12:47PM PST. i was filming some friends of mine at a skatepark while they are riding around doing random tricks on their bikes when my cell phone vibrates in my pocket.

From:Twitter
rhoadracing: RIP ATSUSHI KUROI died in a motorcycle accident:(

My first reaction. WTF?!?!?! LIES!!! no way could Kuroi die. this has to be a rumor

an hour later i receive another text from my friend Jason in Palmdale, RIP Atsushi Kuroi.

I hop onto facebook. RIP Kuroi everywhere. I was blown away. How? Why? WTF?!?! The ambassador to drifting. the guy who just dropped the SICKEST angle in the history of drifting. just…GONE?!?!

This news hit me like a ton of bricks. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Kuroi at the Red Bull World Drifting event in Long Beach in 2008. Super nice guy, even with the language barrier, we were still able to have a bit of a conversation about Michihiro Takatori and the event.

Im still speechless about the news.

R.I.P. Atsushi Kuroi. your legacy will live on through the hearts of drift fans who got the pleasure of seeing you drive, and those that were inspired by your style and passion of the sport

Thank you to Antonio from Motormavens for allowing me to borrow his photos for this post

Posted under Press Releases