“There is no ‘wax on, wax off’ with drifting, you learn by doing it” - Han.
Ebisu circuit to yourself, your drift car, reigning D1GP champion seated next to you and a full day to play – midway through a project documenting the selection and build of a basic drift car in Japan, this is where Speedhunter Peter Kelly found himself.
Spending the day prior watching Kawabata violently muscle the 35RX around the tight Ebisu circuit in round four of D1GP, Kelly and his humble white JZZ30 Soarer arrived at the circuit to commence a day of tuition, by private invitation from Toyo Tires.
Kawabata evaluated the nearly vintage Toyota, deeming it a suitable platform for honing Peter’s skills. Swapping seats with no shared language, Kelly and Kawabata reverted to the universal language of car talk, which proved to be more than adequate to hone Peter’s skills.
Taking on Ebisu’s switching elevations and open corners, Kawabata coached Kelly around the circuit and rapidly improved the native New Zealander’s technique in identifying lines, committing to power and steering with agility.
Then it was time for Kawabata to show off. The over-engineered 1000 horsepower 35RX smoothly baked its way around the circuit, combining the incumbent Dorikin’s incredible skill and a vehicle package tuned by the world’s best.
Kelly was in awe of the day and wrote on Speedhunters:
“I know that this isn’t the sort of opportunity that many people get, and there’s no way I’m taking it for granted. To have a driver like Masato Kawabata not only put my car through its paces himself, but also show me how to get the most out of it on what I consider to be the Shangri-La of drift destinations is truly a highlight for me.
“I really can’t thank Kawabata-san, Morikuni-san and all the team at Toyo Tires and Trust/GReddy enough for this once-in-a-lifetime day. I’m quite aware as I write this that I sound like a massive fan boy, but I really don’t care. This was awesome and I am a massive fan boy. It’s why I do what I do for a living.”
Both Kawabata’s 35RX and Kelly’s JZZ30 Soarer use Toyo Proxes.
