Daigo Saito: The Drifter Who Won Both D1GP and Formula Drift (2026)

Ask overseas drift fans to name one Japanese driver and you will usually hear Daigo Saito (齋藤太吾, also written 斎藤太吾) — the Saitama driver who won the D1 Grand Prix championship in 2008 and 2016 and the Formula Drift USA championship in 2012, and who is widely described as the only person to hold both of drifting’s biggest crowns. He is still on the grid: as of September 2026 he races the #87 A90 Supra in Formula Drift Japan and D1GP simultaneously, at age 46. Everything below is drawn from the official series pages and his own team’s site, checked on 10 September 2026.

How did Daigo Saito become champion?

Saito’s official D1 record starts in 2004, and D1’s own twenty-year history frames him as a driver who arrived unknown and climbed the hard way — 32nd in the standings in 2005, 14th in 2006, 7th in 2007, then champion in 2008 in his fifth season. Drift fandom loves an overnight sensation; Saito’s actual record is four years of grinding through one of the deepest fields in motorsport.

The style that carried him there is documented in unusually plain terms for an official body: when D1 summarised his 2016 title — five event wins in a single season — it credited his astonishing corner speed. Saito’s drifting has always been power and commitment first, finesse second, and the judges kept rewarding it.

What happened when he went to America?

In 2012 Saito crossed the Pacific with Bridges Racing and a 2JZ-powered Lexus SC430 — and won the Formula Drift USA championship at his first attempt. The series’ own press release from Irwindale that October records two things overseas fans still argue about at grill sessions: that he clinched the title as the first series rookie ever to do so, and that he was “arguably considered the best drifter in the world” at the time. Toyota Gazoo Racing’s profile adds back-to-back Formula Drift Asia titles in 2011 and 2012 to the same era.

That SC430 also changed the American series around it. Contemporary US coverage described the car as simply out-gunning the field, and the seasons that followed became a horsepower arms race that reshaped FD builds — a shift fans traced directly to Saito’s arrival.

▶ #BATTLEDRIFT — Vaughn vs. Daigo Monster Energy · official channel click to load from youtube

What cars is he famous for?

The #87 garage reads like nothing else in drifting, and every entry below is confirmed either by an official series page or by Fat Five Racing’s own build list:

If the JZX Mark II shape above makes your heart rate climb, we wrote a full buyer’s guide to the same chassis — the JZX100 Chaser buyer’s guide covers what the street versions cost in Japan now.

What is Fat Five Racing?

Unlike most factory-backed stars, Saito owns his operation. Fat Five Racing sits at 681-4 Iwaoka-cho in Tokorozawa, Saitama — suburban Tokyo commuter country — and its official pages list race-car construction, tuning, race support and parts sales, plus FAT FIVE LAND, a hang-out facility the shop rents out for barbecues and touring meets. The build portfolio is the résumé: Mark IIs, the SC430, R35s, an S15, an Altezza and the Murciélago all came out of this workshop, which also maintains the current D1 Supra.

Where is Daigo Saito now?

Still racing — twice over. As of 10 September 2026, Formula Drift Japan’s official driver page shows him ranked 15th on 142 points in the 2026 season, and D1GP’s 2026 entry lists carry him as #87 FAT FIVE RACING POPRACE SUPRA. His 2025 attempt at a Formula Drift USA comeback with Jerry Yang Racing ended early: by his own account posted to Instagram in July 2025, he was refused entry to the United States under the visa-waiver programme on the way to a round, and he does not appear on FD’s 2026 roster.

For a visiting fan this is the good news: you do not need a time machine to watch him. The 2026 event calendar lists every remaining D1GP and FDJ round, and our D1GP vs Formula Drift Japan spectator guide explains how tickets differ between the two series he is currently splitting his weekends across.