Fuji Speedway - Import & Tuner Tour - Sport Compact Car Magazine

It was nine o'clock on a Sunday morning as we set off to Fuji Speedway. Everyone on the tour, sponsored by Razo and Nitto Tires, seemed excited and curious of what to expect. The reason for the curiosity: it was really cold and raining. I couldn't help but wonder: "Are we taking this two-hour drive to look at a wet track?" Once we got a little closer, my question was answered. The tour guide handed out waiver forms for everyone to sign. We were signing a document stating that if we crashed or got hurt, they would not be responsible.

As soon as we arrived at Fuji, we headed straight to one of the smaller tracks where a temporary drift course was set up. There, we were greeted by a drift team from Nikko Japan and Nitto-sponsored professional drifters Daijiro Yoshihara and Ryuji Miki. The track was under water and we were informed that someone had already smacked the wall in practice, but that didn't faze anyone.

We got in line, slapped on helmets and strapped ourselves into one of the six drifter cars. I got into Hiro Sakurai's too pink competition S13 Silvia. It was amazing how Sakurai was able to control his car in these wet conditions. At first, I thought bringing my camera into the car might make him nervous, but it was the other way around. He was posing at full speed in the rain while I was shooting. This turned out to be a true demonstration of a rain master's wet-weather driving technique.