This year for D1, we just completed building our third FD3S as well as making a switch to Toyo tires. Despite these changes, I still wish that our driver Suenaga the very best of luck in this up coming season. I would also like to be involved again in the Super GT this year, too. The specifics have not been discussed yet, so I cannot disclose any plans as of this time. As far as my shop is concerned, we are concentrating on engineering new components for the RX-8 such as suspension and titanium mufflers. So please be on the look out!

Like every year, I would like to keep building types of vehicles that I would enjoy driving. The JZA80 Supra displayed for this year's auto salon was completed to actually be drivable just in time for the show. One of my objectives for the first half of the year is to tune this machine to set records and perform well on the Wangan highway. Since there is a motor show coming up, I would like to take the rest of the year to further research the VQ35HR engine for the new GT-R. Once the new GT-R is released, I'm planning to tune it the way I would like this machine to perform.

Everyone these days are too caught up in drifting, so where has all the grip driving gone? Grip has lost its edge, so I'm going to take the initiative. My Z33 this year will be turbocharged and compete in both D1 and grip style events as well. I'm wishing that OPTION would accept my proposal to travel all over Japan to every single race track and drive. As far as my shop goes, we are planning to sell a GT3037 actuator equipped turbine for the SR that has an 80mm inlet pipe. There are many vehicles that require this spec.

First off, we need to tune the 4wd function on the Z33 before March to lay down a sufficient time at Tsukuba. I cannot really say or predict in numbers how this machine will perform, but I'm guessing it will do well. I would also like to enroll this car into the super car challenge series in China. I also have to perform maintenance on 3 D1 cars in Japan, and 2 in the US to make up 5 cars. There is a Group A type of race in China that we will be participating as well. So there is 7 cars total that I will have to look after.

Just like every year, we will continue our style of producing parts alongside the pace of our customers. This year, there will be a new Impreza and Lancer Evo, as well as the GT-R. I'm predicting that our R&D department will be very busy with all these new vehicles coming out this year. In preparation for this, we have set aside tools and facilities to accommodate this rush. We are going to continue producing goods that our customers are going to enjoy.

This year we have many vehicles hitting the market, but it's sad to say that not many of these are FR configurations. So we believe in focusing on tuning the RX-8 to support the FR configured vehicles. This year, I am going to further complete the RX-8 that we have been working on to be able to sell to our customers. I also believe that we should not lose our emphasis on the RX-7. It's going to be a very busy year.

We will be putting all our efforts into the S2000 this year to take the title of the fastest 2WD. At Tsukuba we trapped in at 56.7 seconds and had the best 2WD record but was broken later that year. I would like to challenge this course once again after a bit more tuning. My quest to prove that an originally naturally aspirated vehicle mated with a turbo is just as fast and efficient as a factory turbocharged engine. Since our economy is bad, I believe that these kinds of stimulus for the industry will be good.

As a tuning shop, we are planning to broaden our tuning to Hondas this year. Up to this day, Mr. Hirano from Top Fuel has been dominating the Honda market but all that is about to change. We have acquired tools to reprogram ECUs from the United States, so we would like to start providing that kind of service. We are also thinking about selling a complete turn key vehicle for under 3,000,000 yen. If we can build a fast and solid vehicle such as a Silvia for this price for the customers, it should be very efficient.

Last year, we were able to pull off a 55 second record in our 4th pink FD3S. So this year if someone beats this time, I would like to be able to beat it back in an instant. At the end of January, we will be holding shake down testing in our 5th pink RX-8. This machine has a strengthened chassis as well as weight reduction performed on. With our off the shelf products on the RENESIS engine, we are aiming to set more records with this setup. Our first goal is to dip into the 53 second lap time at Tsukuba, but our main objective is to hit the 51 second mark.

This year, we are aiming for the theme of complete packages that meet the standards of the industry. There will be two types of themes including a complete engine and complete vehicle packages. Before, our services included building complete engines to a customer's specifications and shipping them out. Now, we are still taking engine orders however we will go as far as installing them into a new or used chassis. Small details such as the interior and such can be customized to meet the needs of the enthusiasts as well. This is what we will mean by a "complete package", to cater to every little detail that the customer requests. These packages can be purchased at the HKS Technical Factory in Saitama.

This year, instead of forcing to increase revenue, our theme will be to cater to the specialized needs of the niche market. When we released out Informeter ECO, the public were asking "Is Trust going to be ok marketing these kinds of parts?" however there are many who still say "I've always wanted a product like this!" when we released our Performance Damper System. This year we acquired an extremely precise machine grinder which enables us to produce specialized camshafts as well. Although we may be producing camshafts with the same specs as other companies, our high quality and craftsmanship will separate our goods from others. There are many other parts that we will be producing, so please look into Trust components this year.

The biggest change I'd say for this year is that we are putting lots of effort in developing parts for the K-car market (ultra compact cars). We are planning to start off with mufflers, and little by little start to meet the demands of this specific class. For the sport compact market, we are developing turbo kits for the naturally aspirated NC Roadsters. The IHI turbine will be matched perfectly with the characteristics of the engine, enhancing the driving experience. We are also putting focus into the sportscar and the luxury market, such as the Lexus LS and 20" rims / body kits for the Skyline. A proposal for the sedan market is in the works as well.

Like the Skyline and the Fairlady Z, this year they should be releasing new cars onto the market that exceed 280 horses. With these types of cars on the market, we should more easily be able to get our hands on used cars of the previous eras. This brings us to the theory that these older cars need parts to be able to catch up to the performance of these new cars. Another project we are working on is a device that enables control over the Impreza's valve timing. With this component, the vehicle should be able to be daily driven even with a bigger turbo swap. Our goal is to produce cars that actually feel good to drive.

This year should be a busy one with both the Japanese and US D1GP series going on. In the Japanese series, three orange Imprezas are ready for battle, and in the US, Tanaka and I have two vehicles ready to go. As an individual, I finally accomplished the series championship title, so Mr. Koyama of JUN and I agreed to increase the horsepower in my engine. It's currently putting out about 580 horses but aiming for over 600 to take the series championship second year in a row!

I struggled through the beginning of last year's series bur after the 5th round at Ebisu, my machine kept improving. I was able to put more angle on the car as well as speed similar to Kumakubo and the key was entirely in the suspension settings. With this perfect setting, I was able to make it that far and win the final round. This year, I would like to keep my flow going and start racking up points from the first round. As you may know, I will be competing both in the Japan and US D1GP series, so I look forward to your support!

This year, I would like to display a more spectacular drifting style that the spectators would really enjoy. One objective is to win at least one of the rounds by drifting the way I want to. And if I can produce some positive results, that would be lucky for me. I have been using my Skyline since 2005, and we expect to lose some of its edge by this season. However, our tuning methods will not change at all. By the end of this season we might change vehicles but before we do, I would really like to win at least one series round in this machine.

This season, I predict that D1 will consist of the battle of the tire manufacturers. In the tournament, the ace driver of each tire company are probably going to get in a heated battle. Toyo tires, which is the team I am currently with, is planning to change its status to a works team to increase our unionship as a whole. Last season, I ended up 4th in overall rank, so this year I'm striving to become 3rd or better. Toyo has never had any of their drivers battle each other in a tournament. So I think it would be cool to see two team Toyo drivers battle in a tsuiso!

I predict that since the top contenders haven't changed their vehicle platforms this year, we will start off the season just like 2006. However all the teams are coming back with more powerful cars so it should be an intense battle scene. The drifting will increase in terms of contenders' skill. I myself will be piloting a new FD3S, our third one and changed to Toyo Proxes R1R. I am going to do my best to use up the tires to its full capabilities and properly set up the suspension to rise above the rest!

Like the seasons before, I will be piloting the BEE*R Skyline and Goodyear as my sponsor. Last season, I was one step away from placing 1st in a battle after I lost the run. This has been bothering me for a while, and my priority this season is to at least place 1st in a series round. And since Goodyear has not yet have had any drivers who had won a series round, I am going to strive to be the first one. I want to win one for Goodyear, and especially for myself. I am going to try my best with full spirit!

For this year, plans on what kind of races I will participate in are still unsure so I can't really state specifics but personally I am always ready for any challenge. Any race that I end up in, the only thing that I will be thinking about is to win and I will fight with all my energy to achieve it. I really appreciate everyone's support and I can assure you that I will progress even further as a racer this year.

I cannot really comment in regards to the Super GT since my participation hasn't been determined yet but if I do race this season, as last year's champion, I would like to race without bringing shame to my status. My objective is to win many races consecutively. One win doesn't mean consecutive. I understand that this will be a unique opportunity so I will do my best.

Since lately there are very quick 2WD vehicles showing up, I would really like to drive one. Since I love 2WD, I am curious to see how fast these vehicles have gotten over the years. I am thinking that it will be great if I can pilot one at a circuit to express my impression of the vehicle. I also want to set record times with shop demo cars out on the race track this year.