Drift Tengoku — September 2004 · Page 178

We go often; the street is where it began. I used to drive all night myself, so I felt happy and wrote in. At my age I probably ought to say it's dangerous and shouldn't be done, but leaving difficult arguments aside, I'd like to cheer on the street drivers while they have the chance [reader's historical opinion]. Incidentally, when a patrol car arrived and people fled, the fastest…

…what speed! Are the road's reflective studs safe at that speed? — Kaijo district, Chiba; [pen name damaged]. Editors: we can picture it! When you have little spectating experience, hearing horns warn of police and scrambling to leave can feel oddly exciting. Is that an inappropriate thing to say? Please be careful to avoid accidents. [Historical reader/editor exchange about illegal street driving.]

It's been a while since I wrote. Let me tell you what happened on a mountain pass recently. I was drifting at my usual mountain, then parked.

A man looked closely at the car and spoke to me: ‘Nice driving! Nice, nice!’ He was a foreign visitor, incredibly excited about drifting—a Russian. We talked in broken language, and despite the language barrier, gestures made it clear that we both loved cars.

He said he also drove enthusiastically in Russia, going to mountain passes almost every night. Finally, I gave him a passenger ride while drifting, and he became even more excited…

Hello to the editorial staff. I'm Ao [pen name damaged], from Miyagi. Something in last month's July issue surprised me, so I wrote: the advertisement for Video Option Vol. 124. At first I casually thought the radio-controlled car looked familiar—we have one like it. Looking more closely, I realized it was a photo of my son holding his Nomuken-style RC car! I was truly surprised…

…and immediately told family and friends. I think the photo was taken when we went to SUGO to watch D1, but I didn't know when or where it was shot. My son is an enthusiastic D1 fan, and Nomuken signed the RC car's roof. He also had photos taken and got autographs with Kazama, Tanaka, Furuguchi, Imamura, Ueno, Miki, Suenaga, Taniguchi and Ueo. Tanaka seemed to like children and carried my son on his shoulders…

…shouting ‘Wow! Wow!’ beside me. It was a good day: my first international-exchange experience. — Kojiro, Iwaki, Fukushima . Editors: are there mountain passes in Russia too? When he returns, he'll surely drive sideways. A few years later there might even be drift contests in Russia… If that happens, it will be your contribution, Kojiro! [Historical editorial speculation.]