Japfest 2022

Silverstone

The car culture scene has taken a bit of a beating over the last few years what with the pandemic. Regulations stopping large gatherings of people and not wanting to pass on the Chinese Flu to any of the more vulnerable people in my family group had stopped me meeting up with my buddies, and this was the same for the rest of guys in my local area.

This has had a bit of a knock on effect. Usually before a big meet we would be chatting on line to sort out meeting points and convoys, but this year it was radio silence.

Quite a few had moved their cars along, others were still working on them, so with a mate riding shotgun we did a solo down to the home of British motorsport for the first big show of the year, Japfest 2022.

Literally within minutes of picking my mate up we spotted a Suzuki Cube, and they could only be going to one place at 6 in the morning on a Sunday in April!

In previous years, as a group we would usually see large convoys of other clubs on the motorways, but this year there were not that many. A lot of individuals were doing the same as us. 

S14s, Honda Civics, loud Laurels and loads of slammed shiny examples of Japanese automotive engineering started to appear from slip roads and motorway service stations to join us on the run-in. A few years ago there would be a lot of "spirited driving" on the way in, but not so this year.

The organisers had asked everyone to take it steady and with the cost of fuel probably having an influence there was a real change in the air, so I don’t think anyone troubled the large police presence on the A43 too much.

After setting up on the stand, wiping a rag over my dusty wheels, we did what everyone else did and had a look round before the show opened its gates to the general public at 10.

I must say this year there were some great cars on show. The lockdown might have helped, with people being furloughed and having time on their hands to do those jobs that they always wanted to do but never had time.

The turnout was one of the best I have seen at Japfest. The place was jammed with Japanese domestic market metal as far as the eye could see.

Which wasn’t for long, for as soon as the gates opened you were lucky to be able to see a car there were so many people entering! The great weather, and this being the first show of the year, had certainly inspired people to make the trip to Silverstone.

As the crowds of JDM fans surged into Silverstone we made our way to Luffield to watch the Drift Kings making some smoke. Drifting ticks all of the boxes for me when it comes to automotive entertainment, noise, smoke, action, skill. It has it all, and as soon as one car is gone past another is skidding into view.

The drifters were having a full blown competition during the three hour-long sessions during the day. Drifting, unlike most automotive sports, is not about who crosses the line first, it's more about style.

In the early stages points are given for the accuracy of the drift around the corners.

For subsequent rounds the entry speed to the first corner is judged; the cars can arrive at Brooklands at over 100mph.

Extra points are given for style and the reactions of the crowd.

The rest of the day was a repeat of the above, catching up with friends I've not seen in years, and checking out what the latest fad is. The big wing is still a favourite of the JDM community, some bigger, much bigger than others!

But what stood out for me was the trend in massive wheels with a massive dish - all great stuff but not for me. I must be one of the few left in the country dailying my classic GTR, and with the pot holes round my way, a set of show wheels would not work

So that concludes our look at Japfest 2022. Thanks go to RPW Photography for helping out on this report which you can share with your friends on Social Media.