#iMProject16 update with Kenji Sumino, President of GReddy Performance Products

We interview Kenji Sumino, President of GReddy in California and the man behind our bespoke exhaust made for #iMProject16.

The name Kenji Sumino should sound familiar. Not only is he the crew leader of Ken Gushi’s drift team, he’s also a two-time winner of the prestigious Gran Turismo award for Best Asian Import at the SEMA Show for Ken’s FR-S Prototype and most recently, for collaborating with Fast & the Furious star Sung Kang and his “Fugu Z”. When it came down to finding a partner to help build us an exhaust for #iMProject16, we knew Kenji would be our guy. While we had his attention, we decided to ask him about the process at GReddy and his involvement with Scion Racing.

Let’s cover the basics. For some of our readers who may not have heard of you, please introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today.

My Name is Kenji Sumino, President here at GReddy Performance Products, Inc. (GPP). I started working for GPP in 1995 in the Research and Development department. Until 2005, I was in charge of the R&D department, responsible for new product development and building project cars to promote GReddy performance products as the R&D manager. From 2006, I started handling more administrative duties while managing R&D, and in 2008, I became president of GPP. I am still very much involved with product development and also our motorsport program with Scion Racing with Ken Gushi in the Formula D series.

Also, I change tires for Ken at the racetrack… Seriously, I really do…. Hahaha…

So how did GReddy get involved with Scion Racing?

Ever since Toyota introduced the Scion brand back in 2003, we have been involved with Scion building their SEMA display vehicles starting with the Super Street x GReddy turbocharged xB. Our partnership with Scion grew from there and we continued to build SEMA display vehicles for all of the new models (tC and 2nd gen xB) that followed. These projects were all “street car” concepts to promote the lifestyle image targeting the Gen Y consumer.

When the 2nd gen tC was introduced, we got the opportunity to build a “track-inspired street car” for Scion’s 2010 SEMA display car. Originally, there were no plans to race this car, but we recognized the potential of the tC platform and proposed to campaign this car in the Redline Time Attack series. This was the beginning of our involvement with Scion Racing but our eyes were already set on the FR-S. At the same time the 2011 Scion tC was released, Scion introduced the FR-S Concept to the world. We felt that the Time Attack project was the stepping-stone for us to be considered for campaigning the FR-S for the Formula D Series in 2012. We needed to show our capability of preparing a racecar and running a motorsport program. And with a successful season with the tC, and a little bit of luck being at the right place at the right time, we were commissioned to prepare the not yet released FR-S street car that was displayed at the North American FR-S unveiling event in LA and a race prepped FR-S that was debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2012. And the rest, as they say is history.

Well it looks like we caught you at the right time again! We really appreciate you helping us with #iMProject16. Can you share a little bit about how you and your team get started designing an exhaust system?

It's a great pleasure for us to work with #iMProject16! Because we have such close relationship with Scion since its launch, we get excited every time a new Scion vehicle is released, so thank you for the opportunity!

When designing an exhaust system on any car, we look at the factory system spec and layout first and figure out where we can improve for more performance and enhance the sound for a “Sport” exhaust system. Then we figure out the piping and muffler size based on the engine displacement and clearance. The last step is finding a way to make it look as cool as possible from the back.

So what did you decide on for #iMProject16?

We routed the new piping to make it more smooth, and made sure to keep good clearance with the chassis/underbody and other components under the car by using stainless mandrel bent tubing and used less sharper turns for a good flowing system.

Thanks we appreciate the effort! But what we all really want to know, will this add power to the car?

While we were not able to put this car on the dyno to measure the power gains, based on our experience with the normally aspirated system, you’re looking at 3-5% power increase.

Excellent! So tell us, now that you’ve prototyped an exhaust for the iM, can we see a production model to come in the future?

Definitely, we’ve already sent the prototype back to our factory. The first sample is due anytime now and we expect to have the production systems available for sale by late spring.

That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the chat Kenji. We can’t wait to see you, Ken Gushi and the rest of the GReddy team at Formula Drift Canada’s World Round in July. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you and YES!! We can’t wait to go out to Canada’s in July and have Ken Gushi spray you guys down with champagne from the top of the podium! We’ll see you guys soon!

Catch up on the #iMProject16 build on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, by following @ScionCanada.

Photography: Josh Chow, Justin Pagtalunan, Takuya TK Akiyama.

Driven 2 Drift 2014 – Episode 1: Streets of Long Beach

We just closed out two of the biggest motorsports weekends of the year with Formula Drift Long Beach and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach back to back, but if you still can’t wait until FDATL rolls around, we’ve got something to help get you by. Our first episode of Driven 2 Drift 2014 has just landed, and includes all the highlights of Fredric Aasbo, Ken Gushi, and Tony Angelo on the Streets of Long Beach.

Watch the video above to see how the event went down, and catch the new Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC, GReddy Racing Scion FR-S, and TAngelo Racing Scion FR-S in action. Also, be sure to check back for more news and info on all our teams as they get ready for Formula Drift Round 2 in just a few weeks!

FD 2014: Long Beach Recap – Aasbo Makes Top 8, GReddy Debuts new 2JZ FR-S

It’s easy to take the Formula Drift season for granted. When you’re in the garage and on the track week in and week out, preparing your car and listening to motors bounce off the rev-limiter all day, you tend to forget how deafening the silence is during the six-month long offseason. We’re definitely not going to complain about getting some time off to refresh and rebuild, but by the time FDLB rolled around, we were more than ready to get back to work.

