Drifting Pretty is one of the only all-woman drifting & racing schools in the USA.  It was established in 2003 by Nadine Toyoda-Hsu.  Nadine and her then driving partner, Yoshie Shuyama, were the only women out on the United States’ drift tracks in the 2002-2003 drifting season and saw the need for a program like this.  Shortly after, word of their efforts spread and along came the original 14 members that were the first aspiring woman drifters to break the barriers and embrace the world of automotive enthusiasts and motorsports.

History

In Drifting Pretty’s first year alone, the amount of women driving at drifting events in California increased 400%.  No longer was it odd to see a woman changing her tires at the track and jumping in the driver’s seat.

The first Drifting Pretty meetings encompassed the basics of working on cars and led the girls, only 4 months into the program, to use power tools and a lift to change a clutch.  At the end of that first year, they pulled an engine.

Drifting Pretty brought forward the first all-woman competition drifting team “Team Drifting Pretty” in 2004.  It was Team Drifting Pretty that were the first women competing in the World Famous Formula Drift Series.  ESPN2 came along and introduced Team Drifting Pretty to America in their own 30-minute episode of “Import Racers.”  Word of Drifting Pretty’s efforts to increase the level of female involvement in all types of motorsports spread quickly via international magazines, television and the internet.  Fans, both male and female, from around the world email in to Drifting Pretty asking to open a chapter in their hometown.

Yokohama Tire company included Drifting Pretty on a national tour from 2004-2005 where Drifting Pretty members promoted the prestigous Yokohama brand and spoke out to empower other women to get involved in motorsports.  In 2005, founder Nadine Toyoda-Hsu was invited to SEMA Las Vegas to promote women in motorsports & Yokohama.  SEMA attendees won ride-alongs (or should we say Drift-Alongs) with Nadine in their proving grounds in front of hundreds of spectators.

Drifting Pretty has been featured in a variety of TV shows, features, articles and have been the topic of many fan’s term papers.  Speed Channel, ESPN2, the local news, the LA Times, Import Racer, Import Tuner, LA Weekly, Super Street Magazine, Current TV, and CNN have all featured Drifting Pretty.

To-date, over 75 women have graced the Drifting Pretty program and have made us what we are today-a world famous organization that aspires to break the barriers and lead women into the amazing world of motorsports.