When I got an invitation from Yasu-san, a member of the Supercar Club of Japan, to check out “an afternoon of about 100 supercars on Fuji Speedway,” I thought about it. For about one second. How could I refuse an offer like that?
It was my first time back on Fuji Speedway since the NISMO Festival last year, and it marked the official end of winter and the return of more bearable weather encouraging all the nice cars to come out. With the help of the Subaru Levorg I set off bright and early from Tokyo towards that ever-popular race track 100 kilometers south of Tokyo.
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I arrived at Fuji to meet a traffic jam of supercars blocking the East Gate. I expected to see a lot of supercars, but not this much. However, as I made my way up to the paddock area behind the pits it quickly became evident this wasn’t just a track day for the Supercar Club of Japan, but something much bigger. It turned out they were only one part of the bigger event on the day—the Fuji Super Sports Day. I had hit the jackpot.
This was one of those events where various clubs and groups were invited to come together for one massive day out at Fuji, much in the same vein as the Motor Fan Festa and the Nicole Racing Days. What made this one different was it seemed not too many people knew about it, besides these attendees, obviously.
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The organizers said this has been going on for a “few years” now but unlike the Motor Fan Festa, there weren’t crowds of spectators filling up the grandstands. Because of that, it felt friendlier and less intimidating. Everyone knew each other and there was breathing space to actually enjoy and admire the cars.
Which was exactly what the organizers of this event aimed to do. It was supposed to be an event where enthusiasts can come together with their friends and families, drive around Fuji Speedway freely without the need for a racing license, and just enjoy cars with other people who like cars.
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It’s one of the few events members of the public can take whatever car they have and drive on Fuji Speedway. By inviting various clubs like the Supercar Club of Japan, racing cars with the Challenge Cup of Japan, and local track-prepped cars from customers of IDI, the Super Sports Day had all the bases covered. There was something to fit everyone’s tastes and plenty to enjoy.
One of the things I love most about Fuji Speedway is the freedom you can have at smaller events like this. As long as you’re respectful of your surroundings and don’t do anything stupid, you’re free to go around wherever you like. You can walk around to various parts of the track, watch cars fly by the main straight from the roof of the pit garages, or have a wander around the paddock where the majority of cars were parked up.
Sure enough they had a lot of cars to ogle at. The Supercar Club of Japan went all out. First off, the Anija A-Team car. By now you should be familiar with these guys, or at least the infamous Anija Zonda.
When I last saw Yamada-san, leader of the A-Team, he said the Zonda had reached its final evolution. Yet here it is, not even two months after the Tokyo Auto Salon, with a new set of wheels.
Also sporting new wheels is the white Ferrari F50, last seen at the Hanyu New Year meet. You’ll soon realize these cars get seen often.
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One car that hasn’t been out for a while is the baby blue wrapped Koenigsegg CCX. Compared to the others here it looks relatively tame, bar the chrome rims. It’s got a custom exhaust system from Scoot (yes, the same Scoot from RX-7 fame) as well as some suspension mods form them too. Of course there was a whole lineup of bright colored Lamborghinis parked up with the doors open too. Naturally.
Elsewhere in the SCJ car park were a few oddities ranging from American muscle cars (I was as surprised as you), a purple Mitsuoka Orochi which is something you don’t see often, and Krayverz. What I originally thought was some random guy dressed up as his favorite anime character, it turns out that he’s an actual singer/performer sent from the year “2090″ but drives an E-Gear Gallardo.
I’m not even making this up. Japan, everyone!
Speaking of Japan, there were plenty of local cars represented at this track day as well. Most were found in and around the garages reserved for customers of IDI. There were some serious looking machines here with everything from a mint condition Nissan Skyline “Kenmeri” GT-R and tricked out Mazda RX-7s to a bare bones Honda Civic and a very yellow Mazda RX-2, which was undoubtedly the loudest car at the whole event.
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Japanese motoring events doesn’t discriminate. You can show up with whatever car you have and enjoy it as much as the next guy.
That seemed to the be case for the kei cars who had their own 30-minute race during the day as well. There was only about a dozen or so, but out of all the cars that went out on Fuji I was jealous of these guys the most. The entire grid of the kei car “race” was probably worth less than one entire Ferrari Challenge car but you’d have as much fun, if not more exploring the limits of your 660cc car. The guy rocking the Honda S660 with the hilariously large air scoop was my hero of the day.
As hilarious as it was to watch the kei cars try their best to blast down the main straight at Fuji, seeing and hearing the cars from Challenge Cup of Japan (CCJ) howl down the 1.5 kilometer straight was an experience on its own. Most of the cars were various Ferrari Challenge cars but there were also a couple of Porsches and even a 458 Speciale out at the same time. It wasn’t a race, just an excuse for the owners to take their toys out for a few laps around the track.
Other clubs and organizations at the track day included ASSO, a specialist in after market parts for Fiat and Alfa Romeo, and 911 Days, a magazine dedicated to Porsches. While these clubs didn’t have the same huge presence as the SCJ in the paddocks or on the track like the IDI or CCJ guys, they had just as much fun and some mouth-watering pieces on display.
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Highlights include a Martini-livery Lancia Delta Integrale, a Porsche Carrera GT, a Rothmans livery 911 Turbo, and a widebody Abarth 500.
It may not have been the biggest or flashiest event that’s been held at Fuji—certainly next month’s Motor Fan Festa is a better spectacle. However, as this is an event that’s held around the same time every year, it’s a good thing to check out if you’re in town to check out the cherry blossoms. Any excuse to visit Fuji Speedway is a good excuse.
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