Europe’s biggest and best Japanese car show – Japfest – returns to Silverstone on 5th May. Here’s 10 reasons you NEED TO BE THERE!
1. Return of Drift Kings
Every year the boys and girls from the British Drift Championship put on an incredible show in front of thousands of people at Silverstone, and 2019 will be no different. Over 40 drivers are headed to the British home of motorsport for this year’s Drift Kings competition, with a bunch of challenges lined up to test them to their drift limits. With £1000 up for grabs for the winner, it’s going to be another ‘can’t miss’ battle.
2. 30 Years of the MX-5
The iconic MX-5 celebrates the big 3-0 this year and what kind of Japanese car show wouldn’t celebrate that? The Japfest crew has teamed up with the MX-5 Owners Club to put together a display showcasing the MX-5 in all its glory, with dozens of the very best models from the last three decades on show for your aesthetic pleasure.
3. Slide House RC Club
Real drifting on track, radio controlled drifting indoors. Slide House, the awesome RC Drift club, will be taking over one of the garages at Silverstone to set up a 12m x 5m hard surface that will replicate the track outside and running competitions all day. As well as being ridiculously entertaining to watch, you can also get involved if you’ve got your own RC Drift Car, check out more info here.
4. Ed to Ed Build Off
See the cars As you may have seen, the editor’s of Fast Car Magazine and Banzai are going head to head in a build off challenge that is going to be A LOT of fun. Given a £5k budget each, Jules and Midge have bought each other their project cars and over the next six months they’ll document the vehicles’ progress and take part in a series of challenges too. The boys will be taking the cars to Japfest and even attempting some live mods, so head over and see exactly just how much work they have on their hands.
5. Awesome retail village
Missing a crucial part or piece of trim for your Jap car? Desperate for that last piece of magic that will finish your build? Head to Japfest. There’s no better place to pick up a bargain, with dozens and dozens of traders lined up in the retail village ready to help you out. From the latest tech to a hidden gem, there’s something for everyone.
6. Get on track
It’s one of the biggest attractions of the show but it can’t be understated. You can take YOUR car on track for as little as £35. With sessions available for novice, intermediate and advanced drivers, it gives you the chance to take your own Jap car onto the hallowed tarmac of Silverstone and soak up every single minute. This year, you even get an action shot included in the price so you can have a proper memento of your time on track – you can book on the day at the Brooklands building or buy ahead here.
7. GT-R Display
What’s a Japanese car show without the Nissan Skyline GT-R? To celebrate 50 years of the GT-R trim, The GT-R cartel club has put together an anniversary display at Silverstone showcasing Nissan GT-Rs of all ages, from the famous Hakosuka to the latest R35 model. We’re mega excited to check it out, and you should be too.
8. Sprint Test
The Japfest Sprint Test is back again for 2019 and, basically, it’s a lot of fun. Here’s your opportunity to put your foot to the floor and go head to head with your mates in a test of raw straight line speed. With unlimited runs for £20, you can spend all day trying to beat your times and getting some use out of what’s under your hood. Sign up on the day or buy in advance here.
9. Club Displays
Japfest always bring together some of the very best clubs on the scene and this year is no different, with over 2700 club cars confirmed to be in attendance. From Civic’s and Celica’s to Scooby’s and Skyline’s, with everything in between, you will not see a better collection of Jap cars anywhere in Europe and we can’t wait to take a look at what’s on display this year.
10. Fast Car Magazine Display Sponsored by 3M Wraps
Last but most definitely not least. We love being part of Japfest every year and this time we’ve teamed up with 3M Wraps UK for our stand. As well as bringing along a bunch of insanely cool cars from the scene, we’ll have 3M with us doing a live wrap throughout the day and we can’t wait to see what the guys come up with.
Come and say hello to the team, get yourself a cheap subscription or just check out the cars.
For more info see Japfest
