This week, we have some video from Team FOOL’s lead driver Okajima in his 530hp 2JZ-converted Verossa. They might not be all that well known in the broader car community, but Team FOOL is one of the longest still-running street drift teams in Japan. They have been active since over twenty years ago, and gained a lot of infamy for their high-speed drifting in the docks around Minato and Ota in Tokyo. This culminated in a mass-arrest against the group a few years ago, with video of their cars in a police impound lot appearing on the evening news.

It’s not uncommon to see them at the somewhat more legal venue of Tsukuba Circuit these days, which happens to have a long high-speed sweeping corner on to a straight. By a nice coincidence, this is a fairly similar layout to the street venue they used to always drift. This video was taken in the “bancho” or “gang boss” drift class at a recent event. To drive in this group, you can’t just pay for your entry and get in. You need to have the explicit approval of Okajima, since the speeds are high and everybody needs to trust everyone else enough to drift nice and close. I reckon the Mark II could cut it in there, so I might try and convince him to let me drive next time.

For those wondering, “sanpatsu” means “three motion” or linking a straight between two corners using three drift motions.

チームＦＯＯＬ岡島さんの筑波サーキット三発オンリーです。ヴェロッサカッコイイ～！私も番町クラスやってみたいな～！

(Click for 1080 image)

As much as I know people are keen on seeing it, actual street drifting is a bit sketchy to put up at the moment due to some recent incidents.

To make up for that, how about a video of the boss of Tokyo’s most notorious street-drift team ripping up the front straight at Tsukuba Circuit?

Check back on Monday.

Enjoy some on-board video with Toshiyuki Yanai, an old-school AE86 touge drifter from Yamanashi-ken on the very touge-like Sports Land Yamanashi.

スポーツランド山梨は峠とそっくり！これは谷内さのハチロクドリフトです。

Remember seeing this pic of the Bee☆R BRZ that I shot a while ago, but still wanted to see a bit more? Readers in the UK and anywhere else Banzai magazine is available can pick up the latest issue and enjoy reading the full feature!

私のねたがイギリスの雑誌に出ました！ありがとう今井さん！

Click for a larger picture.

His Chaser was one of the coolest ones in Japan, but Manabu Mitsumori has sold it off to concentrate on his new car, an AE70 coupe!

Check out this PV (promotion video, which is what music videos are called in Japan) of the car in action at Nikko Circuit!

Read the rest of this entry　これを読む »

This 60 Celica belongs to Kumachan, the owner of the workshop “Naughty Bear” down in Gifu.

Read the rest of this entry　これを読む »

I saw this X81 Cresta at the recent 1JZ Meeting. It wasn’t just in the static class either. The owner actually drifted it!

Before you ask, no, I don’t have pics of that.