Want to see over 300 pictures of the best cars from Japfest Donington 2017? Well, you’re in the right place!
Hot on the heels of Japfest’s successful return to Silverstone, which drew over 20,000 Japanese performance fans to the iconic circuit in April, the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese car culture pulled an impressive crowd to another famous venue at the weekend.
Fans of Japanese cars, both modern and retro, flocked to the event, officially supported by Toyo Tires, KSport, Hardrace, BC Racing, BC Forged Wheels, Goodridge, Samco Sport and ValetPro
Back-to-back with The Fast Car Festival, which took place the following day at the same venue, Japfest Donington was a fine celebration of car culture from the Land of the Rising Sun, with star attractions including Drift Passenger Rides on Donington’s famous Melbourne Loop.
There was also track time for visitors who took their own cars around the iconic circuit, and a round of the MSA Time Attack Series, a race against the clock that has its origins in Japanese car culture and was a hugely popular feature on the day.
There was also live action on the Toyo Tires Live Stage, hosted by TV presenter Alexandra Legouix, with well-known garage act Oxide and Neutrino entertaining the crowds in-between the track action as well as guest interviews and unveilings – including the new Honda Civic FK8 from Synchro Motorsports.
Toyo also had its own Tyre Change Challenge in partnership with Sealey Tools, where contestants were invited to change a set of wheels on the Toyo car as quickly as a professional pit crew.
The Toyo Tires Challenge was won by Alex Bingham, with a time of 36.40 seconds, while other winners on the day included the Leeds Subaru Owners Club, who took the best Club Stand award, sponsored by VIBE and Ground Zero, and Datsun Fair Lady Z, who won the Show & Shine, sponsored by ValetPRO.
Another new feature for 2017 was Blue Pig Photography’s magazine cover shoot feature, which offered show visitors the chance to make a dream come true with an exclusive, personalised cover shoot, placed on an exclusive cover of either Banzai or Fast Car Magazine.
In addition, a stunning collection of Japanese club machinery was on display, alongside a special Retro Paddock, organised by Retro Japanese magazine which featured an eclectic mix that represented the magazine including one of the earliest Honda NSXs in the UK.
Throughout the day, the Retail Village was packed, while another talking point was a new feature for the Donington event – Fast Car v Banzai, where two of the top mags associated with the Japanese cars went head-to-head to see who had the best display. Apparently based on the Facebook feedback, it was Banzai that scraped it. However, we beg to differ. Don’t believe us? Just look at the pictures and make your own mind up!
One things for sure, though, and that’s the fact that Japfest continues to be the main event for anyone involved in the Japanese car scene. We’re already counting down the days until next year, and so can you at Japfest.
