Industry figure’s champion effort
Keisuke Nagashima is keen to show off his motorsport talents in a Toyota Corolla AE86 overseas after clinching the Repco D1NZ Pro-Sport Championship title in his third season at that level.
Nagashima, director of Bordercheck, clinched the 2024 drifting title after finishing top of the drivers’ standings with 402 points.
The series, which features a Pro and Pro-Sport section, has been around since 2003 and attracts drivers from across New Zealand and a number from overseas.
The latest championship featured five races, with Nagashima getting off to a winning start after taking the chequered flag at Taupo Motorsport Park in mid-December.
A mechanical issue led to him finishing 12th in the next round at Hampton Downs Club Circuit, but he was back on the podium during a double-header at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon where we clinched two second places.
Those results had Nagashima leading the title race ahead of the season’s finale at Mercury Baypark, Tauranga, in mid-May.
After qualifying fourth for the Bay of Plenty event, he gained two places in the race itself to finish second and secure the title.
He says it was a “very close championship” and he topped the table ahead of Daniel Edwards with 334 points and Adam Whitehead on 322.
“I have been competing in the D1NZ Pro-Sport series for the last two years, this being our third season in the 86Fighters Toyota Corolla AE86 Levin,” adds Nagashima.
“So to get a win on our third season was a great accomplishment. On top of that, we were the first Toyota to ever win a series in D1NZ's 21-year history, the first AE86 to win a professional competition globally in over 20 years and the first four-cylinder vehicle to win a championship in D1NZ over 12 years in NZ, which is unreal.”
He notes he has been fascinated by Toyota AE86 models since he was 11 and has been driving them since the age of 15.
“To get a win in one was a personal challenge of mine to achieve, let alone a whole championship,” he continues.
“Brian McCutcheon, a director of Autofile, also helped me along this path about 10 years ago when he helped me get my first proper race suit. So, a huge thanks to him for helping me get to this point.
“This current car is the most competitive form of the AE86 chassis that I have ever built. They are not easy cars to drive, mine still doesn't have power steering and is still live axle diff but it means you really have to out-drive the car to get its full potential, which is what I enjoy.”
Besides competing in New Zealand, he has also done drift demos in Australia at Meguiar’s MotorEx in Melbourne and raced with some success at a grassroots level in Japan where he has a Nissan Silvia drift car.
“I would love to take my 86 overseas to showcase what New Zealand has to offer by going to events like World Time Attack in Sydney and even taking it back to Japan,” says Nagashima.
“I would also like to continue to compete at a professional level but that requires financial backing at a level I don't quite have currently, so we will see where it takes me.
“However, I will continue to do fun events and drive where I can.”
Nagashima says if anyone is interested in supporting his motorsports programme, they can contact him at Team@86fighters.com
