CHASING NORTH AMERICA’S PRO DRIFTING CROWN
Photo courtesy of Evan Fitzgerald and DRIFTEM Correspondent Clutch Chick Media.
The Story of Jerry Yang Racing.
From humble beginnings modifying street cars to becoming the mastermind behind a top-tier drift team, Jerry Yang - the founder of Jerry Yang Racing - has consistently redefined the limits of the sport of drifting. Nestled in the heart of small-town Georgia, his state-of-the-art garage is a hive of activity, blending tradition with innovation. Within these walls, Yang isn’t just building race cars, he’s cultivating a legacy.
Despite his current involvement in the drifting motorsport, Yang’s love for cars began with modified Hondas and drag racing. Nevertheless, when drifting gained momentum in the United States around 2004, Yang’s interest grew into ambition.
“I knew it came from Japan, so I did some research watching YouTube…,” Yang reflected in a 2023 interview, “I thought, ‘Yeah, I want to do this, I want to have my own team one day.’”
To make that dream a reality, Yang initially went on to work for other Formula DRIFT teams to gain the experience that would evolve into the knowledge he brings to his own team today.
Photo courtesy of Evan Fitzgerald and DRIFTEM Correspondent Clutch Chick Media.
A Hub of Drifting Innovation.
The Yang Family compound is a sight to behold. At its heart is a sprawling 9,000-square-foot shop where Jerry Yang builds drift cars and engines, and fabricates parts. This shop is the epitome of the phrase, “where the magic happens.”
One room houses vehicle lifts, most of the team’s Formula DRIFT cars, and nearly every tool needed to support a competitive drift team — from a plasma table to tire machines. In the next room, Yang builds engines and operates the team’s Mainline Pro Hub Dyno alongside the formidable Godzilla GTR. Scattered throughout the shop, various projects wait their turn for the Yang Racing treatment.
Photos courtesy of Evan Fitzgerald and DRIFTEM Correspondent Clutch Chick Media.
That spirit of innovation extends beyond the shop. Since 2017, JYR has partnered with Wisefab to level up their drift car performance, especially the GT86 chassis that various JYR drivers use in Formula DRIFT competition.
“In drifting, you have to have a lot of steering angle, and it’s the most important thing," said Yang. “So we worked with Wisefab to design a V2 for the FRS/GT86, and that is something I’m proud of.”
A highlight of the JYR and Wisefab collaboration, the kit has proven to be important for dependable performance at crucial moments on the high-speed U.S. tracks.
“Steering feel is very predictable and confidence inspiring, which is huge for drivers,” said Mike Monterone, USA Sales Coordinator for Wisefab. “If drivers KNOW the steering will work at 100% lap-after-lap, they feel more comfortable pushing the boundaries of their driving.”
Photo courtesy of Evan Fitzgerald and DRIFTEM Correspondent Clutch Chick Media.
Building PRO Drifting Grip and Momentum.
Inspired by his passion for modified Hondas and drag racing, Yang directed his experience into a 20-year career that honed his engineering skills at Nissan USA. During this time, he became ASE Master Certified, specializing in fabrication and engine building.
In 2006, Yang entered the drift scene alongside Kenji Yamanaka, and later teamed up with Kei Muira in 2015 to build the first Rocket Bunny-fitted S15 in the United States. This engineering mindset and love for problem solving set Yang up for success in the high stakes world of drifting, “I like challenges. More challenge means I’m learning, right?” he said, reflecting on his journey.
Yang’s first taste of managing a team came through a partnership with professional drifter Robbie Nishida. In 2017, he built the 2014 Nissan GTR known as “Godzilla” for Nishida to drive during the 2017 Formula DRIFT North America (N.A.) PRO season.
In a 2020 FD Documentary, Nishida highlighted Yang’s impact on the team, “If I had to guess his blood type in the Japanese standards, he would be an A, because they are usually perfectionists. I mean the car is so nice, it feels like a waste to have to drive it really hard on track.”
Following Nishida’s retirement from drifting in 2017, Jerry took it as an opportunity to expand the operation into a full-on racing team. Thus, Jerry Yang Racing (JYR) was born!
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Clutch Chick Media.
Shaping The JYR Legacy.
Introduced to Yang by Nishida, Kazuya Taguchi joined the team for his 2019 Formula DRIFT N.A. debut. A veteran of Japan’s drifting scene since 2007, including notable performances in the D1 Grand Prix (D1GP), Taguchi earned a reputation for his aggressive driving style. Kazuya has also worked as a professional stunt driver and content creator. In 2024, he finished 18th overall in the Formula Drift N.A. series in his JYR #123 GT86, before announcing he would be taking a break from competition that same year.
Photos courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondents Tim Jarvis and Andrei Popov.
Joining the team and the PROSPEC championship in 2020, driver Nate Chen came onto the scene as a formidable rookie contender, finishing eighth overall that year. Chen continues to be a rising athlete, winning the 2024 E-Town Gambler 235 series and finishing seventh overall during the 2024 FD PROSPEC season.
BMW pilot Nick Noback also drove under the JYR moniker briefly in Formula DRIFT’s 2023 season, earning JYR a win at Irwindale.
Photo courtesy of Formula DRIFT.
Yang’s New Yin.
Photo courtesy of Shinji Minowa.
