In a newly released video from Red Bull, Kalle Rovanperä takes on a series of driving challenges before meeting his idol, Initial D, on Japan’s most demanding road. Here’s how it unfolded.
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Red Bull Toyota GR Corolla fast facts
- Engine: 3.4-litre, straight-six, 2JZ-GTE single turbo
- Power: 745 kW
- Torque: 1 000 N.m
- Turbo: HKS GT75100 BB
- Gearbox: Sequential
- Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive
- Wheels: Advan RS-DF PRO
- Tyres: Yokohama
Two-time Rally champion Kalle Rovanperä recently fulfilled a lifelong dream by drifting a modified Toyota GR Corolla up Japan’s challenging Mount Iwaki. The project, a collaboration between Red Bull and Initial D, saw Rovanperä battle drift legends in their iconic JDM cars, culminating in a face-off with manga hero Takumi Fujiwara and his Toyota AE86.
Rovanperä, a self-proclaimed fan of Initial D, has long desired to drift a mountain pass. This project provided the perfect opportunity, with Mount Iwaki’s 69 corners from base to summit offering a formidable challenge. The mountain had never been drifted before. Rovanperä’s weapon of choice was a heavily modified GR Corolla. Gone was the stock all-wheel-drive system, replaced with a rear-wheel-drive setup for optimal drifting. Under the metal, a tuned 3.4-litre straight-six engine from a Toyota Supra, courtesy of HKS, pumped out over 745 kW of power, thanks to a massive turbocharger.
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Rovanperä faced off against a lineup of drift legends and their machines: Yoshitatsu Kaneda in an R34 Skyline, Toshimitsu Masuda in a 180SX, Hokuto Matsuyama in a Toyota Chaser JZX100, Yusuke Kusaba in a Mk2 JZXD90, Liberty Walk founder Wataru Kato in his special LB-Works Ferrari F40, and Manabu Orido in a GR86.
“Drifting on a mountain road like this has been a dream of mine for quite a while,” said Rovanperä. “And being able to do it here in Japan with these amazing landscapes is amazing.”
Watch here:
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