Japanese Reverse Driving Trial is potentially the most exhilarating and weirdest motorsport out there
- Japanese reverse driving trial needs to be seen to be believed
- It might be weird – but it’s pretty exhilarating
- The winner reverse accelerated within 1cm of a cone without hitting it
Published on Jul 24, 2024 at 8:17 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jul 25, 2024 at 11:50 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This Japanese reverse driving trial might be weird – but it’s a pretty exhilarating motorsport.
It involves reversing as close to a cone as possible without touching it.
This year’s champion from Japan came within 1cm of the target – and wow.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The aim of the Japanese Reverse Driving Trial
Max Orido was the winner of the Japanese Reverse Driving Trial.
The Rear Stop Championship happened at the All-Japan 4A-G Festival.
It saw the winner come within 1 cm of the cone.
He had previously won two Super GT championships and GT4 Asia competitions for precision driving.
The festival is a celebration of all the cars that the inline-four engine has powered including the Toyota Corolla AE86 and Toyota MR2.
Orido shared a video to X captioned fairly underwhelmingly: “Quite interesting. It was exciting.”
The event sees all contenders take the wheel of the same first-generation Toyota MR2 – a supercharged AW11 model in a teal finish with gold wheels, and a dual-tipped exhaust.
Drivers must accelerate in reverse and time their brake just right.
The winner is whoever comes closest to the cone without making contact.
Toyota’s A-Series engine was discontinued in 2006 – but these Japanese enthusiasts, race drivers, and the charming 4A-G festival are keeping its memory alive.
Other weird reversing skills
Orido might have been precise, but he isn’t the fastest thing in reverse.
That strange honor goes to this Rimac Nevera that reverses faster than a lot of cars’ top speeds.
The Hypercar set a world record for being the fastest car in reverse as it reached 275.75 km/h (171.34 mph) driving backward.
This four-year-old boy shocked viewers by expertly reversing a VW van with a trailer around a race track.
Zayn Sofuoğlu is a little boy from Turkey, and he’s the son of former professional motorcycle racer, Kenan Sofuoğlu.
Kenan holds a record five Supersport World Championship titles, so it’s no wonder his son has got talent.
Struggle to reserve park? A ‘genius’ parking lot feature in Australia has people saying it should be everywhere.
Instead of a simple white line between each space, it has adopted rectangular boxes – and it’s said to make parking way easier.
London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.
