Motorsports
Fukuoka Custom Car Show 2010
Feb 21st
Stopped by the Fukuoka Custom Car Show yesterday and snapped a few pictures. The show was much smaller and less “flashy” then car shows in the past. I guess the economic conditions are really bad in the custom car industry. After talking to the “Pako D” from Uras, I found out that Sunday had a much larger crowd than Saturday. The show had drift cars, VIP cars, old school cars, vans, exotic cars, remote control cars, and motorcycles. Another sign of the economic conditions was the lack of “Booth Babes”! There were very few at the show.
Click for more pictures:
VIP Style Car
Nissan Silvia S15 Drift Car
Uras Booth
Stealth Black Mazda RX-7
Moto Guzzi Motorcycles
More pictures coming soon!
DEC Sekia Hills セキアヒルズ
Oct 13th
DEC Sekia Hills is the premiere drift track in Kyushu. It may not be the biggest but it’s definitely the best if you are a drifter or a person that likes watching drifting. It is located about an hour south of Fukuoka city by highway using the Nankan exit. Sekia Hills features a pro shop and a full feature shop just in case you have any issues with your car, while at the track. On event days there is also a concession stand that serves very delicious food. I recommend the Mabo Tofu, Fried Chicken, and the curry.
RC Drifting at Uras in Fukuoka
Mar 5th
Remote Control Drift Cars are really big in Japan at the moment and it looks to be growing bigger and bigger. People of all ages, genders, and walks of life are doing it. RC Drift Otaku’s are spending $1000 of dollars on gear to make their cars faster, slide better, and on of course rechargeable battery packs. It’s not a cheap hobby but it’s A LOT cheaper than drifting in real life!!
Here is a little unedited video I took with my Casio point-and-shoot camera the other day.
Here is a link to their RC Drifting Blog (in Japanese but with lots of pictures)
Fukuoka Auto Salon 2009
Jan 14th
FUKUOKA AUTO SALON 2009
If you are into cars and want to check out a cool event you have to make your way the the Yahoo! Fukuoka Dome for the 2009 Fukuoka Auto Salon! At the Auto Salon you can expect to see Drift Cars, Drag Cars, Custom Cars, VIP Cars, Race Cars and best of all….Booth Babes!!
January 16th: 10am~6pm (Press and General Admissions)
January 17th: 9am~6pm (General admission)
January 18th: 9am~6pm (General admission)
Admissions: Advance sales: 1600 yen (adult) /500 yen (students)
Same day: 2000 yen (adult) /700 yen (students)
Lawson L code：85555
Bring your photo and video camera to the event and get some pixs and footage!! If you get some good shots we would be happy to feature your content.
Fukuoka Pictures: URAS
Dec 26th
This picture was taken outside of URAS in Fukuoka, Japan. Uras is a car shop that specializes in Drifting and is owned and operated by Nomura Ken, also known as NOMUKEN. NOMUKEN is a professional drifter that drives in the Japanese D1 Series and has drifted all over the world from Europe to the United States.
The next picture is ET and Nagai-san the manager of URAS.
Fukuoka Pictures: Uras VIP Drift Car
Dec 11th
Our friends over at URAS turned a usual “Jiisan” (old mans car) car into a VIP Drift Car. It took them a couple months to finish it and the biggest problem they had was the wiring. Unlike a lot of American turners that just scrap the wiring and run a stand alone computer system to run the basics (ie. Engine and guages). Most Japanese sports car/drifters want their performance and they air conditioner!! I am with them on this one especially when the temperature hits 35 degrees C (over 100 degrees F). You never know what car URAS is going to tune, but they are always fast and interesting.
Drifting in Fukuoka
Nov 15th
Drifting in Fukuoka has a long history and has had an active scene for many many years. It has gone through many changes but at it’s roots it’s still the same as it was when it started, which is “a bunch of guys/girls with their cars hanging out having fun”. A lot of the drifting that is done in Fukuoka is done Illegally but in the last several years a lot of the shop owners and pioneers of the sport have been trying to keep it on the track. I wont lie and say that there is no illegal drifting going on in Fukuoka, because there is. Just about every weekend you can find street drifting, but you have to know where to go to find it. One place that you I feel comfortable disclosing is the Hakata Port. The only reason why I don’t mind telling you about this place is because the police are very aware of it and break up the drifting just about every weekend. It’s a cat and mouse game which can be fun to watch, but be careful watching is illegal too. If you really want to know where other drifting is happening contact me at info [ at ] fukuoka talk [dot] com.
Secret Fukuoka Touge 福岡峠
Sekia Hills Circuit
Sekia Hills Pit Area
Now for the legal places to Drift in Fukuoka? Well the best and closest place to drift in Fukuoka is at Sekia Hills race track about an hour drive from Fukuoka City by highway. It is the place you want to go if you want to watch or do any drifting near Fukuoka. The next track you can drift at is Autopolis which is deep in Kumamoto Prefecture. It is a full sized circuit that hosts a lot of professional driving series but on occasion you can drift there. For me there is only one choice and that is Sekia Hills, because that is basically my “Home Track”. It’s where I have been the most and it’s where at any given moment you can usually find a bunch of people drifting.
If there is any shop in Fukuoka that epitomizes drifting in Fukuoka it would be URAS. Uras is owned and operated by Nomura Ken (Nomuken) who is one of the worlds most popular and well known drifters. I guess you would classify him as the “Class Clown” of the drifting world. He is often seen making weird faces or poses, but don’t underestimate his driving ability. He has the skills, no doubt! URAS is located on the East side of the airport and is not the easiest place to get to if you dont have a car. If you don’t have a car and you really need to get there you can try to take the bus or take a taxi from the airport subway station. The best option is to find someone with a car and get them to take you there. The staff doesn’t really speak English very well but they know enough to have a chat with you once you break the ice. Your best bet is to talk to the store manager Nagai-san. He knows a lot more English than Nomuken. Regardless of the language barrier URAS is a must see shop if you have any interest in Japanese Sports Cars or Drifting!!
If you have any questions about Drifting in Fukuoka, feel free to comment on the post or send us an email. We know a lot of people in the scene and if we can’t answer your question, we know someone that can.