2007 D1 Grand Prix series
The 2007 Autobacs D1 Grand Prix series was the seventh season for the D1 Grand Prix series and was the second season for its spinoff D1 Street Legal.
It was the first time since 2003 that the entire series took place entirely in Japan.
It began on 4 February 2007, as a D1SL exclusive event at Sekia Hills, the mainstay D1GP event opened on 25 March at Ebisu Circuit. At the same year, due to its popularity of its US point scoring round that was held over three seasons, it saw an introduction of its own domestic series, but the series would suffer two setbacks as it suffered from two cancellations, one at Irwindale Speedway on 11 March, due to its Japanese competitors who were to compete, had been building cars specially to compete in the series and could not get the cars ready in time for the event[1]
The D1 US organisation suffered a further blow when due to unresolved issues, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors refused license to the D1 event to take place at Altamont Motorsports Park on 24 June, forcing it to be cancelled.[2]
It was to be the second season for the Malaysian franchise, D1MY; but due to unforeseen circumstances, round 1, which was to take place on March, was cancelled. Nothing has been heard about the organisation since.[3]
The season will be best remembered for the two-car accident between Masato Kawabata and Daigo Saito in Fuji Speedway, when during the sudden death second round, Saito dipped into the inner apex of the 300R corner, causing his car to understeer and collecting Kawabata's Silvia onto the tyre barrier in the process, severely destroyed both cars. Kawabata had a second luck escape as when he collided with the barrier, a nitrous tank housed on the passenger side of his vehicle exploded from the impact, but played no part in Kawabata's injury. Among those narrowly escaping death was Video Option cameraman, Zaku, had to duck to avoid debris from the crash. Both drivers survived without serious injuries, but however Kawabata had to be taken to hospital for treatment for whiplash injuries.[4][5]
The season will end on 25 November with an end of season All-Star event. The last D1GP event held will be on 21 October at Fuji Speedway and 11 November for D1SL at Sekia Hills.
Changes for the 2007 Season
[edit]- The D1 Gals pairing of Kazumi Kondo and Jyuri Tamashiro have now been replaced by a quadruple called the "D1 Sisters" from D-Sign, consisting of Hiromi Goto, Yuria Tachiki, Asami Kikuchi and Ayaka Tashiro.[6] Unlike earlier girls who had an extensive background as race queens, the group was recruited via auditions.[7]
- The final year with Japanese car accessory retailer Autobacs as a title sponsor which was replaced by Sony's Gran Turismo videogame franchise for the All-Star event.
2007 Schedules
[edit]2007 D1 Grand Prix Point Series
[edit]Round 1 - March 24/25 - Ebisu South Course, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan - Nobushige Kumakubo (GDB)
Round 2 - April 28/29 - Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan - Atsushi Kuroi (PS13)
Round 3 - May 26/27- Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture, Japan - Masao Suenaga (FD3S)
Round 4 - June 9/10 - Sports Land SUGO, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan - Masato Kawabata (S15)
Round 5 - August 25/26 - Ebisu South Course, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan - Ken Nomura (ER34)
Round 6 - September 22/23- Autopolis, Ōita Prefecture, Japan - Masato Kawabata (S15)
Round 7 - October 20/21 - Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan - Masao Suenaga (FD3S)
2007 D1 Street Legal Series
[edit]Round 1 - February 3/4 - Sekia Hills, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan - Kazuya Matsukawa (RPS13)
Round 2 - May 26/27 - Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture, Japan (D1GP Week) - Yukiharu Komagata (GDB)
Round 3 - June 9/10- Sports Land SUGO, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan (D1GP Week) - Jin Horino (S14)
Round 4 - August 25/26 - Ebisu South Course, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (D1GP Week) - Yukio Matsui (RPS13)
Round 5 - November 10/11- Sekia Hills, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan - Takashi Hagisako (RPS13)
Exhibition Rounds
[edit]D1GP Exhibition
[edit]Exhibition 1 - May 4/5 - Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey - Nobushige Kumakubo (GDB)
