Turbo: Tell us a short history of yourself.
Takahiro Ueno: I was born in Hokkaido, Japan, and moved to Kagoshima where I attended school and was raised by my family. During my teenage years, I moved to Yokohama where I worked various mechanic jobs until I acted on my dreams and opened my own company called Vertex, which specializes in aero kits.
T: How old are you?
TU: I will be 32 in November 2003.
T: How did you begin your career in the automotive scene? Did you begin any circuit racing or track racing before you began drifting?
TU: I actually began my early career racing motorbikes but I've always had a love for cars. On my 18th birthday, I took the driver's test and finally got my license. No more than a week into receiving my license, I purchased an R32 Skyline. At the time the car had just come out in Japan, so I was pretty excited and bought it-with the help of a car loan, of course (laughing). No, I didn't start on the tracks or circuit. I honed my skills and practiced drifting and racing on the streets at Futo or at the touge (mountain roads). It was from that point that I wanted to try drifting in circuit courses rather than take my chances on the streets.
Turbo: Tell us about the drifting scene in Japan. Is it portrayed exactly how it is in videos such as Option and magazines such as Drift Tengoku? Or is there a dark side we don't know about?
TU: A dark side to the sport? Most definitely, but spectators and enthusiasts only see the positive side of the sport. They're often not exposed to the dirty side of the drifting scene that we see regularly. Drifting costs money; that's the bottom line.
In the earlier days when drifting events such as D1 didn't have big sponsors in the tire industry, many people would go around and pick up old tires off the streets or steal them from cars. Spectators were thrilled to see cars drifting with lots of tire smoke, but the truth is, they had no idea the individual was using stolen tires on his/her car. Gas stations were often victims of stolen tires as many stations leave their tire supplies outside, only secured by a single padlock. That's just one aspect of drifting that spectators and audiences don't know or see, and manufacturers don't want you to know about.
T: What is the most memorable event in your drifting career?
TU: Two come to my mind. The first was my first experience in drifting on a circuit track. I was able to drift my car all the way to the semifinals. Although I came in second place, I considered it a great accomplishment.
The second most memorable event was round 4 of the 2001 D1 Grand Prix, at Ebisu circuit in Japan. I drifted my way to first place in the rain at the event and first place in the points ranking, taking the number one spot. At the following event I wasn't able to retain my point status and fell to third, which was heart wrenching.
Before D1 Grand Prix became popular in Japan, I was winning a large number of events but as time progressed, competition and competitors became fiercer.
T: What was the most disastrous event you can recall in your drifting career?
TU: Events in the rain are usually the most difficult events to compete in. When I was campaigning a 180SX at an event, there was a thunderstorm and I ran into the same hairpin wall twice during competition. Those were my biggest crashes. I have been lucky so far, without suffering a major crash...yet.
T: Even famous drifters like yourself have idols. Who do you look up to in the drifting scene?
TU: I look up to Keiichi Tsuchiya and Orido Manabu. Nobuteru Taniguchi (HKS S15) is also an amazing competitor. That guy drifts at such a high level, it forces the rest of the competitors to improve their game.
T: Why did you decide to campaign a Soarer (Lexus SC300) in the D1 Grand Prix?
TU: For the love of the car, of course! It was pretty uncommon in the early years for people to drift Soarers. I wanted to drive a car that not too many people have seen on the track. I have always been the type of guy who wants to do something that hasn't ever been done before and being one of the first to drift a Soarer seemed logical.
The Soarer is a good-looking car and it's very comfortable. It's a luxury car. I own a fleet of six Soarers. [ed note: My mouth drops as I shout "six Soarers?!"] Yes, I've always thought it was important to be different from the typical crowd. If a car is sporting 16-inch rims, I go with 17s. If it has 19s, I go with 20s. Although 18 inches is the standard right now for drifting, I like to take it to the next level in whatever I do.