Drift Meeting Round-81 Event Report

June 12, 2016

The Drift Meeting Round-81 was held in weather that already felt like the onset of summer. The venue, Yatabe Arena, was filled with an excitement that only intensified the heat, which was no surprise, as the mic was in the hands of none other than Manabu "Mana-P" Suzuki, familiar to fans from the full-scale D1 Grand Prix. With his rapid-fire, spot-on commentary, the tension was at its peak from the morning on! We raced through the two-day event, packed with a true sense of speed.

Day 1, which featured the RWD class and the Twin Drift class, proceeded in a relatively relaxed mood. However, the one who shone brightest was, as his name suggests, Hikaru. In the RWD class, he defeated veteran drivers one after another to take his first victory! He then went on to win the Twin Drift class as well, paired with top driver KAZU, making his performance truly central to the day's events. To top it off, Hikaru also won the day's Concours d'Elegance award, completing a performance that could only be described as a hat trick.

Day 2 saw a great turnout of 130 participants, with a wide range of skill levels from entry class to world class. There were more first-time participants than ever before, and the excitement continued to build with Mana-P’s live commentary. In the D1 class, which saw the most fierce battles, all eyes were on the competitors as they took to the course one after another during the high-tension solo qualifying run. Hikaru, who had performed so well on Day 1, once again scored points with a sharp run, qualifying for the finals in 1st place. Many wondered if he would go on to sweep the final tournament as well, but his path was blocked by fellow elementary school driver Shibuki, whom he faced in the final four. Unable to find a way to attack Shibuki’s stable driving, Hikaru was eliminated after a slight mistake, and it was Shibuki who advanced to the tournament final. Waiting for Shibuki was the veteran Nagashime. Amidst the remarkable rise of young drivers lately, there was a great swell of support for Nagashime. While Nagashime continued to drive with the stability that seemed to answer those cheers, Shibuki’s performance was marred by a few visible mistakes, likely due to a difference in experience, and Nagashime easily took the tournament final.

In the following World Class, although top drivers such as Takahiro, Gachapin, and Hayato were absent due to overseas expeditions, once the qualifiers began, it was clear that it was a highly impressive category with a series of high-level runs, with some even breaking the 100-point mark. The tournament featured a star-studded lineup of the top drivers representing the Drift Meeting, and it came down to a final match between the most momentum-filled young drivers of the moment, KAZU and Kei. While Kei already had a World Class victory under his belt, KAZU was desperate to claim his first win. However, on the first run, KAZU seemed a bit tense and made a mistake, giving the advantage to the steady driving of Kei. On the second, swapped run, KAZU showed a determined drive while leading, but Kei matched him with a flawless performance, earning his second World Class championship title.

The next Drift Meeting, Round-82, will be held on Sunday, July 10th, at the Hobby Shop TamTam Nagoya store in Aichi Prefecture. Registration has already begun, so we look forward to many of you participating via the entry form or our online registration.

Sponsors

Concours d'Elegance

Mana-P's rapid-fire talk that only serves to accelerate the summer heat is as lively as ever.

It is truly a pleasure to see the rise of junior drivers who will carry the future of the RC drift scene. Hikaru (left) won the RWD and Twin Drift classes, while Shibuki (right) was runner-up in the D1 class.

KIN was responsible for the demo runs on both days. In the Day 2 demo, he showcased his competitive strength by pulling off a perfect 100-point run on his first attempt.