New Zealand Dad Constructs a Racetrack Around His House
Photo: New Zealand Herald
Soon after buying his first home, 37-year-old mechanic Takeshi Teruya also invested $10K in a car-inspired luxury feature to enhance the exterior of his residence: a 130-meter drifting track.
Was this a mid-life crisis-inspired purchase, or a case of “just livin’ the dream”? Maybe a bit of both? Teruya originally lived in Japan, just north of Tokyo, then moved to New Zealand in 2007. His passion for drift driving started in Japan, when he started competing in competitions. When he relocated to New Zealand, he brought his passion for drift driving with him.
But why build a personal drift driving track? Teruya traces the project’s inception back to a few years ago when he attended a racing event in Hahei. When he came back from the event, he started planning his own racetrack project around his house.
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To those unfamiliar with drifting, its an extreme sport that involves oversteering a car, losing traction, and maneuvering the car sideways around bends. TopSpeed articulates what happens mechanically when a car is drifting. “The rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right), and the driver is controlling these factors.” Drifting is a bit different than power sliding. Power sliding involves oversteering then countering to straighten the car’s travel path. In drifting, the driver applies an over-counter technique so the car keeps traveling in a series of drifts.
But back to Teruya and his racetrack… Though Teruya rejoices in his drifting circuit, his wife feels a bit differently about the new yard feature. Witness their contrasting responses to the racetrack by watching the following video clip.
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News Sources: The Dad, New Zealand Herald, TopSpeed
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