Exhibition 2 - July 13/14 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada - Youichi Imamura (Z33)
Exhibition 3 - November 24 - Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, California - Nobushige Kumakubo (CT9A)
All Star Duel - November 25 - Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, California - Vaughn Gittin Jr. (S197)
Championship Results
[edit]Round 1
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nobushige Kumakubo | Subaru Impreza GDB | 20 |
| 2nd | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 18 |
| 3rd | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 16 |
| 4th | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 14 |
| 5th | Tetsuya Hibino | Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 | 13 |
| 6th | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 11 |
| 7th | Katsuhiro Ueo | Nissan Silvia S15 | 8 |
| 8th | Takashi Haruyama | Nissan Laurel C35 | 6 |
| 9th | Tatsuya Sakuma | Nissan Silvia S15 | 5 |
| 10th | Takahiro Ueno | Toyota Soarer JZZ30 | 3 |
| 11th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 1 |
| 12th | Kazuhiro Tanaka | Subaru Impreza GDB | 1 |
| 13th | Toru Inose | Nissan Silvia S15 | 1 |
| 14th | Yukio Matsui | BMW M3 E36 | 1 |
| 15th | Daigo Saito | Toyota Mark II JZX90 | 1 |
| 16th | Naoto Suenaga | Subaru Impreza GC8 | 1 |
Round 2
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Atsushi Kuroi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 21 |
| 2nd | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 19 |
| 3rd | Nobushige Kumakubo | Subaru Impreza GDB | 17 |
| 4th | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 15 |
| 5th | Yoshinori Koguchi | Nissan 180SX RPS13 | 12 |
| 6th | Michihiro Takatori | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 10 |
| 7th | Daigo Saito | Toyota Mark II JZX90 | 9 |
| 8th | Tetsuya Hibino | Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 | 6 |
| 9th | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 5 |
| 10th | Hideo Hiraoka | Nissan Silvia S15 | 2 |
| 11th | Naoto Suenaga | Subaru Impreza GC8 | 2 |
| 12th | Youichi Imamura | Nissan Fairlady Z Z33 | 2 |
| 13th | Ryoji Jinushi | Toyota Soarer JZZ30 | 1 |
| 14th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 1 |
| 15th | Takahiro Ueno | Toyota Soarer JZZ30 | 1 |
| 16th | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 2 |
Round 3
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 21 |
| 2nd | see note | - | |
| 3rd | Youichi Imamura | Nissan Fairlady Z Z33 | 16 |
| 4th | Nobushige Kumakubo | Subaru Impreza GDB | 14 |
| 5th | Kazuyoshi Okamura | Nissan Silvia S15 | 12 |
| 6th | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 11 |
| 7th | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 8 |
| 8th | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 7 |
| 9th | Tsutomu Fujio | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 4 |
| 10th | Kazuhiro Tanaka | Subaru Impreza GDB | 2 |
| 11th | Tomokazu Hirota | Toyota Verossa JZX110 | 1 |
| 12th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 2 |
| 13th | Kensaku Komoro | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 1 |
| 14th | Atsushi Kuroi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 1 |
| 15th | Toyohisa Matsuda | Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 | 1 |
| 16th | Tatsuya Sakuma | Nissan Silvia S15 | 1 |
note. Tetsuya Hibino was originally awarded second place but was later disqualified after it was revealed that he had deliberately swerved into the path of Suenaga's car before the first corner during a Sudden Death match, causing a collision. Therefore, Hibino was stripped of his position and no second place was awarded.[8][9]
Round 4
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 20 |
| 2nd | Nobushige Kumakubo | Subaru Impreza GDB | 18 |
| 3rd | Hideo Hiraoka | Nissan Silvia S15 | 16 |
| 4th | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 14 |
| 5th | Toru Inose | Nissan Silvia S15 | 13 |
| 6th | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 11 |
| 7th | Akinori Utsumi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 8 |
| 8th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 6 |
| 9th | Kuniaki Takahashi | Toyota Chaser JZX100 | 5 |
| 10th | Youichi Imamura | Nissan Fairlady Z Z33 | 3 |
| 11th | Takahiro Ueno | Toyota Soarer JZZ30 | 1 |
