Drift Meeting Round-84 in Osaka Event Report

October 9, 2016

On Sunday, October 9, 2016, we held Drift Meeting R84 at the MST indoor carpet circuit, a radio control shop in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture.
The layout required drivers to increase entry speed for a dynamic plunge, perform a shallow feint, execute a sharp weight transfer into the judging corner, and then carry the drift at a shallow angle. Recent Drift Meeting style emphasizes holding a counter-steer during the weight transfer to show the tire contact patch to the judges, with high scores hard to come by unless you have the nerve to push all the way to the wall. The track offered a moderate level of difficulty that felt approachable, and the carpet surface, compatible with the ZERO-ONE R4 tires, didn't allow for excessive speed, clearly highlighting the differences in both driver skill and vehicle setup.

With nearly 50 participants, attendance was up from the last event, bringing together many high-level drivers for the RWD, Expert, and D1 classes.

In the early stages of the Expert class, BOSS set the pace. By tracing the counter-steer cleanly and maintaining a consistent angle without letting the front end wash out, he earned high praise from the judges and consistently posted top scores to take the lead in qualifying. Katsuchan and Tankuro followed, chasing him down with sharp angles and high-precision driving. The final was a close battle between BOSS, Yamato-papa, and Tankuro; while they were tied on top points, BOSS secured the Expert class victory on the second-point tiebreaker.

In RWD, Kengo led the pack early on, impressing the judges with a sharp, high-angle drift. As the second half of qualifying began, the visiting drivers started to show their strength, with competitors from the Kanto region steadily securing spots in the final tournament. The tandem tournament featured sudden-death rounds in each group, showcasing the maturity of the RWD class. The final saw Team Yokomo's Shunsuke against Hayato. Both drivers performed better than they had in their single qualifying runs, displaying intense "door-to-door" chasing throughout, but Hayato ultimately attacked hardest to emerge as the winner.

Meanwhile, the D1 class started with a stellar lineup that included both past and recent champions. Turny led the D1 class early with a sharp run, but from the second round onwards, Team Yokomo's Hayato and Shunsuke fought back to take the top qualifying spots. It was impressive to see Mak and Takujin, pushed to the limit in the latter half of qualifying, pull off incredible runs to sneak into the finals.

The tandem tournament saw fierce battles in every group. The final pitted Shunsuke against Yamato. It was a contest between equals, with intense close-quarters driving from start to finish. The battle inevitably went to sudden death. In that nail-biting showdown, Shunsuke gained an advantage after a slight mistake from Yamato and held on to win the D1 class.