Drift King" explores electric thrills: Keiichi Tsuchiya test drives Hyundai Ioniq 5 N's drift mode

Renowned automotive photographer and videographer, Larry Chen, has an impressive digital footprint with over 930,000 followers on Instagram and more than 500,000 subscribers on YouTube.

A video from the World Time Attack Challenge event in Sydney, Australia was posted on his channel on December 20, 2023. The highlight of the event were the impressive tests performed on the latest Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

The sporty version of this electric crossover provides the driver as much as a staggering 806 horsepower, an acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds, and even a drift mode. Hyundai decided to showcase the prowess of the new "N" at this event in Australia and invited a particular guest for this purpose.

This guest was none other than Keiichi Tsuchiya - a seasoned Japanese racing driver and a 2-time Le Mans winner (GT2 class in 1995 and GTP class in 1999). Known throughout the motor world as the "Drift King", he is partly the reason why the Toyota AE86 enjoys a cult following. It was not surprising then, that he was chosen to test the drift mode in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

In the video, Tsuchiya expressed that it was his first time driving an electric car in this manner. He confessed that drifting an electric SUV was an incredible experience, and due to the car's weight and mass transfer, initiating a drift in this model was rather straightforward.

Chen then tried his hand at the wheel, openly admitting that he draws a lot of inspiration from Tsuchiya. Unlike the Drift King, the photographer and vlogger had a tougher time controlling the car and even executed a spin. At this point, the superior skills of the "Drift King" were evident. Who would have thought a legend in the racing world would take an interest in "sideways flying" in an electric SUV? Yet, this is the fascinating reality we live in!