Acrid white smoke billowed from wheel wells as American and Japanese drivers recently showcased their drifting skills on a winding course east of Tokyo.

Eight of the 80 registered drivers at the Butcher Style Racing 88 event in Chiba were service members from U.S. bases across the greater Tokyo metro area. They came to match skills on Sept. 7 at the Mobara Twin Circuit racetrack.

“Drifting and the car culture here in Japan is unlike anywhere else in the world and has helped me make local friends at drift events and car meets,” Capt. Joseph Chong, an intelligence officer stationed at Camp Zama, the headquarters of U.S. Army Japan, told Stars and Stripes by email Sept. 4.

Drifting is a huge, worldwide phenomenon that brings people from many backgrounds together.

“I think car culture is a great bridge that helps connect the local Japanese communities with U.S. military installations,” Chong wrote.

Kelvin “Butcher” DeLeon, a U.S. civilian contractor from New Jersey, began organizing racing events shortly after arriving at Yokosuka Naval Base about eight years ago.

“I only had one mission on my mind, and that was to land a job that would give me a visa to work and live in Japan,” he told Stars and Stripes by email Sept. 16.

DeLeon said he’s been racing since he was young and drifting since 2006. In Japan, he wanted to create an affordable motorsport event where drivers could enjoy themselves and make friends.

“Once I began working on starting up my own events, I messaged all the fellows that I met and asked if they would be interested in joining a new style of event that everyone can enjoy with family,” he wrote.

DeLeon has brought American and Japanese cultures together through drifting and grip racing events, said Chong, who was on his third event. He credited DeLeon for bringing him into the fold in 2022.

Slide sideways

Chong bought his first car, a 1999 Nissan Skyline R34, with no knowledge of drifting, but he quickly gained experience with DeLeon’s encouragement, he said.

“Luckily, there was an upcoming drift event at Fuji Speedway that he invited me to, which was the first time I’ve ever drifted,” Chong said. “From there, I’ve been lucky to make friends from drifting that help share upcoming drift events.”

Drifting, made alluring by movies like “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” and videogames like Need for Speed, is the ability to slide sideways on all four wheels at high speed through a turn.

Drivers will burn through two or three cheap sets of tires in one event thanks to the wear and tear associated with the sport.

At the Chiba track, the occasional driver overcorrected his vehicle and spun to a halt. Other drivers on a track straightaway performed the Manji Drift, a Japanese term for a car snaking back and forth on the straightaway in a controlled drift.

Drifting originated in Japan in the late 1980s with its agile, high-speed, high-performance automobiles. It migrated to the U.S. as an organized sport in the early 2000s.

Butcher’s racing events brought the phenomenon full circle – an American devotee inviting all comers to show their stuff on a Japanese track. The 88 races feature four driver categories: beginner, intermediate, expert and grip driving.

Grip is the opposite of drift, basically the conventional way of driving a fast car through a turn with all four tires facing forward.

“Being able to drift with the local Japanese community where drifting was born is such a great opportunity,” Chong said at the event.

Global brands

The atmosphere in Chiba was amicable and electric as drivers talked among themselves, revved their engines and prechecked their vehicles before their performance times.

Some cars had immaculate body kits and paint jobs; others were a little beat up from use. Makes and models ranged from the BMW, the popular Japanese Nissan Skyline, Silvia and Toyota Supra to larger, older model sedans like the Toyota Crown Athlete.

“I think as far as drifting goes, typically you want something that is rear-wheel drive, that way you can get the rear of the car sideways,” Deleon said.

Rajiv Latchman, a U.S. contractor assigned to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, brought experience from his native Trinidad and Tobago. He came to Chiba as a first-time grip racer.

“I am confident and feel pretty safe,” he said while inspecting his 1998 Skyline.

Some drivers modify their cars’ differentials, which deliver power from the engine to the wheels, and an angle kit for more turn radius. Some install hydraulic e-brakes or handbrakes and turbocharge their motors for more power.

Kazumasa Sekiguchi, of Ibaraki prefecture, is wheelchair bound, but that hasn’t slowed him down on the track.

“I have been doing this for over 10 years, but I don’t feel that I am getting better,” he said at the track.

Sekiguchi prefers Fords and has four models, including the Mustang he raced that day.

Yui Deleon, of Miura, helps organizing the Japanese side of business for her husband’s events, she said by email Sept. 4.

“We did not expect it to be so busy; however, it turned out really good to the point that we had to apologize to a lot of people that there’s no more entry,” she said at the track over the rumble of a drifting car.

On the QT

Directions: Visit butcherstyleracing88.com/next-event online for details about the next event.

Times: Contact hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday, at 609-736-0964.

Costs: Track event prices vary. Ridealongs are offered for 3,500 yen.

Information: See more online at youtube.com/@ButcherStyleRacing88