As Ron put it so completely final 12 months, “one of many perfect causes to move alongside to any automotive occasion, is to benefit from the vibe with associates and fellow lovers.” After spending a day at Sportsland Yamanashi (SLY) for the 2023 SLY Summit, I can affirm that that is nonetheless very a lot the case.

This 12 months, nonetheless, I’m kicking off the protection at 3:00am on a freeway someplace between Tokyo and Yamanashi.

The concept of beginning your day in the course of the evening might sound insane to most individuals, and that’s as a result of it’s. However for Ryohei and others from the Low Mind Drift Staff, there’s no time left wasted on their annual pilgrimage to Sportsland Yamanashi.

Assembly at a neighborhood 7-Eleven, we loved our third espresso for the day while ready for just a few of the stragglers to catch up.

Even at 5:00am, everybody was already in excessive spirits, together with just a few sudden festive mascots.

When you’ve seen any of my different occasion protection, you’ll know that my favorite a part of any observe day is capturing the early mornings and late afternoons within the pits. And Sportsland Yamanashi is one in all my favorite tracks to do that at. As vehicles continued to roll in all through the morning, it was apparent that the 2023 Summit was going to be one other packed occasion.

If there’s one factor that Ryohei does so properly, 12 months on 12 months, it’s curating a wealthy number of types, makes and fashions for the SLY Summit. This 12 months noticed just a few acquainted faces, but additionally welcomed loads of new ones. There was a noticeable improve in big-body vehicles, largely JZXs, but additionally just a few tasteful Nissan Laurels, together with this C33 on traditional RS Watanabe wheels.

When you hadn’t but observed, all people sporting Hawaiian shirts wasn’t only a trendy coincidence. Ryohei had set a strict gown code for the day, requesting everybody to crack out their greatest floral button ups. Impressively, nearly all people complied, even spectators.

As SLY Summit isn’t a aggressive occasion, classes are damaged up into both groups or buddy teams. This in itself makes for some fairly heated driving, and kicking issues off within the opening run had been these two Silvias operating neck to neck into the primary nook.

Monitor time was shortlived, nonetheless, with one of many vehicles dropping an oil cooler sandwich plate mid-lap, portray the course in engine lubrication. Oil spills like this have change into an nearly annual ritual at SLY Summit occasions. Fortunately, Sportsland Yamanashi’s latest funding in round 30 new brooms made gentle work for everybody to scrub up and get again on the market.

The unlucky sandwich plate sufferer might have price everybody a session of driving, however for the proprietor it regarded just like the misfortune got here on the worth of his SR20.

Again heading in the right direction, issues rapidly heated again up. SLY is understood to have a strict rule on limiting trains to 2 vehicles – hardly a prepare, I do know – however evidently the memo was missed by most, making for a few of greatest driving I’ve seen at Sportsland Yamanashi. 4, 5 and generally six drivers got here flying into the primary nook collectively, Keisuke in his purple S15 – who made the journey up from Osaka for the day – being a notable one in all them.

Taking pictures from the tower in the course of SLY creates such a novel vantage spot to cowl the drifting.

With many in attendance having being awake for nearly 12 hours by lunchtime, a fast mid-day siesta and break was properly earned and appreciated. Some used the half-hour of silence to their benefit.

Japan’s grassroots drift neighborhood continues to be very a lot self-supported. With out proactive lovers like Ryohei and Takuya-san – Low Mind’s founder – occasions like SLY Summit merely wouldn’t occur. Spending a day trip within the solar taking images could be robust, however watching these guys run and marshal their occasion while concurrently driving in it’s nothing wanting admirable.

On the subject of Low Mind, it’s price shining some gentle on Genki-san’s CL1 Honda Accord Euro R drift automotive. You don’t usually see ‘Honda Accord’ and ‘drift automotive’ collectively in a sentence, however for Genki-san, that is only a extra snug different to his EG Civic drift automotive that we’ve lined just a few occasions earlier than. Genki-san has no drawback holding the Accord sideways on tight circuits like SLY, and even manji’d down the principle straight.

Because the day wraps up, there’s by no means an instantaneous rush to go away the venue. Folks dangle round for a chat, which isn’t stunning given that is as a lot a social get collectively as it’s a drift occasion.

It’s all the time bittersweet heading dwelling after an SLY Summit. As a result of even after being awake for the higher a part of 24 hours, you understand it’ll be one other 12 months until the subsequent one.

Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco