Keiichi Tsuchiya, better known as the ‘Drift King’, is a motorsport legend whose influence transcends racing circuits.
While most professional drivers came from wealthy families or motorsport backgrounds, his journey began as a street racer in Japan.
With his unparalleled driving prowess and passion for the sport, he soon went international, competing in multiple prestigious events throughout his career.
Famous for his unorthodox use of drifting in conventional events, he is forever immortalized as the ‘Drift King’, even making cameos in movies like Initial D and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
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Double wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans
The Drift King’s racing career is adorned with many notable achievements.
He won the Formula Mirage race in 1990, during the race’s debut year.
In 1994, he clinched second place in a race called ‘1000km of Suzuka’, an endurance race held in the famous Suzuka circuit in Japan.
The Drift King even snagged class wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1995 and 1999, driving for Honda and Toyota respectively, while coming in third in class during the 1996 edition.
Finally, he achieved a podium finish during the All-Japan Championship – GT500 in 2001, coming in third place, solidifying his status as a racing legend.
Drift King races for the final time
In 2004, Tsuchiya announced his retirement from professional racing, marking the end of an era.
To honor the Drift King’s illustrious career, a special event called the ‘Special Run in Tsukuba’ was organized at the Suzuka circuit.
More than 5,000 fans turned up to see the Drift King race in person for the last time.
One of the highlights of the event was Tsuchiya attempting to break the GT car Tsukuba time attack record, using an ARTA Honda NSX.
He had two practice races in the morning before his official attempt, and he was advised to reserve his strength for the afternoon.
Being the Drift King himself, he proceeded to break the record in his practice race, breaking the 53-second flat record set by Satoshi Motoyama in the Pennzoil JGTC GT-R.
In the afternoon, Tsuchiya got into his ARTA NSX for the last time, and in under a minute, made history.
He clinched a time of 0:51.875, smashing the previous record while bettering his own personal best.
The Drift King celebrated by doing perfect donuts in front of the main stand, and in a post-race interview, he was asked whether he intended to continue doing time attacks in the future.
His response was legendary: “Of course, I’ll drive till I die.”
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