It all feels a little surreal now. As I type this from Italy I still can’t believe what has happened over the last week and a half. Back on Friday the 11th, after resizing and uploading this last batch of pictures from the first round of MSC in Mobara, I was getting ready to write my final entry of the event when the massive earthquake hit. We were pretty lucky in Tokyo compared to what those poor souls went through up in the Tohoku region, but it was an experience everyone in Japan won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Not wishing to take any chances with what occurred shortly after at Tepco’s nuclear plant in Fukushima I headed home to Italy. So that’s why you haven’t been seeing any posts from me over the last week or so.

It feels quite eerie seeing these images once again, after what has gone down the JDM car culture is the last thing on people’s mind, however I think that a glimpse back at a side of Japan we all love and admire will help us all wish the best for this incredible country. So let’s take this final look at some more grassroots sideways action from Mobara!

This is probably one of the most dramatic viewing spots of the whole circuit, as every car that exits the main judged corner looks like it’s just about to hit the pit wall barrier!

After seeing this C33 Laurel in action I just had to get a closer look when it returned to the pits…

…in particular a peek at the engine bay. Nothing too grassroots about this RB20!

Fluorescent detailing done right!

I know a lot of you liked the Soarer I showed in Part 1 so here are a couple of more shots for you to enjoy.

The car wears a full T&E wide body aero kit beautifully painted in candy blue.

Here is Nakatani-san’s S14. His main job isn’t drifting but designing and creating custom graphics…

…out of his Garage LFW workshop.

This JXZ100 is a complete Weld creation and one we have seen before on Speedhunters.

The controls have been modified so that the driver, who is disabled and in a wheelchair, can drive it hard on track, and the most impressive thing is that it has a manual transmission, not an auto.

Nothing beats getting as close as possible to the action from the apex of the main corner!

Soarers were born to drift!

We all know that the triple drift rounds are what make MSC so unique…

…but it was a welcome sight seeing the adoption of tsuiso rounds too.

Here is Hibino with his S14 against Matsui in the S13 he was sharing on the day.

The racing was very close but it was Hibino that impressed the judges the most.

Hibino again put on the better runs in the final, grabbing first place in this first round.

After the event was over it was on to the podium ceremony where Taniguchi and Orido called the top finishers in each class on stage.

That is Mori-san from Auto Service Mori on the left grabbing second spot in the Expert Class…

…and Hibino enjoying his win.

With most tracks around the Tokyo area having suffered some damage from the earthquake and a lot of events having been cancelled well into April it’s not quite sure when I’ll be able to bring you more coverage like this, but I’m sure things will be back to normal sooner rather than later.

Motorsportcom

MSC Mobara

-Dino Dalle Carbonare