Manabu Suzuki

Who is Manabu Suzuki?

Manabu Suzuki is a former racing driver, journalist, sport announcer and radio and TV presenter for the automotive industry. He is a Japanese citizen and is nicknamed Mana-P.

Suzuki competed in the Formula Toyota and Saurus Cup until the mid nineties. When he left circuit racing behind, he became well known for working with Option as a writer and presenter for the magazine's offshoot video magazine, Video Option and Drift Tengoku.

Suzuki was best known as one of the three original key judges in the D1 Grand Prix series. He adds many comic expressions during commentary to keep the crowds entertained during the races. He also hosts various issues of the Option DVD where he is discussing cars. He often exclaims "giri giri", which means "little little" in Japanese. This phrase is used to express an instance where the "drift" is extremely close or a driver is almost in a position where he/she is going to crash.

One of the funniest moments of Suzuki's career was hosting and judging a 'Remote Control Drift Race' in Japan. He was judging it with fellow D1GP drifter/host Manabu Orido and turned it into one of the most exciting remote control car races in history.