is a drifting driverMSC CHALLENGE ROUND 2 AT EBISU CIRCUIT , Speedhunters.com, May 30, 2008 who in 2008 made the switch from D1 Grand Prix into the US Formula D series before moving back to Japan in 2010 to compete in the Formula Drift series there. He drove a Mazda RX-8 which was tuned with a 20B three-rotor engine producing a power of 429HP. He has achieved one victory from the D1GP series, came second place in Formula Drift Japan 2019 and won the series in 2020 for Team Weld driving a Toyota JZX100. Previously he was known for driving the Toyota AE86 and is one of the founding members of the legendary Japanese drift team Running Free. MSC CHALLENGE , Speedhunters.com, July 22, 2008 ("This RX8 from JIC Magic is a recent addition to MSC and is by far one of the more "pro level" cars in the series. The driver of this car is Koichi Yamashita of Running Free AE86 fame. He won the Expert Class at this year's Ebisu MSC round in this car.") References