Throughout the time I spent with my informants, my mind always wandered back to my last race in 2003. I mentioned my win was questionable because I didn’t know I won until after the race was over. I had no idea the locals were following Initial D rules, so I was trying to pass the guy during the whole race. Only inches away from his bumper, I’d try to line up with the RX-7 on the outside of a corner knowing it would be the inside of the next corner. He kept on blocking me, but when we got to the peak, everyone was cheering for me. Even though I won, I didn’t enjoy the race at all. Even now, competition like that doesn’t make sense to me the way it does to Kenji.
I had planned on doing an interview before and after a driving experience for both Martin and Kenji. Luckily I caught Martin a week before the Formula D Pro-Am national finals. Afterwards, he was very happy with his results even though he crashed in one of his qualifying runs. Kenji was easier to get a hold of, and I was actually able to be with him in the mountains. While there, he seemed more excited about it than he did talking about it during our first interview. After his engine blew, his car would overheat every time he’d drive, but that didn’t stop him from making short runs. The first thing he’s going to do when he gets his car back is take it to the mountains. Their follow up interviews were simply them talking about what they’re going to do next in their world of cars. It seems like nothing can stop these two from going to the mountains.
Illegal mountain driving brings a variety of drivers together. Those who want to show off their car control abilities, those who want to race, and those who simply like driving there. Their mindsets and techniques put them in different categories in motorsports, but they have many things in common. They all spend every penny they have on their cars, drive on the same roads, and all compete in some sense. It’s easy to see how people group them in the same category. The best way to categorize it is that they are both ball sports. One is soccer, and the other is football. They can be played for fun or professionally. They’re not the same game, but they can be played on the same field and have goals.
As it turns out, the questions I had about the motivation for mountain driving exist everywhere. Both Martin and Kenji continue driving to this day for their love for driving. It’s what makes them feel good and it’s what they’re good at. From professional to illegal underground racing, the drive is the same. Whether it’s drifting, or grip driving, they all want to be there. Even the drivers that are there strictly for the competition grow out of it. Someone will always be better. For Martin and Kenji, they know all the factors of drifting and gripping aside from competition. No one is forcing them to be there, and because it’s illegal isn’t a motivating factor. These drivers are the purest as they get.
I understand why illegal mountain racing is a problem, but digging deeper into the motivations of others has somewhat rekindled my desire for driving. Looking even closer to why I’d go is the same enjoyment. I stated earlier that I went to improve myself in other aspects of my life, but at the heart of it, I simply love doing what my car does best. It’s not about the cars, competition, or trends that keep people coming back. Despite participating in legitimate competitions, Martin goes to the mountains as much as he can. After Kenji’s engine blew, he was still going with a blown engine. The people that always go back to the mountains are the ones who love the drive.
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