One of the very best reasons to head along to any car event, is to enjoy the vibe with friends and fellow enthusiasts.
The SLY (Sports Land Yamanashi) Summit is the physical embodiment of this kind of atmosphere. It’s a grassroots drift event with an emphasis on having fun, with flair and style.
After having such a great time at the 2019 SLY Summit, I was deeply looking forward to the 2020 event, however that was completely sidelined by the Covid pandemic. The 2021 event suffered the same fate.
So when Ryohei Takahashi from the Lowbrain drift team told me that the SLY Summit was all go for this year, and extended an invitation for me to come hang out, I made sure to lock in the date.
If you haven’t been to Yamanashi Prefecture in the middle of winter, know that the temperatures here can be significantly lower than some of the surrounding prefectures, and this particular morning was no exception. Not that the below-freezing temps deterred anyone from turning out and having fun. It was just great to be back.
I had no game plan, as the last time I hung out with most of the people present was at the last SLY Summit three years ago. So I spent most of my day catching up with old friends and making some new ones.
It was eye-opening to see how much some people’s driving had improved since the last time I saw them. Sports Land Yamanashi can be a really intimidating track to drive, as there are steep elevation changes and virtually no run-off areas if you get it a bit wrong. But friends who were a little timid before now seemed to be fully sending it.
A small crew from Video Option (aka Option Magazine’s YouTube channel) were interviewing a few of the drivers, setting up cameras inside their cars and generally documenting the day.
Although mostly in Japanese, the video above is a good watch for those wanting to not only see, but hear what the SLY Summit is all about.
With that, I’ll keep it very short and sweet and let the pictures I captured do the rest of the talking. I’d say same time next year, but the last time I did that…
Ron Celestine
Instagram: celestinephotography
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i am very curious about the photo of a red civic hatchback drifting, is it converted to RWD from FWD?
stiff/thicker sway bar in the rear with skinny tires. Yank the e-break and then slide while using the front for control.
The trick is having shaved/bald or special rear tires that hook well when "straight"/little to no side contact geometry, but then lose traction (depending on shaved design, either switch-like or progressively) when the rear starts to do the sideways stuff.
I believe still FWD haha
Love the drift events here! This is something that Japan is known for! I wonder if Noriyaro-san came here before lol
They are pretty awesome! And I'd be shocked if he hasn't been
Yes! People enjoying "collector" cars around a track like they are supposed to be driven.
That Corona though, daaaayyyuuum. Glad to see someone using the generally-unloved Lexus S190 GS for track purposes.
It took me a while to find it, but picture 16 etc is a Toyota Corona Coupe T140. Never seen one of those before, I thought it was a Mitsubishi!
Ron, this is the best article I’ve read in a while. Looks like such a fun event! The video was fun too, even if I don’t understand Japanese. I would LOVE it if you could track down the owners of the Corona coup, and the 180sx with the crazy quad carburetors. Both of those cars had such character! Thanks for the great coverage!