Sailun Motorsport Achieves Victory in D1GP First Stop

From July 23 to 24, the opening round of the 2020 D1 Grand Prix Series (D1GP) officially took place at Okuibuki Motorpark, marking the 20th anniversary of the D1GP this year. With the greatest players of all time at such an unprecedented racing scale.

Sailun Motorsport has teamed up with many heavyweight drifters to participate in this international competition. Following a fierce event, four members of the Sailun Tire Drift Team placed in the top 16, three members placed in the top 8, and Tetsuya Hibino placed second with his  amazing final run. Meanwhile, the female drifter Kisaragi Awano, who took part in D1 Lights, a lower drift series in the D1GP, placed in the top 16. 

Sailun Tyre Drift Team

Tetsuya Hibino 

Kisaragi Awano

Thanks to strong support from the official D1GP and the efforts of Sailun Tire, this competition premiered live from Japan and online via Huya Live, Bilibili, and DouYu. Approximately two million viewers tuned in to watch the event, setting a new record.

First time broadcasted live

During the competition, the 32 participants were divided into 16 qualifiers and then into four groups. It started to rain halfway through Group A's run, creating exhilarating races throughout with moments of great uncertainty. From the Sailun Tire Drift Team, Shingo Hatanaka, Tanaka Seimi, Takahiro Ueno, and Tetsuya Hibino placed well in the top 16.

As 16 qualifiers were reduced to 8, the park's humidity only continuing to increase. For drifters, the rainy weather produced poor visibility, further enhancing their challenge. Despite the challenges, veteran Ueno Takahiro still managed to come out on top thanks to his experience and skills. Hatanaka Shingo also easily advanced forward when his opponent made two costly errors. Meanwhile, Tetsuya Hibino delivered as usual, securing his place in the top 8 with a seven-point lead. In the end, Tanaka Seimi was not able get ahead of the fierce competitor Masato Kawabata, losing the battle and missing the cutoff for the top 8.

The next showdown where eight competitors were reduced to four was even more brutal. This is where Takahiro Ueno met Tomohiro Murayama. Perhaps it was due to the drift, impatience, or the difficulty in controlling the Lexus RC's large body on wet surfaces. For whatever reason, at the first turn, he directly hit his opponent and ended the competition in the top 8. Shingo Hatanaka also was pitted against the strong opponent Fujino Hideyuki. The distance between the two was great from the start. In the second leg, Fujino Hideyuki opted to take a conservative tailing approach, causing  Shingo Hatanaka to lose his chance in entering the top 4. Tetsuya Hibino then faced Naoto Suenaga. In the first leg, Naoto Suenaga was able to secure a five-point advantage with his drift, but then, Tetsuya Hibino was able to demonstrate why is a top drifter. After catching up by being awarded eight points, he defeated his opponent by two points and entered the top 4.

In the semi-finals, we discovered who would stand on the podium, with Tetsuya Hibino taking a 17-point lead over his opponent and securing his position in the finals against Masato Kawabata. t This was were In the final drift, Tetsuya Hibino still maintained a rugged and bold style, scoring 95 points on the D1 Original Scoring System (DOSS). This once again gave him a boost to do his best on the wet course. Even while facing Kawabata's monster racing style and super terrifying skills, he was still able to take a four-point lead. After the two swapped positions, the power of Masato Kawabata's Supra captivated the audience. First, he drifted past Tetsuya Hibino on a straight line and used the rules to his advantage to make Tetsuya Hibino lose his rhythm in a close battle. Ultimately, Tetsuya Hibino lost to his opponent by five points and received second place. This has so far been a wonderful first round at the D1GP Okuibuki Drift with three drifters placing in the top 8 and one placing second.

Sailun Motorsport is passionate about motor sports. We are instilled with a sense of responsibility and drive to promote the motor sports culture nationwide, and  we will focus on t the next competition, the next season, and even the next decade. We will stay committed to our love for living in the moment and upholding our original mission. This marks the start of the Chinese drift movement, a sleeping giant that is slowly awakening.

In addition to D1GP, the Sailun Tyre Drift Team also be taking part in the Russian Drift Series (RDS) Grand Prix being held this year. This is the highest-level drifting event officially recognized in Russia. If you have ever witnessed the performance of Russian drifters in the IDC and Formula D, then you know that Russia does in fact live up to its Chinese nickname of "fighting nation".