The email went out at at 2:31 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on October 5th,  Hideo Tomitaka of D's Club Inc., organizer of D1 Grand Prix USA, notified his friends and colleagues that he has resigned his position with the organization.

In that email, Hideo thanked all of those who have helped him in bringing drifting to the USA, adding that "I have had [the] greatest experiences and [most] wonderful time here at D's Club Inc." 

You are probably wondering what happened, right?  

Those that know him know this is not the end for Hideo because he is a drift enthusiast at heart and more than anything he wants to see the drift motorsport reach its potential here in the states.  "It is now time for me to step out of the organization and to proceed to organize a true USA series of Drifting, 'DRIFTCAR of America.'"  

The little information he did provide about this new addition to the drift motorsport was vague.  Hideo said that he would bring his dedication, industry experience, and vision to the new series, hoping to "contribute in [the] prosperity of American racing."

Competition is never a bad thing.  In fact, many of us in the media believe changes are afoot at D1GP and Formula D to make drifting more accessible to drift enthusiasts.  While many in the drift community did not expect this sudden departure, especially given D1's recent success in bringing the fans of other more established motorsports out to drifting events in what we call hybrid events, Hideo may have felt that he could offer the drift motorsport more than he was able to contribute to its' development while working for D's Club.

We wish Hideo the best of luck in launching the new series and know that he will be successful at whatever he does!