Naoki Nakamura: From Team Burst to Double D1GP Champion (2026)
The Rundown
- Naoki Nakamura (b. 1982, Nara) is a two-time D1 Grand Prix champion — 2021 with 206 points in the pink S15, and 2024 in the V8 Silvia PS13 — per the official D1 ranking pages.
- Before D1GP he took three D1 Street Legal titles (2009, 2010 and 2014, per the Japan Automobile Federation), coming up through the Team Burst street-team era at Meihan Sportsland (Nara).
- His current D1 machine is the #99 GR86 with a 7.4-litre LSX V8 making around 1,200 PS, per D1's official spec sheet.
- As of 10 September 2026 he sits 2nd in the D1GP 2026 championship (74 points), leads the solo-run standings, and is 5th in Formula Drift Japan on 246 points — chasing both titles at once.
- His son Ryu Nakamura also races in D1GP, and the pair fought D1's first-ever father-versus-son battle at Autopolis in 2025.
Contents
Naoki Nakamura at a glance
No driver splits overseas drift fandom into believers and superfans quite like Naoki Nakamura (中村直樹) — the Nara native behind the pink S15, two D1 Grand Prix championships (2021 with 206 points, and 2024 in the V8 Silvia PS13 pictured above), and three D1 Street Legal titles before that. As of 10 September 2026 he is mid-campaign in both of Japan’s top series at once, sitting 2nd in D1GP and 5th in Formula Drift Japan. His story — checked here against D1’s official pages, JAF’s feature coverage and his own channels on 10 September 2026 — runs from a Kansai street team to the most-watched driving style in the sport.
Where did Naoki Nakamura come from?
The short answer is Meihan Sportsland, the walled Nara circuit that Kansai drifters treat as a rite of passage, and Team Burst, the crew he came up with in the Ikaten era — the amateur team contests run by Drift Tengoku video in the 2000s, whose surviving footage still circulates on YouTube. That scene explains the style: tight walls, big entries, zero margin. Asked about walls in a 2022 JAF interview, Nakamura put it plainly — a wall isn’t something to fear, it’s a reference point that actually helps.
His first professional silverware came in D1 Street Legal, the feeder series of the time: champion in 2009, 2010 and again in 2014, per the Japan Automobile Federation’s career summary.
What happened in 2011?
The gap between those titles has a documented reason. In January 2011 he was arrested on suspicion of traffic violations for drifting on a public road in Minoo, Osaka, the previous summer, as reported by the Mainichi Shimbun, and D1 Corporation announced it was suspending his appearances at its events indefinitely. It is the cautionary chapter of the story, and the sequel matters more: he rebuilt his career the sanctioned way, through D1SL and D1 Lights, regained his place in the top class, and never left it. Today the venue for that driving is a judged grid — and the walls are concrete, paid for, and legal to touch.
How good is he really? The record
| Year | Result | Car (official listing) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | First D1GP win, Rd.7 Autopolis; 6th overall | Silvia S15 |
| 2021 | D1GP champion — 206 pts | S15, MUGEN PLUS team ALIVE VALINO |
| 2022–23 | 3rd overall both years; first Drift Masters (Europe) season, 9th | V8 S13 debut, then GR86 |
| 2024 | D1GP champion, second title | V8 VALINO N-STYLE Silvia PS13 |
| 2025 | D1GP 3rd (144 pts) despite skipping two rounds; Drift Masters Grand Finale podium | GR86 (ZN8) |
| 2026 | 2nd in D1GP (74 pts) and leading the solo-run standings; 5th in FDJ (246 pts) — as of 10 Sep | #99 GR86 / #999 GR86 |
Two details separate him from other champions. First, the solo run: in 2026 he opened the season with back-to-back solo-run wins including a 100.6-point run at Aichi, and he leads the solo-run standings — judges keep scoring his entries as the benchmark. Second, the machinery: he has now won D1 titles in two different chassis — the S15 and the V8-swapped PS13 — and campaigns a 7.4-litre LSX GR86 that D1’s own spec sheet lists at around 1,200 PS.
The pink S15, the V8 Silvia, and the family business
For overseas fans the cars are half the legend. The 2JZ S15 — pink fade paint he applied himself, per photographer coverage of the VALINO era — went with him to World Time Attack in Sydney in 2018 (the organiser billed it at 1,100 hp) and to a full Drift Masters season in Europe in 2023. The V8 PS13 proved a street-era chassis could still win the 2024 title outright. If that shape tempts you, our S15 buyer’s guide covers what the road-going versions cost in Japan now.
Off track he runs N-Style Japan Company from Sakurai, Nara — wheels, wide-tread spacers and drift hardware sold through his own store — and the next generation is already on the grid: his son Ryu Nakamura races in D1GP, and their 2025 meeting at Autopolis was billed by D1’s media partner as the first father-versus-son battle in series history.
Where can you see him in 2026?
Everywhere, by design: his company’s stated goal for 2026 is the D1GP and Formula Drift Japan double championship. The remaining chances this season are on the event calendar — D1GP runs Ebisu (Fukushima) on 25–27 September and Autopolis after that, while FDJ closes at Okayama. Between rounds he promotes grassroots drift days at Meihan Sportsland through his own channels, which means the most accessible version of the Nakamura experience is also the original one: a small Nara circuit, walls close enough to read the sponsor stickers. Our Meihan Sportsland guide covers how the circuit actually operates.
Watch drifting at Meihan and the Kansai circuits
Meihan's public information is Japanese-only and its four-wheel running happens on organiser days you have to find and enter — the exact step where overseas visitors give up. We track those dates and handle the Japanese-language entry legwork: tell us your Kansai dates and we'll line up the drift days worth building a trip around.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Naoki Nakamura?
Naoki Nakamura (中村直樹, born 14 March 1982 in Nara) is a Japanese professional drifter: D1 Grand Prix champion in 2021 and 2024, three-time D1 Street Legal champion (2009, 2010, 2014 per the JAF), and founder of the parts brand N-Style. He came up through the Team Burst street-team era with Meihan Sportsland as his home circuit, and as of September 2026 he races in both D1GP and Formula Drift Japan.
What car does Naoki Nakamura drive now?
As of September 2026 his D1 Grand Prix machine is the #99 TEAM VALINO WORKS Toyota GR86, which D1's official spec sheet lists with a 7.4-litre LSX V8 making around 1,200 PS, Wisefab steering and an OS Giken clutch. His 2024 title came in the V8 Silvia PS13, and his 2021 championship car was the 2JZ-powered pink S15 that made him famous overseas.
Why was Naoki Nakamura suspended from D1?
In January 2011 he was arrested on suspicion of traffic violations for drifting on a public road in Minoo, Osaka, in August 2010, as reported by the Mainichi Shimbun, and D1 Corporation announced it was suspending his event appearances indefinitely. He worked his way back through D1 Street Legal — winning the 2014 title — and returned to D1GP, taking his first victory at Autopolis in 2019 and the championship in 2021.
Where can I watch Naoki Nakamura drift in 2026?
He is entered in both major Japanese series in 2026: D1 Grand Prix (remaining rounds include Ebisu Circuit in Fukushima on 25–27 September and Autopolis in October) and Formula Drift Japan, where he sits 5th on 246 points with the Okayama finale remaining. He also promotes grassroots drift days at Meihan Sportsland (Nara) through his own channels.
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