RACE ReportThe 27th SAF Cup/2021
Annual event, Sanage (S) Adventure (A) Field (F) Trial Competition
On Sunday, December 5, 2021, the annual 4WD trial event "SAF Cup" was held at Sanage Adventure Field (Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture), one of the best off-road courses in the central region of Japan, where a total of 63 entrants gathered from all over Japan to fully experience the appeal of 4WD.
A brief description of the 4WD trial competition is that it is a competition to see how smoothly you can go through each section of the course, which is full of ups and downs and rocky terrain. Points are scored for each section, and points are deducted every time the vehicle touches the course tape or backs up.
The SAF Cup has no specific rules for participating vehicles, and they are divided into short, middle, and long classes according to wheelbase. The breakdown of the vehicles entered was 20 Jimny, 34 Land Cruiser, 4 Safari, and 5 Wrangler. The largest number of vehicles entered was the Land Cruiser, but one of the main attractions of the SAF Cup is that a wide variety of other models can freely participate.
By the way, a more detailed breakdown of the Land Cruiser participants shows that there were 4 units of 40 series, 2 units of 60 series, 7 units of 70 series short/middle, 6 units of 70 long, 1 units of 79 pickup, 1 units of 78 trup, 11 units of 80 series, 1 units of 200 series, and 1 units of 150 Prado. It was very fun and exciting to see all the different types of Land Cruisers competing in the same conditions. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
An entrant struggles with a difficult section.
The weather on the day of the event was sunny and then cloudy, and the road surface was almost dry, though a little damp. This year's course, set by the SAF Cup organizers, had many short turns, as if to challenge the long wheelbase cars. Of course, the short-wheelbase cars were not so forgiving either, and many of the entrants were forced to use reverse gear, which would result in a point deduction. I got the impression that the SAF Cup organizers, who are well versed in the Sanage adventure field, have set up the course in such a way that it is very interesting.
It is clear that the essence of 4WD trial competition is not the competition but the joy of driving.
The SAF Cup 2021 champion achieved perfection!
After completing all four sections in the morning and afternoon, the overall winner was Koichi Suzuki of the short class (Jimny), who was the only one of the 63 participants to achieve a perfect score with zero points deducted. The second overall winner was Mr. Kazuyuki Ueno in the middle class (Land Cruiser 70), and the third overall winner was Mr. Tomoaki Nishioka, also in the middle class (Land Cruiser 40).
This year was the 27th time to hold the SAF Cup, which is now widely recognized by 4WD trial competition fans all over the country. As last year, the event was held under the condition of corona disaster, and various measures were taken to prevent the infection such as restricting the entry of general visitors. Both the organizers and the participants have been supporting each other through their passion for 4WD, and this is the main reason why the event is able to continue despite the difficult situation.
And next year, we hope to see more participants brave the extremely difficult sections. Of course, first-time participants who think they have what it takes are also welcome. Why don't you gather information, carefully maintain your car, and experience the thrill of testing the potential of 4WD to the limit?
