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SHAKING UP JAPANESE DRIFTING
As life-long INFINITI fans, creating a dream competition car was no easy feat for Japanese drifting team Shibata Drift Racing. From specially importing the car from overseas to crafting their own parts, this project was a bold risk that paid off. The result is a dynamic, aggressive, 1,000hp drift car that stands out from the crowd.
When the time came to make his debut, he had a change of heart. Deep down, Tatsuhiro wanted to race with something special; something that would set him apart; something that would declare his title ambitions for all to see. So, while most of his competitors used Nissan Silvias, Tatsuhiro chose INFINITI. From that moment, the stage was set.
From the beginning, Tatsuhiro’s choice of car was about mixing ultimate performance potential with head-turning luxury looks. But without a freely available supply of INFINITI in Japan, he had to journey more than 6,000 miles to the USA in search of the car he needed: the INFINITI Q60.
“To put it simply, I wanted to compete with a good-looking car. In my eyes, the Q60 was the best looking of them all.”
Tatsuhiro Shibata, Owner, Shibata Drift Racing
“To put it simply, I wanted to compete with a good-looking car. In my eyes, the Q60 was the best looking of them all.”
Tatsuhiro Shibata, Owner, Shibata Drift Racing
“To put it simply, I wanted to compete with a good-looking car. In my eyes, the Q60 was the best looking of them all.”
Tatsuhiro Shibata, Owner, Shibata Drift Racing
MEET THE TEAM
As the owner of Shibata Drift Racing, Tatsuhiro Shibata is the son of a racecar driver himself — and would visit Suzuka every weekend to watch him race. Having started his tuning company as a college student, he would pour every spare minute into working on cars. Before he realized, 20 years had passed.
As the owner of Shibata Drift Racing, Tatsuhiro Shibata is the son of a racecar driver himself — and would visit Suzuka every weekend to watch him race. Having started his tuning company as a college student, he would pour every spare minute into working on cars. Before he realized, 20 years had passed.
As the owner of Shibata Drift Racing, Tatsuhiro Shibata is the son of a racecar driver himself — and would visit Suzuka every weekend to watch him race. Having started his tuning company as a college student, he would pour every spare minute into working on cars. Before he realized, 20 years had passed.
The team got to work. But without the car parts available in Japan, the team had to do what none of their competitors had to: make their very own. But as they built the car, piece by piece, they learned how each iteration and design tweak pushed the car’s evolution — gradually crafting it to perfection.
The team worked through a trial-and-error process — testing, assessing, and then improving. Just a few changes to the original Q60 included swapping the suspension and widening the rear to help stability. They replaced every exterior body panel with carbon fiber to shed weight. And they mounted a huge new engine from an R35 GTR.
MEET THE TEAM
Koudai made his D1 Grand Prix debut at the age of 22. But his career started on a slightly different scale, when he discovered his love for racing with competitive radio-controlled (RC) drifting cars at 13-years old. In just eight years, he had worked his way up to race full-size cars with Shibata Drift Racing.
Koudai made his D1 Grand Prix debut at the age of 22. But his career started on a slightly different scale, when he discovered his love for racing with competitive radio-controlled (RC) drifting cars at 13-years old. In just eight years, he had worked his way up to race full-size cars with Shibata Drift Racing.
Koudai made his D1 Grand Prix debut at the age of 22. But his career started on a slightly different scale, when he discovered his love for racing with competitive radio-controlled (RC) drifting cars at 13-years old. In just eight years, he had worked his way up to race full-size cars with Shibata Drift Racing.
“It’s a very large engine, so it was very difficult to mount onto this car. But once mounted, it matched with the car very well.”
Koudai Sobagiri, Driver, Shibata Drift Racing
“When I took it out for the first shakedown, I applied 1mm of throttle and the car was power-sliding already.”
Koudai Sobagiri, Driver, Shibata Drift Racing
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