Ebisu circuit truly is a magical place. You could see it this past weekend at the Matsuri where the drifters were like kids in a candy store. Most wanted to sample all that the compound has to offer from the scary wall at the Minami course, to the blind crest at the Nishi short-course and the fast and more grip oriented Higashi. I was driving back and forth between circuits trying to get a glimpse of as much action as possible, not to mention checking out all the cars lined up in the pits and paddocks.
The bosozoku-ish protruding exhausts were a nice touch on this JZX81, as well as the rear R33 GT-R wheels.
I quite liked the BN Sports kit on this JZX90 MarkII, it complemented the deep-dish Volk Racing GT-Cs rather well.
If you guys recall, this RPS13 with the "high-mount" turbo was at the Matsuri back in spring, except back then it actually had a roof! I loved how the owner kept the headliner on just to protect himself from the rain! Looks like a cardboard roof.
This is how your car will look after a close encounter with the wall at Minami! More of an extreme practice car than a missile.
And talking of missiles...this is the RPS13 180SX that I assumed had died after countless hits with the wall at the finale of the spring Matsuri. Miraculously it was still running, this time the fuel tank was strapped down with an old seatbelt but it was good to see the Porsche 928 rear end had been kept!
This is how gloomy the weather was looking at the Nishi course, for the short time the rain stopped...
...but things were looking even worse up at Kita, the North course located all the way at the top of the mountain on which all the circuits are perched on.
Notice how you can't even see the end of the paddock! I spotted a few jewels hiding in the fog like this JZX110. Still a very rare car at grassroots events like this as it is still a pricey car to get your hands on.
Despite the terrible conditions there were still those crazy enough to go out for a slide or two like the candy red RPS13 above. As you can see in the opening picture it looked so menacing sitting in the paddock with its S14 HID lights piercing through the fog.
As expected the pit-wall at Minami was the place to be in order to check out some night time action. The continuous drizzle and tropical-jungle-like humidity kept the track, as well as the people, nice and damp!
This Hoshino S14 was drifting so smoothly around the track it was a real pleasure to watch...
...as was this flame-spitting C35 Laurel!
I couldn't resist getting a shot of the misty track, but it proved difficult with the spray-like rain hitting my lens. Still, you get a good idea of the lines people take.
Drifting in the night sure makes for some dramatic shots wouldn't you say?
Andy from Powervehicles.com out yet again, this time with his practice S13 beater he picked up a few days before the event...
...he was even getting chased by the police LOL
Not a bad turnout despite the rain. Couldn't keep my eyes off this S13, absolutely perfect.
One way to cool your overheated 13B!
Great Scott, a time-traveling Aussie!
Another moody shot from the paddock.
There will be plenty more to come in the final installment from the summer Matsuri tomorrow, so check back to see what I have in store for you guys!
-Dino Dalle Carbonare