Cameras at the ready, we wait for Sumiyama's EVO to materialize between the tall dirt berms. A sound like gravel being shaken in a metal trash can signals his arrival, and the Mitsu slides sideways into the frame.
He spots us, adjusts his line, flicks the car and ignites all four tires, sending about 10 pounds of 80-mph sharpened rock toward our lenses. He must think this is very funny, because he does it every lap. After we dig gravel bits out of our corneas, it's our turn to ride shotgun in these earth movers.
Tein brought us to the Maruwa Auto Land Nasu course in Tochigi, Japan, to experience a variety of Tein suspensions as installed on a variety of regular competitors in the All-Japan Dirt-Trial Championship series. Most cars were equipped with Tein HGs, its off-the-shelf rally suspension. Depending on the application, they feature inverted strut bodies, remote reservoirs and are double adjustable for compression and rebound. Trick. You can thank dirt trials in Japan for making these gravel-eating suspensions on the shelf at Tein USA for such cars as Integras and RSXs, in addition to usual suspects like the EVO and WRX.
Dirt trials are similar to American Rallycross events in that cars are timed through a dirt course, but that's where the likeness ends. Numerous classes exist for everything from stockish front drivers to unlimited crazy-ass turbocharged twin-engine AWD monsters. "Grand Turismo" fans, remember the Suzuki Escudo? All-Japan Dirt-Trials champion, 1999 and 2000.
While not enjoying the high profile of international rally, the sport is extremely popular in Japan for both contestants and spectators. Companies like Bridgestone even construct tires specifically for dirt trials in various compounds; whereas a rally tire must withstand many miles of abuse and nasty sharp rocks trying to tear holes in sidewalls, compounds can be softer and sidewall construction less armored for dirt-trial use.
There was no opportunity to fling these machines around, but we did get strapped in for hot laps in all of them. Near-stock Mitsus and Subarus were astonishingly quick, reminding us of just how well these cars are set up from the factory.
As for the crazy-ass S3-class EVO VI of Mr. Yoshiaki Sumiyama, we now understand what the expression to "explode out of a corner" feels like. With 480-or-so hp, monster meats and trick suspension, this thing left a crater at the apex of every turn.
With the track etched in each of the driver's minds, every turn was taken at 10/10s, fully committed. While not the fastest ride, perhaps the most impressive came in the DC5 Type-R from Mr. Jun Iishi, an engineer at Honda, otherwise known as "The Doctor." Lap after lap, Jun came within inches of grazing the unforgiving berms, sliding the Type-R with such grace and precision, we damn near forgot we were in a front-wheel-drive car.