Takahiro Ueno & Vertex Lexus RC To Compete In 2016 Formula Drift Season
By Paulo Acoba
Takahiro Ueno received permission to compete in the 2016 Formula Drift season.
If you’re a fan of Formula Drift and were hankering for more excitement, there’s good news from Japan. According to Wrecked Magazine on their announcement earlier this Sunday, it looks like D1GP ace Takahiro Ueno and the Vertex Lexus RC will be making its way across the Pacific to the United States to compete in Formula Drift. Right now, Ueno will be joining Daigo Saito as the only two contingents from Japan. Earlier in the year it was announced that Masashi Yokoi would not be returning. Check out what Ueno’s Lexus RC looks like below before all that wonderful livery is put on. Aggressive isn’t it?
If you don’t know the name Takahiro Ueno, you soon will. In Japan Takahiro made a name for himself by first starting his own tuning shop called Car Make T&E which is still very much active (more than its ever been before) garnering a reputation for some of the best work in the country. Most import fans are familiar with the drift arm of their tuning company called Vertex Aero, whose philosophy is simplicity and elegance. Ueno personally approves every design.
When he’s not a businessman, Ueno is tearing it up in D1Gp in his 2JZ E92.
Ueno did cut his teeth by getting tremendously skilled drifting with his Toyota Soarer JZZ30 with his best placing with that chassis back in 2001. Last year, Ueno’s E92 only competed in two of the six rounds in D1GP so a podium was out of the question.
But for 2016, it looks like for at least a couple of rounds, the Vertex Lexus RC will be making its way around the United States. For how many rounds, we’re not sure.
More cars: Watch Daigo Saito's Lamborghini Murcielago Rip A Mean Parking Lot Drift
It’s always exciting to get new drivers from around the world competing in FD further cementing the legitimacy of American Drifting as some of the best in the world. There have been rumors for quite some time that American style drifting has now surpassed Japanese drifting in terms of aggressiveness and proximity (but not style.) More Japanese drifters lends more credence to this rumor.