Drift Meeting Round-105 in Osaka Event Report

March 18, 2019

On March 11th, we held the Yokomo Drift Meeting Round-105 at MST in Osaka Prefecture. Following the excitement of the previous Kanagawa round, a great number of Kansai drifters gathered once again at MST.

The track surface was colored concrete, and Yokomo's DRC tires were used. Unlike the low-friction surface typical of concrete, this track provided a moderate amount of grip, allowing for high-speed, dynamic drifting displays. The layout required drivers to set up their attitude well on corner exit, accelerate, and then launch toward the wall; many drivers took on the challenge of the high-angle entries that are characteristic of the Kansai style.

Many enthusiastic drivers arrived early in the morning, with almost everyone completing their registration and starting practice runs as soon as the doors opened. At peak times, over 40 drivers were on the track simultaneously, making for a very lively scene.

During the morning judging briefing, we explained in detail the most important points for this round: the sense of acceleration on exit and the impact of the initial drift initiation. Recently, our judging briefings have moved beyond just explaining clipping points to providing detailed guidance on how to handle the cars and link corners, reflecting a trend toward seeking higher-quality driving.

The opening ceremony began with a greeting from the MST store manager, followed by the introduction of the judges.

Starting from this event, world champion Hayato joined as a judge, providing accurate assessments and advice.

The final match of the RWD Expert class, which had the highest number of participants, was between Team Yokomo's Yusuke and RC-ART representative Sugisan. After a fierce battle that required two sudden-death rounds, Sugisan emerged victorious. Driving the new YD-2S RC-ART conversion and armed with outstanding traction performance and stability, he successfully became the champion of the RWD Expert class.