“Tokyo Drift” Practice and Qualifying, Saturday

Free practice started at 9am sharp. Like yesterday, we were split to 3 groups, 30mins each. Thats like maybe 7-8 laps for each car. Just as I was getting warmed up, practice session is over!

Before I carry on, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Asuka Ueo for being my spotter for the weekend. We met during D1 World Series 2006 and she helped me improve my drifting performance that year which resulted in a win against JR. She is Katsuhiro Ueo’s wife.

Asuka really helped me out with my lines & initiation especially at the entry point to the first corner. I was struggling with a problematic car, limited practice and at the same time, trying to absorb the whole D1 atmosphere. She was very specific with her instructions which helped me catch up for lost time.

The car on the other hand, didn’t feel good at all. It was no different from yesterday. 3rd gear kept popping out after the 2nd hump, right at the point of initiation. I tried a few techniques but couldn’t keep my lines and entry angle consistent. This really put me off and i lacked confidence to perform for qualifying. I ended up having to take off the gear knob to reduce the chances of it popping out of gear even on acceleration!

We had to be on standby for the opening ceremony at 11am. It started off with a driver introduction then the national anthem was played, the usual stuff. Now qualifying starts.