In 2024, following another well-timed Nishida introduction, Yang added teen drifting sensation Hiroya Minowa to the team, at a mere 14-years-old.
Minowa was raised in a drifting household, with both parents competing and winning as professional drifters in Japan. Nevertheless, letting their son get behind the wheel at the tender age of seven was all his idea.
“Yeah, they didn’t push it; it’s all Hiro,” confirmed Yang in a 2024 interview. “Hiro wanted it.”
Between hitting the track so early, and Minowa’s relentless practice of honing his skills in SIM racing and grassroots competitions, he was more than ready to make his 2021 international debut in Formula DRIFT JAPAN. He qualified first and finished fifth that season, followed by a second place overall finish in 2023.
Minowa’s 2024 Formula DRIFT N.A. debut was equally as successful. He earned the esteemed ‘Rookie of the Year’ title after two podium finishes, and had a strong season finish of fourth overall.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Tim Jarvis.
This season, the young Minowa is already kicking into gear, most recently making Formula DRIFT history at the circuit’s Orlando Speed World stop last weekend, earning the top spot on the podium and the distinction of being the youngest first-place contender ever in Formula DRIFT N.A. The win puts Minowa and the JYR Family in third place overall for points in the 2025 series standings thus far.
Speaking to Minowa's remarkable achievement in Orlando, Formula DRIFT president Ryan Sage said, “Once again, Hiroya proved he’s one of the best new talents in the world, despite his young age.”
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Tim Jarvis.
Amazingly, JYR adds Minowa’s history-making moment to what was already shaping up to be a notable 2025 season for the team after the 2012 Formula DRIFT N.A. champion and 25-year professional drifting veteran Daigo Saito announced he would return to the league after a decade away.
“We brought back former champion Daigo Saito because we believed it’s what the fans truly wanted. Giving fans the chance to meet and watch a legend like him drive again was an opportunity we wanted to give U.S. FD fans,” Yang said, adding, “Huge thanks to our top partners—Enjuku Racing, BC Racing, and GT Radial—for believing and agreeing to the vision. Once they gave us the green light, we knew it was time to make it happen. We reached out to Daigo, and he agreed to join us.”
With two D1GP titles (2008 and 2016 respectively), a 2012 FD Asia championship, the pre-noted FD N.A. championship, and a celebrated list of other achievements, Saito adds a wealth of experience and driving skill to a racing team that was already drifting down a winning straight-away.
Moreover, as an owner of Fat Five Racing, Saito himself has built several unique drift cars from a drift-spec Lamborghini to the first drift-spec Toyota GR Supra, and even a Nissan Hakosuka. Saito’s blend of technical skill and driving talent will surely make him an invaluable and inevitable asset to the JYR Formula DRIFT roster.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Tim Jarvis.
Japanese Drifting Dynamic.
JYR’s shift to an predominantly Japanese driver lineup has melded the team into a group that is rooted in shared understanding and culture.
“I mean, it’s definitely a lot easier to work with,” Jerry Yang reflected, referring to his relationship with each Japanese driver. “Even though we don’t speak the same language, we understand each other. ‘I know what he’s thinking, he knows what I’m thinking’. It works out pretty well.”
That deep-rooted connection has fostered not only effective communication but strong camaraderie within the team, although Yang acknowledged Japanese drivers face unique challenges when adapting to U.S. competitions.
“The U.S. driving style is different from the Japanese driving style,” Yang explained. “Japanese drivers coming over to the U.S. are more focused on learning the American way of driving, rather than Americans trying to adapt to their style.”
However, Yang also noted that the key differences are in the tracks themselves. “The U.S. has a faster track than Japan… Atlanta’s pretty fast, Utah is fast, St. Louis is fast, Irwindale [was] pretty fast too. A lot of U.S. tracks are pretty fast compared to Japan’s,” he added.
Yet, while Japanese tracks may be slower, it is universally acknowledged in the drifting world they also demand a higher level of technical precision. The kind of precision that fosters a different level of driver concentration. Yet, despite what might be thought of as competitive tension, Yang confirmed it’s the team’s respect for each other and their focus that defines the JYR dynamic.
“It's tough. I want both drivers to podium, but it's not like I am favoring. It's just a tough position I’m in,” Yang admitted, indicating everyone works together collegially, and each driver understands, “Whoever wins, wins.”
Pushing Ever-Closer to a PRO Drifting Title.
Photo courtesy of Formula DRIFT.
Could this be the year for JYR to get a serious shot at taking the North American professional drifting championship? With Minowa shattering records, and professional drifting champ Saito returning to the U.S. competitive drifting scene, the team is certainly poised to keep pushing the envelope.
Even multi-season Formula DRIFT N.A. champions openly admit the secret to winning the title takes the right combination of driver, vehicle, and team. So, Jerry Yang’s unwavering commitment to engineering excellence, combined with the raw talent of drivers like Minowa, Saito, and Chen, could be the right combination to propel JYR to the forefront of the Formula DRIFT grid.
Of course, anything can happen in drifting, so we’ll all have to wait until October’s final round in Long Beach to see what the verdict is. Nevertheless, it is a remarkable fusion of expertise and precision driving that not only defines the JYR team approach, but also continues to set new standards for competitive drifting.
For more on the JYR team, be sure to check out their official social channels and website to stay connected to this powerhouse of a drift team.
