Dai Yoshihara's Crazy Origin Story

Dai Yoshihara is a  professional driver who has competed in Formula D,  Time Attack, Road Racing, and Hill Climb. And it all started with a motorcycle. Sort of.  On this episode we find out how Dai got his start in driving, drifting, and the unlikely meeting that led to his first drift event and ultimately, his career. Dai walks us through his car history; the differences between road racing and drifting; why he loves the Pikes Peak Hill Climb; his AE86 builds; and the one race car he would own if he could. Some of his most notable  moments: he won the Formula D championship in 2011, 3rd place in the 25  Hours of Thunderhill, 1st overall in the 2019 Global Time Attack Super  Lap Battle,  and took 1st place in the Unlimited class  (and 9th  overall) at the  Pikes Peak International Hill Climb of 2020. He's also  been a drift judge, a precision driver,  co-hosted a show on Hagerty  along with our own Zack Klapman, and has been the face of many brands.    Recorded August 16, 2022   Head to Policygenius.com to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save. Use Off The Record! and ALWAYS fight your tickets! Enter code TST10 for a 10% discount on your first case on the Off The Record app, or go to http://www.offtherecord.com/TSTGet your DILLON OPTICS sunglasses through The Smoking Tire and receive a free t-shirt! https://thesmokingtire.com/partners-1 Want your question answered? Want to watch the live stream, get ad-free podcasts, or exclusive podcasts? Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thesmokingtirepodcast Tweet at us!https://www.Twitter.com/thesmokingtirehttps://www.Twitter.com/zackklapman Instagram:https://www.Instagram.com/thesmokingtirehttps://www.Instagram.com/therealzackklapman    Want your question answered? Want to watch the live stream, get ad-free podcasts, or exclusive podcasts? Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thesmokingtirepodcast Use Off The Record! and ALWAYS fight your tickets! Enter code TST10 for a 10% discount on your first case on the Off The Record app, or go to http://www.offtherecord.com/TST. Watch our car reviews: https://www.youtube.com/thesmokingtire  Tweet at us!https://www.Twitter.com/thesmokingtirehttps://www.Twitter.com/zackklapman Instagram:https://www.Instagram.com/thesmokingtirehttps://www.Instagram.com/therealzackklapman