Masato Kawabata

Drift legend · Japan

Masato Kawabata, D1 Grand Prix official driver portrait

Big power, record-book angle.

A D1 champion and Nissan GT-R hero who set the Guinness World Record for the fastest drift ever recorded.

Kawabata is one of Japan's most decorated modern drifters, a D1 Grand Prix champion who became the face of Nissan's GT-R drift program with Red Bull backing.

In 2016 he set the Guinness World Record for the fastest drift, sliding a 1,380 hp GT-R at just over 304 km/h (about 190 mph), a record that turned a competition driver into a mainstream headline.

His style, enormous horsepower held at enormous angle and speed, helped define the "more power" arc of modern drifting.

At a glance

  • Role: GT-R record-setter
  • Region: Japan

Career highlights

  • D1GP: Champion. Title-winning driver in Japan's premier drift series.
  • 2016: Guinness fastest-drift record. Drifts a GT-R at ~304 km/h, the fastest drift ever recorded.

Source: D1 Grand Prix, driver profile