Drift Tengoku — October 2013

Everyone piled in and this quick snapshot came out looking like a ghost photo. It was an accidental composition, and I have to admit defeat. People say I always choose funny-face photos, but that’s not true—this one just had to be included. It was too good to discard, and the postscript lets me explain it: Takei from Tokyo Metropolitan Sogo Koka High School (AE86) says the roll bar leaves no room for a sun visor, but it fit perfectly in his thin car. (Kawama)

A local friend I’ve known for about three years since getting married invited me to a housewarming barbecue. There was plenty of parking, so although I couldn’t drink, I drove over. When I arrived, every guy had come on a motorcycle or in a car. The only man drinking alcohol was the friend who had built the house. What a waste to have a barbecue with non-alcoholic beer! (Yamamoto)

The qualifying demo run at the student drift event is the annual “try anything” challenge. Koguchi does a demonstration, but the car is kept secret until the last moment; he’s handed something difficult to drive. This year he drove a participant’s JZA80 Supra in the west and my M3 in the east. Even over half a lap to the practice course, he drove at a level worth a perfect score. No wonder nobody can beat him—he really is the drift king. Search YouTube for “teamdoriten” to see the video. (Kawasaki)