Ken Takahashi
From Drift Judge to Gymkhana King
“Best way to explain it is autocross freestyle. Trust me, it's fun and it's something everybody can get into.”
I personally have never been a big fan of autocrossing. I always saw autocrossing the same way a kid would look at vegetables: you know its good for you but, you still don't like eating them. I do know that autocross is probably the best way to learn car control and build up your reflexes. The more I did it the better I got, but it's still just not my cup of tea. We heard that Formula D judge and Best Motoring International cohort Ken Takahashi is looking to start a series of gymkhana events here in California . My initial reaction was “WTF is gymkhana?” I did some Googling and found a few vague descriptions basically saying that gymkhana is navigating your way around a course set by cones. That sounds just like autocrossing to me! What's the difference? We decided to ask Ken. So I got a hold of Ken right before he took off for the Tokyo Auto Salon. We talked about how he got his start in the industry, the hardest part about being a Formula D judge, and this gymkhana thing.
Everyone knows you as one of the Formula D judges, but you've been around long before we had an American drifting series. Could you take us back and talk about how you got involved in the industry?
In the early '90s I helped a friend open a shop. I was the sales manager and the company was called Racing Sports Akimoto. We were the first to make a high quality air intake that worked. Akimoto was also the first to import and announce plans to sell the Nissan Skyline GTR (but we never did). I later opened my own shop, Ground Zero, and was exporting a lot of custom cars and hot rods to Japan . In '98 I got together with three of my friends and we started MotoRex. In '99 I was the first to own an R34. Later, I picked up a body kit Company called Cwest and became their US distributor. I also played a part in bringing Best Motoring International here to the US .
What would you say is the hardest part about being a Formula D judge?
It is the loneliest position in Formula D.
Everyone on the Formula D circuit seems to be pretty friendly with each other. Are you friends with any of the drivers?
Yes, I have been very fortunate that under the spirit of competition there is a strong camaraderie. I want to see all the drivers do well and have good runs so I talk to a lot of them, giving advice, letting them know what the judges are looking for, both for the US and Japanese drivers.
Word has it that you're looking to start a gymkhana series here in the States. What the heck is gymkhana? Start with the right way to pronounce it!
Pronounced: jim- kah -n uh. Best way to explain it is autocross freestyle. Trust me, it's fun and it's something everybody can get into.
How is gymkhana different from auto crossing?
It's very different! In auto crossing you have course laid out with cones or pylons to simulate a track. The object is to go though as fast as you can and you're timed. Probably the only similarity is “cones” and “timed.” In gymkhana you have an open field (or parking lot); in the distance you will probably see like five to nine cones—that's it! Prior to running, during the drivers meeting, the instructor lays out the course in which you have to navigate through, you have to memorize, this may mean you have to slalom through one set of cones, then 360 doughnut around another, then figure 8 across another set of cones, double back to the first cone, make a tight circle and finish. Gymkhana not only exercises your driving skills where you have to incorporate road racing, rally and drifting techniques, but it also tests your mental skills of staying focused in memorizing the course.
Why did you pick gymkhana to do as an event? What about it do you feel will make it “the next big thing”?
Almost 90% of the new cars today on the American highway are not RWD. In gymkhana you're challenging the driver's skill, so you can compete with a front-wheel-drive car, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive. They even have a competition class for completely stock cars. Admit it, there are lot of people who like performance cars—you see them on the street all day long, a BMW M3, Audi S4, a fixed-up G35 or 350Z, a nice Evo or WRX. But they are not going to drive two hours to Buttonwillow or Willow Springs to beat their car up. That's where gymkhana comes to play: it's close, convenient, and gives car owners the ability to drive their car in a manner that they will probably get arrested if it was in a public street. Gymkhana also provides a competitive arena for low-horse-powered or econo cars like Scions and the fast-growing Yaris. Heck, you can even compete with a hybrid.
For drifting you need a specific type of car and setup. Is there an “ideal” type of car needed for gymkhana?
No, any car can gymkhana. There are several different classes: front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive, and mid/rear-engine. Separated by stock, modified, and unlimited classes.
Do you have any specific venues locked down for the events?
For '07 we're planning to start of with just three venues by summer's end. They will all be with in the city limits of Los Angeles and Orange County for convenience. We do have Irwindale, and Dodger Stadium, along with Pomona and Hollywood Park in the works and more growing. You can check out gymkhanausa.com for more info.
On another note, I heard that you have a thing for collecting watches. Are you the kind of guy who will drop $15k on a timepiece because it took some German dude five years to make it by hand? How did this hobby come about? Jewelry was invented to accentuate a woman's beauty. Real men don't wear jewelry, instead we wear fine timepieces. A fine watch celebrates our love for all things mechanical and the appreciation for the pursuit of making a precision instrument. I guess that's why a lot of car buffs love watches too…it's art in motion .
How many watches do you have? What's the most you've ever spent on one?
Hahaha…. Watch collectors often say that collecting watches is a sickness; if that's the case, I'm pretty sick. With watches that are worth more than $2K, I think I have over 14. What was the most I've ever spent? Let just say I'm wearing a Lexus on my wrist |