Celebration – DRIFT SMACK DOWN – In most of the posts on the website here, we talk about the full break down and specification list of a specific vehicle. However, in this article, we’re going a step further. We’ll be talking about the Japanese drift team CELEBRATION from their beginnings in 2001 to the present year 2022. They just recently held a 20th anniversary event where the team got together and drifted like they do so often but with a special “celebration”.
I wrote about the founder’s car, probably my favorite S14 with amazing driving, reminds me of my own style of driving, here: (https://exec-11.us/2017/02/04/yasuhikos-nissan-silvia). Each car is very well done and the drivers are matched with skill!
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Team Celebration started in Kanagawa prefecture Japan, in 2001. The team has had a number of different drivers over the years. They started with 7 and are now at 14 members (as of 2022), granted 2 of them retired 10 years ago. It seems as though the team started as friends with what cars they liked, could afford, or had at the time. The cars were all different chassis’, different colors, and slightly different styles; friends who wanted to start drifting at more of a competition level while still having fun! That being said, each member went through a phase of different chassis’ until they found what was a perfect match.
Below, we will start with the original lineup as of the first years when they were 7 members:
Niwa’s (1st Leader) JZX100 Chaser
大谷’s S14
川嶋’s JZX90 Cresta
靖彦‘s AE86
藤原’s AE86 ~ Retired 10 years ago
菊地‘s R32
健太‘s JZX90 MarkII ~ Retired 10 years ago
This was the very early years, maybe 2001-2002. As you can see, the cars were all different. Shortly after, a few members got S14 Silvias. Slowly becoming more of a “matched” drift team.
As time went on, they got color matched starting with silver as the team color and moving to red. During the years they also added the 2 newer members and as the years progressed, so did the cars. Most of the team changed over the Silvias as they are easy to slide and manuvour as well as aftermarket support is vast.
As of 2004, 大谷 shifted from the blue, then silver, S14 to this S15. He has been on the cover of both Drift Tengoku and BM magazines. He has also participated in Drift Muscle.
川嶋 went from the JZX90 Cresta, to a JZX110 MarkII, then an S13 as his final choice.
When he first purchased the S13 as white then had it repainted red for the team.
靖彦 went from the red AE86 to the silver zenki S14 in 2002. In 2009, he did a kouki conversion and had it painted red to match the team.
岡野‘s 180sx
岡野 recently changed to a Silvia front end with other aero updates!
久保田 180sx ~ My personal favorite car of the team, 2nd to Yasuhiko’s S14.
His 180sx has changed a lot!
Classic look! 2022 version
冨手’s JZX100 Chaser
冨手’s JZX100 as of 2022 – Tons of updates since originally wrote about it!
天沼‘s S14 ~ As of 2022, this car was totaled and he switched to his current 18
0sx (below S14)
天沼’s new 180sx
美樹‘s S14
New Team Members as of 2020~2022 Below
More Photos:
大谷 and 柳田 (S14 at pre facelift stage) on the cover of BM magazine from Y2K!
Follow Celebration on the Facebook page as well on the YouTube channel, yasu14celebration
Photos By: Celebration Team Members /hachi1maristyle (https://www.instagram.com/hachi1marustyle/?utm_medium=copy_link&hl=en) / Mahina Photography/ M.M.T.F/ chankatsustyle.jp
Thank you!!
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