• Formula DRIFT Champion and motorsport ambassador, Dai Yoshihara, embraced wheel-to-wheel racing in 2023 as a new challenge.
• Dai’s rapid pace and learning curve in the Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCX earned him three pivotal wins and nearly third place in the overall championship.
• To celebrate Dai’s achievements, a pair of Sparco gloves that he used throughout his standalone year competing in TC America’s top class is up for grabs.
• The quick strike giveaway will close on Monday, January 15 and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, January 17.

Three wins, multiple podiums and pole positions, and just three points shy of earning third place in the overall championship. By no small measure, Dai Yoshihara’s inaugural campaign in the TC America series was a glowing success, especially considering the Japanese driver only touted real seat time at one of the seven tracks. Indeed, Yoshihara’s raw talent and quick learning curve were on full display throughout the year. Behind the wheel of the Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCX, he challenged his far more experienced rivals from the first practice at Sonoma to the last checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

NO SMALL FEAT

It’s an injustice to talk about how much Dai achieved without mentioning how big of a transition this was overall. Yoshihara’s pivot into the competitive world of wheel-to-wheel racing required a significant overhaul in the way that he approached a race weekend, let alone how he drove the car, managed the tires, and worked alongside his team. The last piece would help Dai make sense of data and the strategy that the numbers would dictate. While the ultimate goal for every race weekend was a victory, there were clear targets for how to achieve that. The Balance of Performance (BOP) that the series slapped onto the FK8 competitors added an additional hurdle to Dai’s learning. Still, at the final stop of the tour — Indianapolis Motor Speedway — he was able to turn obstacles into opportunity and learning into mastery. Dai triumphantly set pole position and earned two dominant victories to end the year on the highest note possible.

SOMETHING FOR THE FANS

Dai further distinguished himself via the sheer volume of fans throughout the paddock, in the grandstands, and all over the Internet. Dai’s supporters were pivotal in fueling his motivations and it was heartwarming to see such a massive outpour of encouragement on every race’s livestream.

After the season was over, we knew that we wanted to extend a proper thank you to all of Dai’s fans. Since many weren’t able to watch Dai race in person, we thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to offer up a piece of his TC America experience to one lucky winner: an autographed pair of Dai’s race-worn Sparco gloves — the exact pair he wore during his Indianapolis Motor Speedway domination.

HOW TO ENTER

To win this signed pair of Dai Yoshihara’s race-winning Sparco gloves:

1. Follow @pitandpaddock, @daiyoshihara, and @sparcousa
2. Like and tag two friends in this post
3. Share our post on your story and tag @pitandpaddock

This giveaway will run between Friday, January 12, and Monday, January 14. Winners will be notified next week via DM on Instagram. Good luck and thank you to everyone for your support. We look forward to seeing you cheer for Dai in his next conquest — a foray into IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge series in the Pit+Paddock FL5 Civic Type R TCR!

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