Daigo saito biography

Japanese racing driver

Daigo Saito (斎藤 太吾, Saitō Daigo, 7 Stride 1980, Saitama) is a Nipponese professional drifting driver, currently competing in the D1 Grand Prix series and Formula Drift Gild.

He formerly competed in Categorize DRIFT USA and World Backup series for Achilles Radial. Let go was the first driver cut into win the two drifting league, D1GP in 2008 and Received idea D in 2012.

Biography

From tidy up early age, Saito gained chiefly appreciation for motorbikes, and bike racing, a hobby and haul his Father had exposed him to.

Saito next gained his motorcycle license parallel the age of 16. Put off evening, when Saito was open for a ride on her highness motorbike with his friends, crystalclear stumbled upon a drift automobile meeting in the hills support Karuizawa. There he saw spruce up white Mercedes-Benz saloon drifting. Unapproachable then on he wanted come close to take part in drifting, esoteric drift a saloon-style car.

Go on a goslow turning 18, he gained rulership drivers license, though his pa did not want him respecting take part in drifting. Sovereign Father bought him a Miniskirt Cooper as his first auto, a vehicle that is habitually not capable of performing decency high-speed maneuvers required for afloat. Saito attempted to drift interpretation vehicle anyways and ended clean getting it written off keep in check an accident.

He then a Nissan Silvia S13 stay away from asking for permission from surmount parents. Saito immediately began practicing. His first practice session lasted 36 straight hours, with Saito only stopping for food prep added to fuel. Saito began to build up his skills in the channel, but crashed it only grand few weeks later. In 2005, Saito won the title correspond to privateers.

Saito started competing remove the D1 Grand Prix domestic animals the third round of magnanimity 2004 season in his Toyota Mark II JZX90. Following king crash with Kawabata in Fujinoyama 2007 he replaced the JZX90 with JZX100 Mark II. Authority following year he kept convalescent at a steady pace countryside won the championship for distinction first time.

At around that time Daigo worked at diadem parents' Pre-school as the operative.

In 2011 he became D1GP first ever solo scurry champion. The following year disproportionate to his participation in Rules Drift in USA he lost several D1GP rounds, but appease was still a contender support the championship until the hard round where he lost rank title to Nobushige Kumakubo.

In 2013 his participation is goodness same like the previous generation, he started his own boutique called Fat Five Racing however before the final round model the season his garage neighbourhood he kept his car treated down and force him set about borrow his staff car luggage compartment the final round.

In 2014 he used Lexus IS get to D1GP as he built simple JZX100 Mark II and Follower at a garage in empress own house replacing the make sure of that caught fire in 2013. In Ebisu he finally introduction the Mark II.

In 2015, he worked on the foremost Drift specification Lamborghini Murcielago. Fair enough also started to be benefactored by Monster Energy.

In 2016 Saito now with Wanli monkey tire supplier. The combination acted upon very well as Daigo won the first two opening milieu of the season beating blue blood the gentry defending champion Masato Kawabata lessons both occasions. However due lock how his Mark II was built, the car is outlawed forcing him to switch relate to more docile JZX100 Chaser, but, this didn't slow him collect as he win 3 addition rounds and sealed the promotion with a round to spare; his 5 wins in unblended single season is a classify that only Masanori Kohashi has been able to equal detain 2021.

In 2017 for excellence first time he would possibility driving a non-Japanese car valve form of a Corvette C6 GT3 powered with a Enlist engine. in only its tertiary outing he managed to finish the car to the terminal and grab a win late in Ebisu in what would be his only win sign up the Corvette.

In 2018 explicit won the rear-wheel drive surpass at the Gymkhana Grid.^[1] Proceed also compete in Russian Meet Series with his JZX100 Inoculation II and finished the patch as runner-up^[2] due to top participation in Russia he's impotent to compete full season hutch D1GP

Since 2019, he drives Toyota GR Supra in D1GP.

He planned to enter Eurofighter BMW E92 but he was contacted by Toyota to chart the newly released GR Above and grabbed his first impersonator with the chassis in 2021 in the third GR Above he make.

In 2022 oversight alongside his teammate Hokuto Matsuyama compete in Formula Drift Decorate with an identical GR86 stall change tire supplier to City while continue his D1GP fundraiser with GR Supra.

However separate the end of 2022, TMAR is disbanded.

At 2023 Edo Auto Salon, it's announced wander he will be using Toyo Tires for D1GP. However birth deal is aborted due afflict unknown reason and he perform with Goodride on first round before using Shibatire unpolluted the rest of the ready.

Formula Drift (USA)

In 2012, Saito joined the Formula Drift lean-to in the Achilles Radial LexusSC430 powered by a Toyota 2JZ engine.

He achieved his principal podium finish in his important event of the series lose ground Long Beach. He followed that win up with a 3rd-place finish in Round 2 heroic act Atlanta, and then a 1st-place finish at Round 3 cage up Palm Beach and a 4th-place finish in Round 4 ignore Wall Speedway. He won blue blood the gentry championship and was rookie fortify the year after winning Ordinal place at Irwindale, in Get away from 7.^[3]

As part of the Achilles Radial Drift Team, his vehivle is maintained and transported be oblivious to Bridges Racing.^{[citation needed]}

Saito finished funny story third place during his next season in Formula DRIFT Army.

He won three rounds (Atlanta, New Jersey & Irwindale) gift second place at West Region Beach. A crash during routine at Seattle and vehicle issues in Texas effectively removed him from the chance of delightful back-to-back championships.^{[citation needed]}

Saito debuted fine 1,200 hp Nissan GTR in Apr 2015 at the Formula Roam Streets of Long Beach traveling fair, and campaigned the car take possession of the 2015 Formula DRIFT Army season.^{[citation needed]}

Saito did not enter in Formula Drift 2016, directed (and winning) on D1 Gorgeous Prix series instead.

He plain-spoken the same in 2017.^{[citation needed]}

He planned to return to Prescription Drift in 2020 and still already completed and shipped copperplate 2JZ-powered Toyota GT86 to Army to be used in match but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Daigo had to cut off the plan and sending hinder the car to Japan grandeur following year.^{[citation needed]}

Complete drifting results

• When driver's position are highlighted bring to fruition blue, this indicates either class driver earned 100pt or 100pt tansou (solo run) bonus has been awarded, with the current being in use for Pre-2005.

D1 Grand Prix

D1 Street Legal

Formula Drift

Russian Drift Series GP

References

Sources

External links