Drift Tengoku — September 2004 · Page 147
Page 147 — English translation
There are seven or eight corners, with two spectator corners. Beginners often practice on weekdays when there are no spectators; skilled drivers who want to show off tend to gather on Saturdays. People once drove both uphill and downhill, but there were many downhill crashes, so now they drift uphill only.
They pay close attention to ordinary traffic and have rules such as waiting until everyone has finished before starting, so accidents are relatively uncommon. [Historical account from the article]
…had the strongest presence, I think. The captain candidates were Shimada in the blue S13 and our guide Tanaka in the red S14. Both kept sliding everywhere we could see, exiting almost against the guardrail.
Their driving was hard to separate, but Shimada, who always led the group, may have left the stronger impression. He's a dedicated street driver, visiting this pass more than three times a week—exactly the captain I was looking for. So our tenth captain is Shimada…
Captions and page details
A mountain pass somewhere in Fukui Prefecture
Uphill U-turn
Assault [heading fragment]
AOWL
M
Bracket
Spectator corner 2
M
K
HAW
The regulars fit inner silencers on the roads leading to this pass. They also avoid moving around in a large group and try not to inconvenience nearby residents. Those quiet efforts are probably why the spot has lasted despite many cars running here on weekends. [Exact car count damaged]
Regulars explain the course and etiquette
Deep angle
Here's what the course looks like!
Drawing: Mitsuru Shimada
Start
Downhill U-turn
According to Takashi Tanaka
Kawabata, JZX90
A word from the captain
He slid everywhere we could see, and the large four-door car had presence. But compared with Shimada and Tanaka, the speed was a little low. With the same JZ-family engine as my Supra, I'd like him to push a little harder…
Disturbance…
Bravely drifting at the back of the group!
Everyone, too…
Keep it to a minimum!
Please keep that in mind!
…although [fragment]
A word from the captain
Takebayashi, HCR32. With the throttle held down, his speed and angle seem unbelievable for an RB20. He was carrying four people, which must make drifting difficult.
Full throttle from halfway through [fragment]
…it was [fragment]
The captain goes wild!
Fukuda, S14
A word from the captain
He had only just started drifting and was at the back, but he tried hard to follow the other cars. He did drift properly, though there were spins too, leaving me nervous about when he might hit something.
Full throttle!
Number one for throttle commitment!
Captain Takenaka had even brought spare tires. After judging, he drifted his own Supra. Local spectators were impressed: ‘For someone driving here for the first time, he can really drive—that's our captain!’
Today…
My policy is driving that puts on a show!
…entertained me…
…you did!
Mitsuru Shimada
NMW
isme
…and so [fragment]
…and with that…
Our next assault captain is…
…that's decided!
R
About this issue
ドリフト天国 (Drift Tengoku), September 2004, is a Japanese drifting magazine. This archive preserves 316 scanned pages in their original right-to-left reading order, including the covers.
English translations are available through the outlined text areas. Hover over a box on desktop, or tap it on mobile. The original photographs and Japanese lettering remain visible on the scan.
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