You supported Dai Yoshihara for years under Team Falken. Branden is very young but experienced with trophy trucks and other motorsports. How have you adapted your communication style depending on the driver?
MK: I think Branden is actually easier to work with than Dai. He is pretty technical and knows his car inside and out. He always has a lot of feedback and can call the shots when it comes to how he wants his car to work. The first year was spent a lot in showing him what adjustments do and how they feel and now Branden can actually say exactly what he wants as far as adjustments most of the time. We also have excellent data logging to help guide those decisions. This allows us to dial in the car very quickly, usually in the first track session. We also never get to the point where we cannot solve a handling problem.
You’re also responsible for setup for Amanda’s ProSpec car. What differences in their driving styles or setup preferences are there considering both have similar chassis and drivetrain?
MK: What I have learned is that Amanda is pretty adaptable and drives really well. When I first started, I think there was a tendency for the team to be protective of her and not go aggressive with her setup and she was sort of babied. I have seen that she has absolutely no problem driving a gripped-up car and actually prefers it. I think Pro-Spec cars are more forgiving in this way as well. Now Amanda gets full send all the time.
Mike and Branden reviewing footage of his qualifying run to discuss strategy for competition.Where to you see the future of drifting? And specifically, what advancing knowledge in suspension tuning are you looking forward to?