If you’ve been keeping up, and we certainly hope that you have, you’ll know that it hasn’t actually been that long since you’ve seen Ken Gushi and the GReddy Racing team tear up the track. The new 2JZ powered GReddy Racing Scion FR-S made its official debut just last week, after a long tease that started out at last year’s SEMA Show.

There were a lot of benefits to the EJ25 power plant that the GReddy Racing team was running the previous two seasons, but with the horsepower race in FD getting almost out of hand, switching over to the Toyota-built inline-6 ended up becoming an easy decision. GReddy has as much experience as anyone working with the 2JZ, and that showed immediately as Ken laid down perhaps the most impressive practice runs of anyone in the field on Thursday and Friday.

Qualifying didn’t go quite as planned for Ken and the team, though they still easily secured a spot in the Top 32, earning the 19th seed and a matchup with Odi Bakchis in Round 1. Though Ken’s one of the few drivers who have been in the series since day one, the battle with Odi was their first head to head meeting, putting Ken at an immediate disadvantage as the starting chase driver.

Because of his unfamiliarity with Odi’s driving style, Ken drove his first run conservatively, and ended up leaving a gap between the GReddy Racing Scion FR-S and the lead car. Though Ken put down an impressive lead run afterwards, the judges ruled against him which effectively ended his weekend at Long Beach.

While the result wasn’t as high as we know Ken and the GReddy Racing Scion FR-S are capable of, the team’s already back in the garage, using the data to prepare for the rest of the season. They’ll be back at Long Beach this Friday to compete in the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge, and will be ready to hit Road Atlanta for Round 2 later next month.

Since Tony’s appearance at the Scion Racing Pre-Season Test Session, he’s given the TAngelo Racing Scion FR-S a refreshed livery with new graphics that match both his car’s nose and wheels. Last season was essentially a development year for the TAngelo Racing team, as they worked to get the FR-S chassis dialed in, and they’re ready to see the results of that this season.

Though Tony and his car looked solid in practice, the team ran into some setup issues when it came time to start qualifying. Despite the problems, Tony managed to wrangle the car into the Top 32, which got his team off to a solid start for the year and gave them some extra time to get the car prepped for the main event.

Tony’s widely known around the paddock as one of those guys who are in it for nothing more than their passion for drifting, and for that reason, we’re always happy to see him succeed. While he had a tough Top 32 matchup against Tyler McQuarrie, the work that the TAngelo Racing team put in to get there would’ve been more than enough to match that of any team at the top of the bracket.

There’s still a lot of work left for Tony and the TAngelo Racing squad to get done, but we know that they’re well on their way there. With an east coast swing coming up on the calendar, the team will have more time to get the car dialed in at Tony’s Snakepit shop, and should be a lock for more main event appearances throughout the rest of the year.

As for Fredric Aasbo and the Papadakis Racing team, there’s not much more left to say that hasn’t already been said. For the fourth year running, Fredric finds himself Formula Drift’s best, making the Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC one of the most feared builds in the series.

The new Rocket Bunny kit on the tC has given the car the aggressive appearance it needed to match Fredric’s style, and with everything else in order, he proceeded to rip up the Long Beach track like he has so many other times in the past. The team earned the 5th best qualifying score of the weekend with ease, which set them up for a first round matchup against Canadian driver Marc Landreville.

It’s become standard fare for Fredric, but while Marc put up a solid battle, Fredric moved on to the Top 16, but not before participating in the event’s opening ceremonies holding a hammer that matched his “Thor” nickname. From there, he took out Conrad Grunewald in his Top 16 battle, before facing his countryman Kenny Moen in the Top 8.

Last season, Fredric was the only driver to place in the Top 8 at every single event, a streak that he doesn’t appear to want to let go of anytime soon. Judging from the driving that he’s shown early on, it doesn’t seem like that’s anything he’ll have to worry about either. Still, one of the draws of FD is that anyone can be taken down in any given matchup, and Long Beach just so happened to be a great event for Kenny Moen.

Fredric’s weekend ended with that battle, but despite the exit, he still managed to pick up enough points to grab the 5th spot in the race for this season’s Pro Championship. Likewise, his finish allowed Hankook to take an early lead in the Tire Manufacturer’s Championship standings, as well as help Scion Racing get to 4th in the OEM Manufacturer’s Championship.

Next weekend, Fredric and the Papadakis Racing team will be joining Ken and the GReddy Racing team at the Motegi Racing Super Drift exhibition, as part of the Toyota Racing Grand Prix of Long Beach. It’s going to be another exciting weekend of motorsport, and we’re hoping to see you there. If you haven’t already, check out both the Toyota Racing and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach sites for the weekend’s schedule, and be sure to keep riding along as we take you through the 2014 Formula Drift season!

Photos from Formula Drift Round 1 – Streets of Long Beach

Last weekend, Fredric Aasbo, Ken Gushi, and Tony Angelo, were out on the Streets of Long Beach, taking on the first round of the 2014 Formula Drift season. Fredric and the Papadakis Racing team once again showed the consistency that made them one of the series’ top teams last year, adding another Top 8 finish in the Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC to their resume. Meanwhile, Ken Gushi debuted the new 2JZ GReddy Racing Scion FR-S to a Top 32 finish, while Tony Angelo and the TAngelo Racing Scion FR-S followed suit.

We’ll have a full recap of FDLB ready for you tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out our photo gallery of the Scion Racing drift teams at the event.