The course layout involved starting from the back, accelerating hard, and then flying toward the judges' stand. Wall-riding at high cornering speeds was incredibly thrilling and rewarding to attack.
This time, judging was conducted using YDS (Yokomo Drift Scoring System), which mechanically measured speed, angle, and line. Until a few years ago, there was a significant speed difference between AWD and RWD, but in recent years that gap has gradually narrowed, and for the Kanagawa round, the performance was quite close.
Recently, there has been a trend for RWD participants to significantly outnumber AWD participants in tournaments, but for this round, the participation numbers were almost equal. With the widespread adoption of gyro-equipped AWD, there is also an increasing trend of drivers entering both classes.
Final Results
Sports Class
The Sports Class was contested by these two drivers. Both improved their skills with every run, and in the final, they performed on par with the Expert Class. Ultimately, Hiro, who displayed high consistency throughout the day, took the victory.
Winner: Hiro
2nd Place: Chipofumudaa!
AWD Expert Class
☆38 from RC926, who also served as head judge for the IFMAR World Cup, made an emergency entry into the Expert Class. While he displayed exceptional driving from the practice runs, runner-up Icchi also showed great performance, rivaling the winner. The intensity of his initial drift was top-tier among all classes. In the final, ☆38 secured the win with a masterful performance and earned the right to enter the D1 class.
Winner: ☆38
2nd Place: Icchi
3rd Place: dj-Yossy
D1 Class
This was the D1 class, the highest AWD category. Many drivers listed as world-class participated, resulting in a high-level battle. The final saw a showdown between Shimanchu and Kei. Both drivers had been in good form since the qualifiers, leading to expectations of back-to-back sudden death rounds. In the end, Shimanchu won thanks to the distance and precision of his chase run, becoming a long-awaited certified world-class driver.
Winner: Shimanchu
2nd Place: Kei
3rd Place: Raifu
RWD Expert Class
The final event was the RWD Expert Class. In the qualifiers, Makkachin topped the field with 103.52 points, showcasing a brilliant run that combined intensity and line. The top qualifiers advanced through the tournament as expected, with the final coming down to the top qualifier, Makkachin, and the 3rd qualifier, Nakazawa. In a very close battle, a slight error by Makkachin decided the outcome, and Nakazawa earned his first RWD Expert Class victory.
Winner: Nakazawa
2nd Place: Makkachin
3rd Place: Shiru