There is nothing more quintessential to Japanese tuner car culture than the touge run. In Motorhead magazine’s latest video feature, Takada and his crew sent an invitation to an eclectic range of racing teams to gather at the amazing Mazda Turnpike of Japan’s Hakone Mountain for a special hillclimb event.
The Mazda Turnpike officially begins at a tiny toll booth at the base of the mountain and will wind all way up 8 kilometers before reaching the mountain’s peak. First to come face to face with Hakone is the special Team Studie SuperGT-spec BMW Z4. In the name of science and progress, Team Studie BMW racing driver Ara Seiji also pilots a rare yellow Mk 2 Ford GT40 to give some context on how much racing technology has improved over the years.
Next up, professional D1 GP driver Kawabata Masato muscles his Toyo Tires R35 Nissan GT-R drift car up the mountain pass. According to Masato, his GT-R approaches the terrifyingly high Hakone bridge at full throttle on fifth gear. No doubt, Masato’s maximum attack drift run is some next level stuff. Your move, Mr. Ken Block!
A tuned HKS GT600 Nissan GT-R driven by veteran Super GT and D1 Grand Prix star Nob Taniguchi is next to attack the mountain. Then, the legendary Subaru STI Nurburgring 24-Hour team manager Hideharu Tatsumi tackled the Hakone mountain pass next. Finally, Japanese rally driver Toshihiro Arai brings a complete Spec C rally Subaru Impreza WRX STI hatch to challenge the high-speed touge.
The 7-minute video by Motorhead magazine, sponsored by Recaro, highlights all the epic Mazda Parkway touge runs in stunning 1080p HD quality. Remember to return your jaw in the closed position when the amazing video is all over!
By Danny Choy