Yamaichi 2014 @ Hadashi Tengoku
Yamaichi is a drift competition held at Hadashi Tengoku at the end of every season to find the best driver in Yamaguchi Prefecture. This post is a bit late, but I'm determined to go through all the media I have and get it up on the blog. In addition to the pictures I threw together some footage and included it. There's no music or nifty editing, just raw footage I took walking around. Expect a post from the 2015 and 2016 competitions soon as well.
Yamaichi is the highlight of the season at Hadashi and brings everyone out. I took this picture while half the cars were out on the track. Like many tracks it's such a pictuersque setting.
A better view of the JZX90 Mark II from the previous picture. I've never been a big fan of the rivet on fender flares, but they work well on a black car. These cars are going to be a hot commodity next year when they become legal for import into the US. Prices are going to go through the roof though.
The successor to the JZX90 was the JZX100 and this example is also a Mark II series. These came with the super-reliable VVTi 1JZGTE from the factory so they're great platforms for drifting. Yes, they're a big sedan, but they run forever. I'll always prefer the C35 Laurel though.
I've always loved purple cars and the silver carbon hood (Origin, I think) on this Act-A-Fool 180SX looks great. I don't think this car has changed over the past couple of years save for a switch to a Uras drag wing.
Accidents happen when you're sliding around a track. I'll always respect the effort many of these drivers put into bodywork and paint both during and after the drift season. Those dents aren't going to affect the performance of his car, but it was looking show ready before the 2016 season.
I believe this used to be Hayashi's old S14 that he ran in D1SL. He wasn't driving it that day so I assume he sold it after moving onto an S15.
The aero on this thing is extreme to say the least...
Yes, there are still guys driving Hachis. This Hit Man AE86 is as cool as it gets and the owner drives the hell out of it. The intercooler isn't broken and hanging down, it's actually mounted like that.
It's shots like this that make me wish I invested in a good DSLR. With a bit of editing in Photoshop it turned out okay, but there's only so much that can be done with a point and shoot shot.
Meguro's JZX100 is quite the legend. It has been around for years and, save for minor styling changes, has always looked this good. It helps that he's one of the best drivers around and has campaigned his Mark II in MSC and D1 Street Legal.
I think it's fitting to wrap things up with Hirota's (owner of Make Hirota) S15 Silvia. It's an amazing machine inside and out and really shows off Hirota's skill set. It also goes to show that gobs of horsepower aren't needed to drift at a high level. He's one of the best around and the SR20DET under the hood is pushing around 350HP.
The interior is a work of art and all done in-house at Make Hirota. Expect a feature on this car and the shop in the near future.