I can thank my love for drifting due to my father (Mel Launder). There are many key points in my childhood that I could look back on but as always there are a few that stood out.
My earliest and most prominent memory is when my dad brought home a DVD that many are familiar with the “DRIFT BIBLE”. We watched it together and I was glued to the TV, you can’t imagine how many times I rewatched it. My poor mother had to deal with me putting it on repeat constantly.
Watching Keiichi Tsuchiya demonstrate the six basic forms of drifting (E-Brake, Shift Lock, Power Over, Braking, Feint & Lift-Off). I would constantly think of all these techniques with the dream that one day I could perform them myself. From this our collection grew with old D1GP, D1SL, Option videos and even my first taste of the US with a Drift Alliance DVD.
In 2007 my parents surprised me (and my sister of course) that we would be venturing to Japan! This was huge! Countless hours of watching Japanese DVD`s, hunting forums and fascinating about Japan in general was no longer going to be from a screen.
Please enjoy these photos from D1GP RD1 at Minami, EBISU Circuit 2008
My sister and I meeting Kazuyoshi Okamura & Daijiro Inada
To this day I still love the lamb style doors, Vertical bonnet modification and the V-mount radiator/intercooler set up.
I got to meet Kumakubo-san for the first time. Little would I know that in the future I would not only visit his amazing facility again but I would have my own car there!
