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Rally Japan 2024
What can I say? This is the third time Rally Japan has been held in Toyota City in as many years, and every year has been an eventful rally. True touge driving, combined with variable weather conditions and a fair share of crashes, has made for some unforgettable moments.
In the first year, Dani Sordo's car caught fire mid-stage. The following year, after torrential rain turned into snow, two Rally1 cars (Sordo and Adrien Fourmaux) ended up in a stream. This year, the title fight for both the drivers' and manufacturers' championships came down to the wire.
The drivers' title was decided dramatically on the last day, when Ott Tänak went off the road less than 1 km from the end of the stage, completely destroying his car. This handed the Drivers' and Co-drivers' titles to Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe. Meanwhile, the manufacturers' championship was on the line until the very end. Elfyn Evans needed to finish the final stage after Sébastien Ogier laid down the fastest time on the power stage.
D1 lights
D1 is Japan's most culturally significant racing series, bringing street racing and tuning into the mainstream as a real motorsport category. Over the years, the series has had its share of memorable moments. As the cost of entry and car development soared, D1 LIGHTS was created as a more accessible path for amateur and semi-professional drivers to progress into D1 Grand Prix. While it follows many of the same competition and scoring methods as D1GP, including the DOSS (D1 Original Scoring System), it features smaller, less technical venues and more relaxed vehicle modification rules compared to the top-level series. D1 LIGHTS serves as a gateway to D1GP, where drivers can earn a D1-GP Driver’s License by scoring 16 or more points in a season. Many D1 LIGHTS drivers have successfully moved on to D1GP the following year. This year I had the fortunate opportunity to join a team who ended the series in second place with a win on debut. Running a Cusco GT86 packing a 2JZ and a massive turbo.
Tokyo Auto Salon 2025
Always the best way to bring in the New Year!
This year's Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) did not disappoint, with Toyota's Gazoo Racing department alone unveiling two new prototypes, including the very promising M Concept—a midship, wide-bodied GR Yaris featuring an all-new 2.0 turbo engine dubbed the G20E.LBWK decided that an F40 and Countach weren't enough, and introduced a Miura wide-body kit (on top of the absolutely sick Kaido Racer R32 kit they created in collaboration with Lando Norris and WillNE's Quadrant). Among the always-brilliant street cars lining the four halls of Chiba's (yes, that's right—not Tokyo's) Makuhari Messe, my personal favorites to see were the race cars. This year, the event featured at least one of each current Super GT GT500 car, including four FL2 Civic Type Rs, two A90 Supras, and one Fairlady Z. There was also a myriad of GT300 cars, with the always-impressive Good Smile Racing standing out. On top of that, we saw a solid number of STai cars, including the Spoon FL2. With my batteries now recharged, I’m ready to dive back into the car scene and look forward to bringing everyone as much content as possible this year
Honda RACING Gallery
As a lifelong F1 fan, living near Suzuka definitely has its perks. You never really need a reason to visit, but now Honda’s given you another one. The Honda Racing Gallery is a truly magical space dedicated to the brand’s storied history in Formula 1.
Inside, you’ll find an ever-changing collection of F1 machines from Honda’s time in the sport, all up close and personal. For Senna fans, it gets even better, his legendary MP4/5B and MP4/6 are on permanent display, alongside his iconic helmet.
The gallery itself is located just off the main straight at Suzuka Circuit, and it’s the kind of place you can easily spend hours soaking everything in.