Ken Gushi
| Ken Gushi | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 Japanese |
| Born |
September 19, 1986 Okinawa, Japan |
| Related to |
Tsukasa Gushi Kyomi Gushi |
| D1 Grand Prix, Formula D career | |
| Debut season | 2002 |
| Car no. | 5 |
Kenshiro "Ken" Gushi (具志健士郎 Gushi Kenshiro, born September 19, 1986) is one of Japan's top competitors in the sport of drifting. Born in Okinawa, Japan, but raised in Los Angeles, he was taught by his father Tsukasa Gushi at the age of 13 with a Toyota AE86.[1] Ken has become the youngest competitor in both the D1 Grand Prix of Japan and the Formula Drift Championships of the U.S. when he was 16, despite not passing his driving test at the time.
Racing career
Ken reached #1 qualified, but loss at top 16 tandems, in 2004 Formula Drift Championship very first round at Road Atlanta.
A few weeks after Road Atlanta, Ken won the $10,000.00 Winner-Take All International Drifting Shoot-Out at the Road & Track U.S. Sports Car Invitational (30 April 2004 - 2 May 2004), part of the Mazda and Yokohama-sponsored event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Here at this famous race course, it hosted its first ever professional drifting competition, where 14 teams/drivers competed for the right to take home a $10,000 cash prize, the largest jackpot in drifting history in the U.S.[2]
Ken, piloting Rotora's Nissan 240SX took top honors as he defeated Japanese Pro D1 driver Kazu Hayashida of RS-R in the best 8, before eliminating Samuel Hübinette with Team Mopar/Lateral G Racing 500+ horsepower Dodge Viper in the semi finals en route to the finals against Rhys Millen with Team RMR's Pontiac GTO. Seventeen-year-old Ken Gushi, the youngest competing driver in D1 Grand Prix history bested Rhys Millen with a series of consistent bumper to bumper tandem drifting runs.
Finishing the 2004 Formula Drift season with his Nissan 240SX, Ken jumped into the Ford Racing backed Mustang GT in the 2005 series, finishing off the year in 3rd place overall, and winning the third round of the season in Houston, Texas to become Formula D's first Japanese-born event winner.
In 2007, following his father's dreams, Ken took on the challenge to race at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Though he had qualified 3rd place in the Pike's Peak Open class, Ken miscalculated a corner, taking the car off course.
Also, in 2007 he participated in the Forza Motorsport Showdown piloting the Royal Purple Team 350Z.
In 2008, Ken was picked up by Scion Racing and RS-R to pilot the first ever RWD converted Scion tC. This was done by using the Toyota Avensis chassis (which the Scion tC is based on and is originally an AWD platform) and first ever converted it into a RWD car.
In 2009, Ken got 2nd place at Sonoma. He ended up finishing 10th.
In 2010, Ken finished 15th.
April 16, 2011 Ken takes first place in the 35th annual Toyota Pro Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Ken joined fellow Scion Racing driver, Christian Rado in the track modified tCs for the 10 laps of competition. Ken finished in first place for the Pro category and 2nd overall behind actor William Fichtner.
June 2011, Ken takes 3rd place in the Formula Drift Asia at Singapore.
In 2011, Ken finished 14th in the 2010 Scion Racing tC.[3]
For the 2012 Formula Drift season, Gushi is driving the 2013 GPP Scion Racing FR-S w/ Hankook tires.[4][5] In the FR-S, he achieved a 4th-place finish at Round 5: Seattle.
Personal life
He attended St. Stephens School in Monterey Park, California. He attended Gabrielino High School in San Gabriel, California and Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, California.
References
- ↑ Ken Gushi Interview.Import Tuner. Retrieved on 05-10-2008.
- ↑ Ken Gushi winning Winner-Take All International Drifting Shoot-Out Drifting.com. Retrieved on 12 August 2009.
- ↑ http://www.formulad.com/drivers/profile/ken-gushi.php
- ↑ http://www.formulad.com/blog/2012/fd-news/confirmed-ken-gushi-to-drift-the-scion-fr-s-in-2012/
- ↑ http://www.formulad.com/drivers/profile/ken-gushi.php