Keiichi Tsuchiya

The Drift King. ドリキン

The man who drove sideways when everyone said it was wrong, and proved it was fast.

The race nobody believed

Back in the 1980s, one man transformed drifting from a forbidden technique into an art form. Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Drift King, proved what seemed impossible—that controlled slides through corners could be faster than traditional racing lines.

At the time, drifting was dismissed by the racing establishment. Conventional wisdom said it was reckless, wasteful, a shortcut that couldn't work. But Tsuchiya's dominance on the track changed everything. His fearless approach didn't just win races—it revolutionized how drivers understood speed and control.

He turned a controversial technique into a legend. We celebrate him.

Midnight JPN

From the Usui Pass to Le Mans

Follow the road through the life of the man who put drifting on the map.

1956

Born in the mountains

Keiichi Tsuchiya is born in Tomi, a small town in Nagano Prefecture surrounded by winding mountain roads.
Early 70s

The slide that started it

As a teenager he makes the long trip to Fuji Speedway and watches Kunimitsu Takahashi throw a Skyline GT-R sideways through the corners. He decides that is how he wants to drive.
1970s

King of the mountain

Before racing anyone, he spends years practicing heel-toe and counter-steer on quiet farm roads. Then he takes it to the Usui Pass, where the local street racers start calling him the king of the mountain.
1977

Racing debut

He enters the Fuji Freshman series, an entry-level touring car championship, and starts winning in small Toyota and Nissan sedans.
1980s

The AE86 years

In the Hachi-Roku he drifts through official races and is still one of the fastest cars on track. Rivals complain, officials threaten his license, and almost nobody believes sliding can be quicker.
The crowds love it, and they give him a name: Dorikin, the Drift King.
1987

Pluspy

Option magazine films him attacking mountain roads for the video Pluspy. It shows the world a way of driving it had never seen and carries drifting far beyond Japan.
Late 80s

Drifting gets a stage

Working with Option, he helps run some of the first organized drift competitions, giving street drifters a place to compete.
1995

Class win at Le Mans

Sharing a Honda NSX with his hero Kunimitsu Takahashi, he wins the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
1999

Second overall at Le Mans

Driving a Toyota GT-One with Ukyo Katayama and Toshio Suzuki, he finishes second overall after a late tire failure ends the team's chase for the win.
2001

D1 Grand Prix

He helps launch the D1 Grand Prix, the first professional drift series, and sits on its judging panel.
2003

Leaving the cockpit

He retires from professional racing but never from cars, staying on as a judge, commentator and advisor. His touch runs through Initial D, where he served as a technical advisor.
2006

Tokyo Drift

He makes a cameo as a fisherman on the pier in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, watching the hero learn to slide.
Today

The legacy

Every drift event in the world traces back to the kid from Nagano who refused to drive straight.