RACE REPORTJCCR
(Japan Cross Country Rally)
Pre-convention
New Cross-Country Rally Competition with a Japanese Twist
The JCCR (Japan Cross Country Rally) pre-rally was held over two days on December 4 and 5, 2021. The venue was the Sotochi Forest Road, Fujimi Panorama, Mitake Forest Road, and Mitake Golf Resort in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture. The organizer was K's Racing Team (Ina City, Nagano Prefecture).
This year's event was a "pre-convention," which means that it was a run-up to the full-scale launch.
The Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) is one of the most famous FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) sanctioned cross country rallies in the world, but unfortunately it has not gained much popularity in Japan due to the difficulty of establishing a similar rally competition in the country.
In response to this, K's FACTORY decided to start a cross-country rally that could be adapted to Japanese road conditions, and the "JCCR" was born. The "JCCR" was arranged in a Japanese style and consisted of three types of sections: liaison (checkpoint section), forest road touring (competitive section), and SS (special stage) section.
The JCCR has plans to expand its scale in the future, and this pre-convention is the first step toward that goal.
With this background, the participating teams were all elite. 150 Prado and FJ Cruiser from FLEX Team, the main sponsor of the event. Soda Factory, the organizer of the 4WD race in Hokkaido, brought in a Lancer 70 and a Hilux, and Garage Monch, which is participating in the AXCR and has been sponsoring Bradley for some time, brought in two Jimneys. And from K's FACTORY, the organizer of this event, we had a B-Cross and 4 Jimny (rental rally cars).
2 days, 4 sections, total distance of about 260km
This year's event was held over two days, with competitors competing on courses set up in various locations in Nagano Prefecture.
The liaison section is a checkpoint system. Checkpoints are placed throughout the course, and participants have to pass through each one. There is also a target time set, and the goal is to arrive in that time. Points will be deducted if you are too early or too late.
The CS (Competitive Section) section, like the liaison section, has a target time, with no points deducted for early arrival, but points are deducted for late arrival.
The SS (Special Stage) section consisted of a simple time attack.
The SS section held on DAY2 included the "TOYO TIRES Stage" and the "FLEX Stage", both named after the main sponsors of the event, where the most heated battle of the event took place.
The SS (Special Stage) was held on a work road, dirt dumping ground, and golf course in an erosion control park, and even K's FACTORY, which has been holding public road competitions such as the JAF Rally Championship for decades, had a hard time getting permission. K'sFACTORY, which has been holding public road events such as the JAF Rally Championship for decades, struggled to get permission. This is an event that can be expected to expand in the future.
New Light on Japan's Rally Scene
The vehicles participating in this event were categorized into the following classes: FIA-J (Rally Jimny class), FIA-T (Rally and other 4WD vehicles), T-J (Touring Jimny class), and T-T (Touring and other 4WD vehicles), and the score ranking was also done for each class. At the end of Day 2, there was an awards ceremony.
The glorious overall winner was Masato Kawabata of FLEX SHOW AIKAWA Racing with TOYO TIRES PRADO.
All of the drivers showed a reasonable level of skill, and each of them is introduced on the Facebook page, so please check it out.
In particular, Garage Monch, which finished 1-2 in the Jimmy class, showed the results of an AXCR entry team.
We will continue to pay attention to the JCCR and the rally scene in 2022 and beyond.
From Mr. Kazuya Suzuki, Conference Chairman
The "XC Rally" is a competition category that is difficult to establish in Japan, but with the help of our friends who compete in the Asia Cross Country Rally, we were able to hold this event.
あThe competition is tailored to Japanese road conditions, but I believe it can spread as a category that has never been seen before.
This is the time of the year when the vehicles that have returned to their home countries will gather again in Japan to coincide with the AXCR schedule.
Then, the year after next, we hope to hold a 3-day rally in Hokkaido or some other area in May as a final adjustment, shakedown, or promotion before we set sail.
I would like to let everyone know that it is possible to participate in fun events like this by installing roll bars and other safety equipment on XC vehicles.
