Drift Tengoku Ikaten team battle at Fuji Speedway

I managed to get out to Fuji Speedway in March to catch the Drift Tengoku Ikaten battle. If you’re not familiar, Ikaten is a team-based drifting competition where groups tandem a section of the track in full unison, staying tight, keeping consistent lines, and working as one. It’s a really fun format and not always the most serious, which is part of its charm.

The event is usually judged by drifting legends from back in the day, and this round was no different, Taniguchi-san, Nomuken, and Mana-P were judging, with Mana-P doing what he does best: providing non-stop, high-energy commentary.

Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the whole thing thanks to some brutal traffic, it took five hours to make what should’ve been a two-hour drive, but we made it in time for the finals, which, in a twist, were taken out by a FWD drift team called 全日本PVCドリフト協会 (All Japan PVC Drift Association) running PVC pipes on their rear tires to maintain a drift. They pulled off the slowest, quietest runs of the day, and still walked away with the win. Just goes to show it’s not always about big power or deep pockets.

Walking the pits during the awards presentation was a highlight. For once, they weren’t packed, which made it easier to take everything in. Great to see some of the OG drivers including Nakamura-san and Tezuka-san in the pits.

All up, a great day. I love to see drifting still being fun and not super serious.