THE MEETING OF OLD

86 DAY AT SUZUKA TWIN CIRCUIT

If you’ve ever read anything Japanese, you’ll have noticed that the pages are opened from back to front and read from right to left. A similar rule applies to how you read the date — it is read month/day/year; hence, the annual AE86 drift meeting occurring on August 6 — 08/06.

This year, the annual 86 meeting, named ‘86 Day’, was held at Suzuka Twin Circuit, located in the Mie Prefecture of Kansai, Japan. With August 6 landing on a weekend, there was an abundance of AE86s that gathered from all over the country. More than 140 owners of the legendary car were there, some of who made the journey from the northernmost and southernmost islands, travelling in excess of 12 hours just to drive at this event.

You may have heard of the world-renowned track named Suzuka International Racing Course, but what you may not know is that there are a number of other ClubSport-type circuits in its surroundings. One of them is the Motorland Suzuka and another is the Suzuka Twin, a venue large enough to hold major events like Formula Drift Japan and MSC Drift competitions, but this 86 Day event made the place feel like we were back in the early ’90s when the AE86 was the prime car to be drifting in.

AE86s first started mainstream production in 1983, and, since then, tuning shops, aftermarket parts producers, and the like have developed — and are still developing — parts for this Corolla chassis, making for some very finely tuned machines.

There are a few 86-oriented meetings held each year that celebrate both the old and the new 86, but this day is for drifters only, and only one GT86 could be found in attendance this year. Futher more, only the most die-hard AE86 drifters come to this

event to drive, including legends such as Hiroshi Takahashi (aka runningfree86 on Instagram) and Team Mouse, an all-AE86 drift team — its members have been driving together for over 20 years and are most famous for the team drift video at the now defunct YZ Home Circuit.

This year, the array of cars was outstanding, yet only one engine reigned supreme — the 4A-GE, in varying states of tune. There was everything from dry-sump, race-prepped, full-TRD motors to standard engines with a few bolt-ons; but, either way, the sound of induction and exhaust noise was like music. The different tones bellowing out of FCR carburettors and SS Works individual-throttle-body kits, the whistle from old HKS turbo kits, and whines from the 4A-GZE SC12 superchargers — it was an orchestra of classic 1980s metal.

If you’re anything like me, and you have a passion for AE86s and drifting, this annual event is not to be missed. I have been every year for the past five years, and my dream is to take my very own 86 over to drift with all the legends and friends I have met in Japan (fingers crossed for 2018). Even though it sits in the hottest part of the year, the noise, the smell, the atmosphere, and the ever-changing circuit will ensure that the adventure is one you won’t forget.

This two-door Levin was the only turbo 4A-GE there, fitted with a genuine HKS turbo manifold and wastegate kit — the technology definitely took you back to the late ’80s / early ’90s!

Always remember to stretch your arms and legs before going all-out driving, especially with no power steering!

A standout of the day was the AE86 of Yuji Inoue, a member of Team Mouse. This was due to its dry carbon-Kevlar front guards and roof skin. These panels were custom made by a famous N2 AE86 racer named ‘Carbon Junkie’ (for obvious reasons)

Above: Team Mouse is the all-AE86 drift team who has been driving together for over 20 years. The team is so passionate about drifting AE86s that the annual 86 Day is a must-do family outing for members