News

Hyogo, Japan – March 2019 – Toyo Tire Corporation (Headquarters: Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture; President: Takashi Shimizu) announces that a new team has been assembled to compete in the 2019 D1 Grand Prix Series (D1GP) drift competition opening at the Tsukuba Circuit (Ibaraki Prefecture) on Saturday, June 29, 2019.

The Toyota Supra as driven by Masato Kawabata

TOYO TIRE formed its “Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT” team in 2007 and has been competing in the D1GP ever since. In 2019 the new team will consist of three drivers: Masato Kawabata (ranking 2018 TANSO Champion), Hideyuki Fujino (2018 third-place TNASO finisher) and Daychapon Toyingcharoen (Kingdom of Thailand). Each driver’s racing suit and the vehicle color design has been updated to improve the visibility of the “TOYO TIRES” brand. Unified as one team, the drivers and crew will battle hard throughout the planned 7-stage event.

Moreover, Masato Kawabata will also be driving a new car based on the new Toyota Supra, which will be released in Japan this spring.Masato Kawabata and Hideyuki Fujino are both former D1GP champions, while Daychapon Toyingcharoen is also a Thai drift series champion. We hope that you will join us in cheering on the popular, world-class 2019 “Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT.”

From left to right: Hideyuki Fujino, Masato Kawabata and Daychapon Toyingcharoen