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Final week, I launched 4 Australians who had shipped their automobiles to Japan to go drifting. Throughout the group’s Japanese adventures, they conquered a number of circuits, together with Ebisu, Nikko, Fuji, and Mobara.
For this follow-up publish, I joined them at Sportsland Yamanashi.
SLY is a small circuit that boasts breathtaking views and an intimate setting between the observe, spectators, and pits. I’ve lined a number of occasions right here earlier than, however the inclusion of 4 Australian-registered drift automobiles was actually a primary for the venue.
To accompany my photographs, I believed I’d provide you with a fast perception into all 4 automobiles that made the cross-continent journey, kicking issues off with Ben’s JZZ30 Toyota Soarer.
At first look, the Soarer presents itself as a easy avenue automotive, however the true magic sits beneath the bonnet, the place the reasoning for sending such a automotive to Japan turns into far more obvious.
If it’s not already apparent, Ben is a fabricator by commerce, spending his day-to-day piecing collectively among the nicest automobiles and customized elements in Australia. That experience is sort of clearly executed all through the engine bay, from the water necks to the manifolds, piping, and wheel properly tubbing.
The metalwork continues to the rear guards, which have been barely widened to accommodate the Work VSXX wheels.
Chris’s S13 Silvia is certainly one of two S13s that made the journey over. This mannequin was by no means offered new in Australia, that means Chris’s automotive would have lived a earlier life right here in Japan earlier than being exported in early 2000s.
The automotive has an intense historical past in Australia, from being nearly written off at a drift occasion to then being fully overhauled and restored to its former glory, all in Chris’s house storage.
Chris has a behavior of detaching bumpers, and made no exceptions simply because he was in Japan.
Subsequent up is Jake’s trusty previous Toyota Corolla KE70. As soon as once more, it’s a tidy avenue automotive, however this time with a distinct coronary heart. Eradicating the manufacturing unit carburetted paper weight, the KE now hosts an Autech Nissan SR20, the upper compression, increased revving naturally aspirated brother to Chris’ SR20DET.
Of all 4 of the automobiles, the KE70 obtained probably the most head scratches – folks couldn’t perceive why Jake had despatched such a automotive to Japan. However that’s what makes it my favorite. In addition to my Corolla-leaning bias, it captures the entire ethos of the journey: ‘why not?’.
Lastly, we now have Jake’s S13 Silvia. Even with digital camera magic, there’s no hiding that it performs the drift automotive half probably the most. Very similar to Chris’ S13 – and most S13s for that matter – it too has a historical past of carnage. After buying the Silvia as a rolling shell, Jake constructed it up into an especially well-presenting avenue automotive. That was till a Ford Falcon missile drift automotive determined in any other case, sending the S13 into an nearly year-long hibernation with a number of bent panels to indicate for it.
Jake determined that point wasn’t up simply but for his beloved Silvia, and inside two months had it again up and drifting, prepared for a “hero’s loss of life” in Japan, as he so poetically put it.
As for the observe day itself, it went with out even the slightest of hiccups. One other profitable bucket listing second ticked off for all 4 drivers.
You might be questioning the place these automobiles at the moment are and what they’re as much as. Nicely, Jake’s KE70, Chris’s S13, and Ben’s JZZ30 are all safely again on Australian shores. For Jake and his S13 nonetheless, the Japan journey continues, and I hope to the touch extra on that quickly.
Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco
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