STEP UP's track is a very spacious fine-asphalt course located on the first floor of a multi-story parking garage.
The layout for this event was inspired by the Bihoku mirror course, incorporating the three essential elements required for drifting: body positioning out of the exit, acceleration techniques, and deceleration control from the initial flick.
The event was judged by Mr. Sakurai, representative of EXceed, and Takahiro from Team YOKOMO.
Since this was the first time the machine-judging YDS (YOKOMO Drift Scoring System) had been used in Kyushu, we held detailed meetings regarding the judging criteria.
In addition to a Beginner Class, we held an "AWD / RWD Expert Class" using the YDS, as well as a Style Class that judged drift positioning, car movement, and other complex factors.
During the morning briefing, we explained the requirements for each class and conducted a demonstration of the YDS.
We would like to sincerely thank the four manufacturers (EXceed, TAIL-SLIDER, PANDORA, and FUTABA) for setting up booths and sponsoring this event.
【Final Results】
Beginner Class
1st Place: Miyahara
2nd Place: Ando
3rd Place: Miyiyan
Miyahara, who increased his intensity and drove aggressively from the middle of the qualifying rounds, maintained that pace in the finals to take a brilliant victory.
Ando, who pushed Miyahara until the very end, narrowly took 2nd place.
Miyiyan, the only female driver, took 3rd place with a beautiful, graceful driving style.
AWD Expert Class
1st Place: Nagatetsu
2nd Place: Koga
3rd Place: Mitchy
The tandem tournament kicked off with the AWD Expert Class.
Given the high difficulty of this course layout, tandem runs in the AWD class seemed quite challenging, but the top three stood out significantly, exciting the crowd from start to finish with superb steering control and chasing skills.
Nagatetsu took the victory, followed by Koga in 2nd place after a small mistake, and Mitchy in 3rd.
RWD Expert Class
1st Place: Miyahara
2nd Place: Toryo
3rd Place: Takayama
This day made many feel as if it were "Miyahara Day."
He drove flawlessly all the way through to the finals!
He was challenged by Toryo, who had advanced with an overwhelmingly powerful driving style since the solo runs.
While it seemed like the momentum was with Toryo based on his performance leading up to the final, the outcome was decided by a small difference in mistakes.
Miyahara, who won the Beginner Class, also conquered the Expert Class, while Takayama took 3rd place with the most impressive showmanship of the day.
Style Class
1st Place: Koga
2nd Place: Toryo
3rd Place: Mattsun
The final event of the day was the Style Class.
This was a tandem tournament featuring a mix of AWD and RWD cars. Although this was a first-time attempt on an asphalt course and there were predictions that one drivetrain would have an advantage, the difference turned out to be negligible, with the final coming down to an AWD vs. RWD matchup.
Koga, who effectively utilized his strengths, took the victory, turning his frustration from the Expert Class into motivation for a fantastic run.
Mattsun took 3rd place with a tenacious performance.
While this event was held as an exhibition, we are planning to host it again at STEP UP next year.
We look forward to seeing everyone there.