Held over three days from January 9 to 11 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) is the one of world’s largest customised car events.
The culture of car modification in Japan is unmatched anywhere in the world. Mutual respect between enthusiasts has bred a culture where there are no wrongs or rights when it comes to making a car your own.
This has resulted in the most adventurous and influential tuning styles in the world.
More than 900 vehicles were on display at this year’s TAS. The yearly show attracted a record-high 309,649 visitors who came to see the automotive industry’s latest trends, innovations and wild equipment that will define the look of 2015.
Never one to be left out of the party, Toyo Tires brought a futuristically themed booth to the show and unveiled concept tyres that caught the attention of the gathered media.
Toyo has built a reputation for spectacular stage shows over the last three years. In keeping with the 2015 theme, the Cyber Japan Dancers roused the venue with a performance that matched the five combinations of vehicles and tyres on display.
As the flashbulbs cooled from a performance that will keep punters’ eyes on the Toyo booth for years to come, a storm was brewing outside.
D1 Grand Prix is kicked off each year with a demonstration run in a specially designed outdoor performance at TAS.
Toyo has long been a stalwart of the demonstration and brought five Team Toyo drift machines (as well as one cheerful mascot, Wakkuma, pictured below) to douse the crowd in tyre smoke and happiness.
The five drivers – Masato Kawabata, Tatsuya Sakuma, Akinori Utsumi, Yoshifumi Tadokoro and Seimi Tanaka – changed proceedings this year. Rather than running hot tsuisos and simulating competition, the Japanese drivers had secretly choreographed their entire performance.
After weeks of painstaking rehearsals, the synchronised performance brought crowds flooding to the outdoor display area. With the performance running over both days, there were no errors – which was fortunate, especially during the manoeuvre where several cars drive abreast and another passes through sideways with its tyres alight.
The drift experts also provided a ride-along experience, holding nothing back and ensuring that no one jumped out of their safety harness with their heart beating slower than when they strapped in.
Kawabata and his GTR are already etched into drifting history. Showing no signs of slowing, Kawabata San won rounds on both days of the demo performance to make an auspicious start to his 2015 campaign to recapture the D1GP crown.
