The conditions proved to be very challenging for the drivers as the 150 degree surface track temperature sent several experienced drivers into the wall during the qualifying rounds. Team Orange's skyline smacked the wall right in front of the judge’s stand, bending a rim and requiring the vehicle to take a trip to the pit hooked up to a tow truck. Later in qualifying, another car spun backwards into the wall completely disabling the vehicle and sending the driver to the hospital for cat scans. Despite the dangers, there was still plenty of high speed action as the drivers came around the first turn pushing speeds of 120 miles per hour or more.


Front runner in D1 point standings, Yasuyki Kazama spun early in qualifying, pulling the front clip off of his Nissan Silva, but he returned with flying colors to qualify with a perfect 100 score. Also able to nail a perfect 100 was Tanner Foust in the AEM 350z. The beginning of the sweet 16 elimination rounds was full of showboating, complete with random donut battles between drivers and Kazama’s rodeo style burnouts in front of the judge’s stand! Even with the light hearted crowd pleasing antics of the drivers, the serious competition was about to get underway.


When all was said and done, Toshiki Yoshioka in his AE86 Toyota Corolla took the win over Nobushige Kumakubo in the Team Orange RWD Impreza, as if to prove that power is not always everything in professional drifting. Kumakubo was up tight against Yoshioka in the pursuit round, but apparently this was not enough to take the victory.