| 12th | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 1 |
| 13th | Masayoshi Tokita | Toyota Soarer MZ12 | 1 |
| 14th | Kazuhiro Tanaka | Subaru Impreza GDB | 2 |
| 15th | Tomokazu Hirota | Toyota Verossa JZX110 | 2 |
| 16th | Michihiro Takatori | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 2 |
Round 5
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 20 |
| 2nd | Akinori Utsumi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 18 |
| 3rd | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 16 |
| 4th | Kensaku Komoro | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 14 |
| 5th | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 13 |
| 6th | Daigo Saito | Toyota Mark II JZX100 | 10 |
| 7th | Tetsuya Hibino | Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 | 8 |
| 8th | Nobushige Kumakubo | Mitsubishi Evolution IX CT9A | 6 |
| 9th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 4 |
| 10th | Toru Inose | Nissan Silvia S15 | 2 |
| 11th | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 1 |
| 12th | Atsushi Kuroi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 1 |
| 13th | Tomokazu Hirota | Toyota Verossa JZX110 | 1 |
| 14th | Hiroshi Fukuda | Nissan 180SX RPS13 | 1 |
| 15th | Ken Maeda | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 1 |
| 16th | Hideo Hiraoka | Nissan Silvia S15 | 2 |
Round 6
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 21 |
| 2nd | Takahiro Ueno | Toyota Soarer JZZ30 | 19 |
| 3rd | Youichi Imamura | Nissan Fairlady Z Z33 | 16 |
| 4th | Tatsuya Sakuma | Nissan Silvia S15 | 15 |
| 5th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 13 |
| 6th | Daigo Saito | Toyota Mark II JZX100 | 10 |
| 7th | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 9 |
| 8th | Nobushige Kumakubo | Mitsubishi Evolution IX CT9A | 7 |
| 9th | Masayoshi Tokita | Toyota Soarer MZ12 | 4 |
| 10th | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 3 |
| 11th | Hisashi Oginome | Nissan Silvia S15 | 1 |
| 12th | Atsushi Kuroi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 1 |
| 13th | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 1 |
| 14th | Toru Inose | Nissan Silvia S14 | 1 |
| 15th | Michihiro Takatori | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 1 |
| 16th | Kazuyoshi Okamura | Nissan Silvia S15 | 1 |
Round 7
[edit]| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Masao Suenaga | Mazda RX-7 FD3S | 20 |
| 2nd | Yoshinori Koguchi | Nissan 180SX RPS13 | 19 |
| 3rd | Nobushige Kumakubo | Mitsubishi Evolution IX CT9A | 17 |
| 4th | Youichi Imamura | Nissan Fairlady Z Z33 | 14 |
| 5th | Toshiki Yoshioka | Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 | 12 |
| 6th | Daigo Saito | Toyota Mark II JZX100 | 11 |
| 7th | Tsuyoshi Tezuka | Nissan Skyline BNR32 | 9 |
| 8th | Toru Inose | Nissan Silvia S15 | 6 |
| 9th | Takahiro Ueno | Toyota Soarer JZZ30 | 5 |
| 10th | Tatsuya Sakuma | Nissan Silvia S15 | 2 |
| 11th | Ken Nomura | Nissan Skyline ER34 | 2 |
| 12th | Masato Kawabata | Nissan Silvia S15 | 2 |
| 13th | Akinori Utsumi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 1 |
| 14th | Hisashi Oginome | Nissan Silvia S15 | 1 |
| 15th | Atsushi Kuroi | Nissan Silvia PS13 | 1 |
| 16th | Tetsuya Hibino | Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 | 2 |
Final Championship Results
[edit]D1GP
[edit]- Highlighted in blue - 100pt tansou (solo run) bonus
- Source: D1GP Official Site 2007 Championship table
D1SL
[edit]- Highlighted in blue - 100pt tansou (solo run) bonus
- Source: D1GP Official Site 2007 Championship table
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "D1 Grand Prix USA » News » Drift Japan: 2007 D1GP USA March 10-11th Irwindale Canceled". Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ "D1 Grand Prix USA » News » Drift Japan: Alameda County Bans Drifting - D1 Grand Prix Canceled". Archived from the original on 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ Official D1 Grand Prix Malaysia Website Archived 2007-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [ D1GP/D1SL NEWS REPORT ] J.D.M. OPTION INTERNATIONAL (2007)
- ^ YouTube – Broadcast Yourself
- ^ JDM OPTION / Vol.38 - Driftworks Drifting Shop Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Video Option Vol. 156
- ^ [ D1GP/D1SL NEWS REPORT ] J.D.M. OPTION INTERNATIONAL
- ^ Video Option Vol. 160
