Nearly 10,000 people packed into the Castle Combe Racing Circuit for Japanese Fest 2008-one of the U.K.'s leading Japanese-only car shows. They were treated to a record number of car club displays-over 2,200 vehicles-covering just about anything ever made in Japan, and then tuned and modified in the U.K. Although, I failed to spot any modified Evo Xs or the latest Subarus, but it's only a matter of time. Aside from miles of impressive mild-to-wild display cars, the show is also the perfect venue to check out the hottest new styling and tuning products available from the U.K.'s top Japanese specialists-all keen to feed the ever-expanding market.
A very suitable number plate...
A very suitable number plate for this Skyline.
This event isn't just a load of cars parked up. It's action-packed from the moment the gates open, with the chance to drive your car around the challenging 1.85-mile circuit and, as ever, slots for these track days were selling like hot cakes. If you weren't brave enough to risk your own car, you could watch the popular tire-shedding Driftworks demo. Just how much tire smoke can one car produce before the tire's burst? Quite a lot!
A punctured rear tire is an...
A punctured rear tire is an occupational hazard for a drift car.
Castle Combe has a very strict...
Castle Combe has a very strict 100dB noise-level limit for the track.
Nissan's one-off rear-wheel-drive...
Nissan's one-off rear-wheel-drive Micra 350SR is powered by a 3.0L V-6 350Z engine and six-speed gearbox, and it always draws a crowd.