Last year I was presented with a tough decision, go to the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on race day or head to Fuji Speedway to check out the 1JZ day that was going on. Either choice would have resulted in a memorable day yet deep down I’m glad I made the trek into the mountains for a day of pure 6 cylinder bliss.
It’s a good 30 minute walk from the front gates up to the spectator stands to which I was greeted with a convoy of various 1JZ and 2JZ equipped cars lapping the track. An endless stream of 4 door Toyota’s spanning the entire length of the straight reinforced that it was going to be a busy day indeed.
The event was split into three main areas, a large skid pan marked out with a drift track layout for those that enjoy converting rubber into smoke side ways, the pit and trade stand area and finally another skid pan setup with identical gymkhana layouts for battles.
A number of trade stands made their presence known throughout the pits with a range of goods from stickers and keychains all the way up to complete stroker cranks and turbo kits.
Equally impressive were the shop cars standing proudly throughout the pits, with engine bays so clean you could eat off of them and paintwork that was a feast for the eyes.
While the event was dominated by Toyota’s, anything sporting a 1JZ or 2JZ swap was more than welcome to get involved, you won’t be hearing the familiar SR20 noise from these Silvias.
Awards were up for grabs for clean street cars with neat and tidy engine bays luring a collection of mint Chasers, Mark 2’s and Cresta’s to make their case.
At the other end of the scale the drift cars turned the style knob up to 11 and if the only goal that day was to garner attention, they’ve well and truly succeeded in their mission.
In Part 2 we take a closer look at the cars from the carpark for those of you who want a little more variety.
