video saying he would be in the car in the near future and that was several months ago. Very excited to find out who is building and supporting it!
What has he accomplished?
Titan?
Kids Heart,
He has accomplished enough to impress Scion. But keep up the great posts.
Obviously. but what might those accomplishments be?
as long as it doesnt say Drift Alliance on the back glass then I’ll be a fan!
He won Houston in 2005.
@Kids Heart: Are you serious? Ken Gushi’s done a lot….
…when his car is working. He won in Houston 2005, got pretty far at 2011 Irwindale, youngest (at the time) qualifier for any event with D1 and Formula D, got 2nd in Sonoma back in 2009, and probably would have won that one if his car didn’t have that stupid 3S-GE in there. Ken’s done a lot, and he’ll do more if he can just get a goddamn dependable car like anyone else.
In his Scion, Gushi has definitely had moments of glory. he has a handful of top 5 qualifying efforts and has won a few big tandem battles. Reliability has knocked Gushi out early several times. This should be a great opportunity to prove his prowess behind the wheel, I have no doubt that Gushi can be a top-10 quality driver in a reliable car.
Anyone who is an actual fan of drifting has seen the fact that Ken is a top-tier driver, and that tC he was in just sucked an incredible amount.
I’m ultra-stoked to see him in a car that is not only a great platform, but hopefully built by someone who can keep it running.
Its frustrating as hell being in a crappy car/car that always breaks. Glad to see Ken hopefully won’t have to deal with that in 2012
awesome! like everyone else says i hope he is with a better team nxt season.
gushi was killing it in drifting before a lot of the bigger names today got big. props to him for getting out of that rut he’s been in lately.
this car is going to be sick (i hope)
Gushi made Irwindale super awesome by phasing Dai Yoshihara….
Bring back the GREY & GREEN, miss that color scheme!
^truth.
I love seeing brand new platforms be put to use in motorsports. Awesome for Ken and RS*R!
gush also was on factory ford before jr was. lets not forget that… the fr-s will be sick for him and there will be no titan motor in that car i can assure you that much right now !!
could care less about gushi but nice car.
just let that car to be finish and wait for it …. wow ! Cant wait!
no 2jz and ls1 swap please !
formula drift always have new cars in the series than any drift series from around the world d1gp still have oldstuff … they have few new ones but powered by an old 2jz/rb26..in formula drift the hankook r35 already come to a past and now the scion fr-s
I love the assumptions that a brand new car will mean less breakages. If you guys are such wicked dope fans of the sport you should know that a lot of times when a new platform (not just a new car, new drifting platform altogether)is put to use, that there’s almost ALWAYS some really major bugs to iron out. I don’t have any lack of confidence in Ken and his homeboys to have the thing race ready and frying tires this year, but come on guys…this is sounding like the EOS debate from last year all over again. The fanboys were all “OH well if his car isn’t breaking all the time he’ll be AWESOME” and I think we all know how that one went. Good luck to Ken this year, with any luck the FR-S will be an easily modified platform and they won’t have any problems making it a solid ride this year!
We’re not assuming that the new car will bring less breakages, we know that his new team will be better than the one he’s been futzing around with this year. If you read Ken Gushi’s personal blog, you can see just how glitchy and unreliable his team’s logistics and tech crew are. We’re all just glad that Gushi is heading to a better team this year, if he does get a new one.
should be easy to make reliable just replace eveything that has moving parts. no seriously!! look at turks camero never broke but they replaced everything gforce tranny speedway diff custom axles drive line and completely custom suspension components. it what you have to do now to be competitive. not to say the frs isnt a marvel of engineering in its own right but nothing for 20 grand is going to be reliable just look at ryan kados 350z built that for around 20k an broke all over the place cuz well corners had to be cut to save cost. if and im sure he will (wink) changes everything over it will be a solid platform only problem will be suspension geometry since no one knows what its like…..
I’m sorry but Kenshiro Gushi is not a top 8 driver anymore. The kid phenom aspect has long been faded and his rank is about 14th over the past 5 years. How is he attracting factory sponsors still?
he won the toyota celebrity race this year. kids heart your just a hater. He’s a great driver and a cool guy to talk with at the events. fd trophies probably arent what toyota is looking for with their scion drift program.
So Toyota isn’t looking for a winner? got it.
@kids heart: Toyota is looking for marketing opportunities. Ken is fulfilling that already. Thats why companies sponsor drivers in the first place.
I can’t think of anyone more geared to Scion’s demographic more then Gushi. But yeah, dude needs to step it up a ton… lots of drivers have caught up and surpassed his level of driving the last 5 years.
When his car works, he does some serious work. When it doesn’t, (which is alot of the time) he doesn’t. Simple as that.
i have known ken and his family since 2005 and have worked close with them he a great guy with alot of heart and drive to win just like any other driver in the series if he is not comfortable in the car or with the drivability it takes them out of their comfort zone i give him props for what he has acomplished and wish him well for 2012
I think Ken represents an ideal that Scion is trying to instill in its demographic. His youth and passion for cars is what Scion try to convey in their marketing of all Scion vehicles.