It’s been an exciting year this one. I have covered tons of events and shows, shot some incredible cars and have pushed the boundaries of my car obsession further by beginning to appreciate styles and areas of car culture that I had previously not paid any attention to. So what better way to look at 2009 through the following pictures I have selected from the past eight months since I joined the team here at Speedhunters.com

2009 D1 Final, Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka-ken. Kumakubo at the wheel of his Team Orange Evo X flying past me at 110 + mph as he blasts down to the judged corner during the morning warm up.

2009 Exciting Car Showdown, Nagoya, Aichi-ken. Garage Saurus R30 Skyline proving how simplicity rules every time.

2009 Hachiroku meeting, Daikoku Parking Area, Kanagawa-ken. Cristal Body Yokohama demo car out at the AE86 gathering held every year on the 6th of August.

The streets of Akihabara, Tokyo. The V8-powered Audi R8, the definition of a true supercar.

Warp Speed at the D1 Divisional Round in Mobara, Chiba-ken. Warp speed!

Garage Saurus Sudo-R, Saitama City. One of the most loved BNR32 on the internet, the Garage Saurus built Sudo-R combining close to 1000 HP with tons of carbon detailing.

2009 Hyper Meeting, Tsukuba Circuit, Ibaraki-ken. The tuner battle at what has become one of the biggest events of the year. Heaven on earth for owners of Imprezas and Evos.

2009 Hyper Meeting, Tsukuba Circuit, Ibaraki-ken. Kumakubo and Tanaka of Team Orange drifting around the in-field hairpin at Tsukuba during the drift exhibition. Drift-chicken?

Spring Drift Matsuri, Ebisu Circuit Kita-course, Fukushima-ken. 2009 is the year I finally discovered what all the fuss about the Drift Matsuri was. This is one event I will never miss again!

Museo Lamborghini, Sant’Agata Bolognese, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. A stealth bomber for the roads, the Lamborghini Reventon.

FIA GT, Adria, Veneto, Italy. The Zakspeed FIA GT3 Dodge Viper lining up in the paddock before the qualifying session.

D1 Tokyo Drift Exhibition, Odaiba, Tokyo. Our friend Kumakubo again getting his Evo X sideways well before the entrance of the corner at Odaiba.

FIA GT, Adria, Veneto, Italy. The Pekaracing Corvette Z06 GT1 as it shoots out a ball of fire while shifting down the gears.

Old/Now Car Festival, Tsukuba Circuit, Ibaraki-ken. Old MG showing how body roll can actually look cool!

D1 Grand Prix Round 4, Okayama International Circuit, Okayama-ken. Ueno finally getting to grips with his purposely built 2JZ-powered BMW 3-series.

WTCC, Autodromo Imola, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Diesel power rules! The little Seat León of Yvan Muller proving just how rock hard the suspension is on these touring cars.

D1 Grand Prix Final, Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka-ken. The top-10 D1 Grad Prix cars lined up at the end of the final in Fuji Speedway in October.

Autumn Drift Matsuri, Ebisu Minami Course, Fukushima-ken. The usual changeable weather up in Fukushima-ken giving way to a rainbow right across the Minami Course.

Autumn Drift Matsuri, Ebisu Minami Course, Fukushima-ken. Drifting at dusk.

Toyota Motorsport Festival, Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka-ken. The last run of the 2009 Toyota F1 cars.

Nismo Festival, Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka-ken. The 2009 FIA GT1 GT-R with the 2010 development cars in the background.

More of my favorite pictures from 2009 to come in Part 2, don’t miss it!

-Dino Dalle Carbonare