Team Japspeed are delighted to announce that we have a new driver joining the team for 2018, Matt Denham. After success in the 2017 British Drift Pro-Am Championship, where he won the Pro-Am Drivers’ Driver of the Year award, he will make the step up to the Pro class, where he will be hoping to clinch his first title.

“It’s a dream come true to be joining Team Japspeed for this Year’s BDC Pro season. Coming from Pro-Am as an independent driver to joining the biggest team out there, is more than I could ever have possibly hoped for. I will push harder than ever this year to help the Team towards another successful season. I cannot wait for it to start.”

-Matt Denham

The car Matt will be driving is his LS7 V8 turbocharged Mazda RX-8. This car was built by Matt’s own hands, and is said to be the only turbocharged V8 RX-8 in the world.

Matt started his drifting career by buying a practically stock S13 Nissan Silvia and going to a drifting practice day in Birmingham. His awesome performance caught the eye of the organisers, and he was approached to compete in an event held there later that day.

This event happened to be a round of the Open Drift Championship. Here, Matt competed against a significantly more experienced grid, including BDC and Drift Allstar drivers. Against the odds, Matt stole the show and emerged from the event victorious.

When he isn’t competing, Matt encourages others to take up the clutch-kicking tyre-smoking habit in his role as instructor at RDX Drift Academy.

With a fleet of specially prepared Nissan 350z drift cars Matt teaches newcomers to the sport the basic skills required to drift alongside fellow instructors and now teammates Matt ‘Doorhunter’ Carter (2017 British Drift Champion) and Paul ‘Smokey’ Smith (2012 British Drift Champion).

“I’d like to welcome Matt to the team, a nice guy and a great pilot; he will be a great addition in the 2018 season.”

-Matt Carter
2017 BDC Champion

Already familiar with his new teammates we’re sure Matt won’t waste any time in trying to outshine his two BDC Champion colleagues.

Everyone at Team Japspeed would like to congratulate Matt on his success so far and wish him the best of luck for the coming season.

Welcome to the team Matt.