Illegal STREET RACING in JAPAN - A Story of DRIFT KINGS and “MIDNIGHT CLUBS”

Since AT LEAST the 1980s, Japanese car manufacturers have been on a roll when it comes to making some of not only the most reliable, efficient and affordable cars on the market, but also some of the COOLEST. I mean…  an AE86 Toyota Corolla MIGHT not be a Ferrari by any stretch of the imagination… but was a Ferrari ever used in popular media as a drifting Tofu delivery vehicle? I don’t think so!

In all seriousness, though: Since the Japanese car industry found its footing after the second world war, it has truly developed into something cool, unique, but also incredibly successful: The best-selling car brand IN THE WORLD being Japanese tells you all you need to know about how passionate the people of Japan are about their automobiles!

But while cars are mostly meant to just take you from point A to point B as conveniently as possible… especially those made in Japan… the urge to push them to their limits and see how fast they can go is deeply ingrained in people all over the world… and Japan is certainly no exception THERE either!

From Formula 1 to WRC, Japan has a long-standing presence in the world of professional motorsports… But arguably the country's most significant influence on automotive culture may lie outside the sanctioned circuits, because in many ways, Japan's rich history of ILLEGAL street racing has played a pivotal role in shaping the GLOBAL automotive landscape. Whether it be in the winding roads of Japan’s many mountains, among the bright lights and bustling streets of the big cities, or the seemingly endless amounts of asphalt found on the country’s highways… underground racing in Japan is as cool as it is dangerous… and just flat-out stupid. And it is THIS combination of automotive history, speed, style, adrenaline and sheer stupidity that, if you ask me, is worth a closer look!

So, how about we hit the road and embark on a journey through the fascinating world of Japanese car culture, exploring how Japan fell in love with cars in the first place… how they started driving them really fast professionally… how they started driving them really fast ILLEGALLY… and what types of unique styles and techniques emerged from it!


#japan #racing #streetracing


SOURCES:

https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo...

https://www.2cheapcars.co.nz/blog/the...

https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/HERI...

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2...

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https://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/midnig...

https://toolanddyedesigns.com/blogs/n...

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorspo...

   • 深夜に繰り広げられるカーレース - Illegal Street Racers in...  

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/nd9pq7k

https://www.gtr.co.uk/threads/mid-nig...

https://archive.ph/20130103162239/htt...

https://podtail.com/en/podcast/zero-l...

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https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/vide...

https://motor-fan.jp/weboption/articl...

https://supergtworld.wordpress.com/20...

https://forums.autosport.com/topic/21...

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/0...

https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/hist...

https://tougetour.com/2020/01/03/hako...

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/0...

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9C%...

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B5%...

https://www.automesseweb.jp/2020/02/0...

https://thekanjozoku.com/stories/tale...

  / the_truth_about_mid_night_club  

https://www.midnightracingteam.jp/en/...


CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro
03:12 - Japan & Professional Racing
08:00 - Early Street Racing
09:45 - Touge
12:44 - Drifting
22:16 - Roulette-zoku
25:26 - The “Midnight Club”
33:15 - Kanjō-zoku
34:25 - Current State