Manabu Suzuki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manabu Suzuki, (Japanese name: 鈴木 学, born: March 20, 1963, São Paulo, Brazil) is a former racing driver and a journalist, sport announcer and presenter in radios and TV for the automotive industry. He is a Japanese citizen and is nicknamed Mana-P (マナＰ in katakana).
He 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 as a presenter for the magazine's offshoot video magazine, Video Option and Drift Tengoku.
Suzuki would be best known as one of the three original key judges (the other being Keiichi Tsuchiya and Manabu Orido who left at the end of the 2004 season) in the D1 Grand Prix series. He adds many comic expressions during commentary that constantly keeps the crowds entertained during the races. He also host various issues of the 'Option' DVD where he is discussing cars. He is often heard saying 'Giri Giri' which means 'little little' in Japanese. This expression is often used to express the 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 instances of his career is the 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 race in history.
Suzuki is also involved in car designs, appearing on a segment in Drift Tengoku on DIY graphics and even working on the paint scheme and decals for Orido's RS*R Toyota Supra JZA80.
