It’s no secret Japan loves Ferrari. The love affair with the prancing horse in Japan started 57 years ago when the first Ferrari was sold officially in Japan, right at the start of the booming economy. Since then the love for the brand has only gotten stronger with record sales being set in the last couple of years. It’s not a surprise with Ferrari’s lineup expanding with every generation.
To give their thanks back to their fans and customers Ferrari brought back the Racing Days event which brings together the Corse Clienti, XX, and Challenge programs along with some customer track sessions for a weekend of fun. These events are held throughout the world, usually the top markets for Ferrari, and the Japanese roster has always been one to look forward to. Historically they’ve alternated between Fuji International Speedway and Suzuka Circuit as the venue to host the Racing Days. This year it was back at Fuji.
Now when people ask what time of the year is best to visit Japan I always give them the same answer: anytime that isn’t summer. Japanese summers aren’t like the ones back home, they’re hot, humid, and usually wet. So naturally the Racing Days were held in early July, peak Japanese summer. The two day event spread out over a weekend saw torrential rain the first day and blistering heat the second.
You’d think given the garage-queen status of some of these cars that the hot and cold weather would dampen the festivities of the weekend, but they didn’t. Instead some took in stride and had some wet weather track driving on Saturday and had the literal hot laps on the Sunday.
Since this was the first time the Ferrari Racing Days was back in full effect (there was a smaller mini-FRD event last year), the turnout was incredible. More than 300 cars showed up over the weekend ranging from some of the best classics from Ferrari’s back catalogue to the latest and greatest, including the new Purosangue.
Having a walk through the paddock and car parks was like being in a car show in itself but it was the action on track that was the highlight. You’d have one session with historic Formula 1 cars and their screaming V8, V10, and V12 engines then you’d get another session with the XX cars where the 599XX, FXX, and FXXK would wake up the entire town around Mount Fuji. Then the road cars would come out and while they haven’t got the volume of the racing cars, seeing all them out together and hearing a symphony of some of the world’s best engines out on track together is something very special.
That’s what this event and weekend was about, celebrating the most special name in all of motoring – Ferrari. To see hundreds of their customers and fans mingle at this event all because of a shared love for the cars made it worth the Saturday downpour and the Sunday heat and humidity.
Have a flick through the gallery to see the best of the rest.
