AMBITION WORKS PART 3
JAPANESE DRIFT FREEDOM — HOW MUCH?!
Bihoku Highland Circuit, the racetrack that became my local in Japan, is situated high up in the mountains on the edge of Niimi City in Okayama Prefecture. A quick three-hour car ride west from Osaka will get you there — you could catch a train and a bus, but a car is much easier. From where I lived in Japan, it was a relaxed two-hour journey via the touge routes. I managed to drift there more times than I can remember, with people of different skill levels from all over Japan. As the circuit is in the centre of Chu¯goku — which houses Tottori, Shimane, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, and Okayama prefectures — many drivers from these prefectures frequently make the journey to Bihoku.
Bihoku was opened in 1983 and has the usual set-up of two courses: A and B. A Course, which is the smaller one usually used for gymkhana and drifting, is 750m long. B Course, where grip racing and drifting events are held, stretches just over 1km at 1100m. In New Zealand, the usual track day sets you back about $200, with track time being limited to groups or skill level. I found Bihoku a lot different. At Bihoku, you didn’t need to go to an event to drive on the course. It is open every day of the week — Monday through to Sunday. A few times I went on a weekday and it was only one other driver and me, for the whole day! The track’s open times vary depending on the day and season, but, on average, you can drift from 8.30am to 4pm — non-stop, if your car can handle it. On days when there are no events, there are also no track marshals, there is no ambulance, nothing. It’s up to the drivers to stay safe, and I can say that I never saw any dangerous behaviour on an open day.
The price for an open day varies, depending what season it is, what course you want to drive, whether you’re a member, and whether you’re female or male. On average, a driver will pay ¥4500 ($61) to drive A Course and ¥5500 ($74) to drive B Course. Usually, I would pay a little more so I could drive both A and B all day long — around ¥6500 ($88). What a bargain, right?!
When you enter Bihoku, the first thing you see is the front office. Here there is a bathroom, a tyre changer and balancer, a tied-up dog and cat, and a single mini driving range. One could also buy tyres from the front office. You stop in front of the barrier; hand over the small sum of money to the office attendant, who opens the barrier; and you drive on. Course A has nothing, apart from a small control tower, a few small covered pits, and a couple of vending machines. Course B has most of the facilities. There is a bigger control tower there, with more rooms, many full-sized covered pits, and plenty of vending machines. If you walk up the exceptionally large concrete steps, you’ll find a big rest house, with a big permanent barbecue area in the middle. There is also a shop counter — which isn’t used much. When you need to expel your Pocari Sweat or Aquarius, you will be welcomed by a very old, most likely original, squat bathroom. Course B has about six vending machines; on very busy days, your favourite drink might be sold out — that’s how popular and inexpensive they are. A 600ml Coke will set you back ¥160 ($2.15). That’s around half the price of Coke from a vending machine here in New Zealand.
As well as having open days, Bihoku is rentable. To get an idea of the price to rent out the courses, A Course on a weekday costs ¥32K ($434) to rent, whereas B Course on a Sunday during
WHEN YOU NEED TO EXPEL YOUR POCARI SWEAT OR AQUARIUS, YOU WILL BE WELCOMED BY A VERY OLD, MOST LIKELY ORIGINAL, SQUAT BATHROOM
IT IS A GREAT TRACK FOR TANDEMS AND BIG DRIFT TRAINS
non-winter months is ¥340K ($4616). In winter, on a Saturday, the price drops down to ¥140K ($1901). As you can see, the price differs heavily depending on the day, the season, and which course is rented out. During my four years in Japan, I paid for many open days and attended many events for which the track was rented out. An event would cost anywhere between ¥8K ($108) and ¥15K ($203) depending on the size of the event. Open days were good because they took less of a toll on the wallet and I had much more seat time, but sometimes drivers were scarce, which made the atmosphere less enjoyable. Events, on the other hand, cost much more with less seat time, but the atmosphere was always better. Both had positives and negatives, and I did a mix at Bihoku.
On open days, the track layout was always the same for both courses. A Course is a smaller touge-style track through trees; I would stay in second gear for the entirety. Here, you will find most of the beginners, but it is also a great track for tandems and big drift trains, as it is slightly slower and not as easy to spin on. B Course is where D1 Street Legal is held. It is the course with great reward but so much risk; flipping is not unheard of. Here, I was considered a slow driver even though I entered in third gear at around 110–130kph. This is the track where you put your car through its paces. If you’re not careful, however, in a few seconds, you could be held in your seat by only your seatbelt, upside down.
When attending events, you can get lucky and run different layouts. Once, I was able to drive a modified version of B Course in reverse. Another time, at one of the biggest events I attended,
the A- and B Courses were slightly stitched together, making a new course entirely. Once, and only once, I entered a judged tournament. There were three judges, one of who was Naoki Nakamura. I was driving well all morning, right up until we started the competition. As soon as I headed out on track and lined up, the nerves shot through the roof. The pressure got to me and I fumbled both runs and thus was kicked out straight away.
A set of tyres, a tank of gas, an entry fee, and the only safety gear being a helmet, one day of drifting at Bihoku would cost me only about $300. Can you see why I went so many times? If you want to drift there, you can! You don’t need any type of licence. All you need is a driftable car, a helmet, and money. There are a few companies in Osaka from which you can rent a drift car for a day. They will supply everything, including transport to the track. It isn’t cheap, but it is an amazing track to drive at, and it will surely leave you with great memories as it did for me. For more information about Bihoku, visit the website: bihoku.net. There, you can find information such as prices and the event schedule.