(Shiga Prefecture, Japan) - One of the first teams to publicly announce their participation in the International Touring Car Series was Far Eastern Magic Nap Society Racing, a rather interesting team which headquarters in Japan.
Rumors of Autobacs Racing Team America had circulated around the racing world as they were supposedly poised to join the ITCS. Interest waned throughout the off-season as they concentrated efforts on the GTPlanet Fantasy Series, adding a 3rd driver. However, a privateer team in Japan volunteered to help out race on the international scale. Although ARTA found the party questionable, they agreed to form a partnership.
The drivers that will race for Far Eastern Magic Nap Society Racing are Otsu's own Makoto Isshiki and Yuuta Togashi, two very young drivers with their experience unknown to the racing world. The cars in question are V8 Supercar spec Nissan Altimas, with the engines developed in-house inside an once was school building transformed into a racing shop.
Sponsors on board for the 2016 season are Autobacs, a Japanese autoparts store, and Banamex, a Mexican branch of the Citigroup. Other partnerships include Tecate, Yokomo RC Vehicles, Adidas, Motul, Orient Watches, NGK, Fujifilm, and a local school club, aptly named Far Eastern Magic Nap Society of Summer.
Team Director Shinka Nibutani had some words about the enthusiasm coming into the 2016 season.
"I'm very ... errr... excit-ed ... ? ...for our 'drivers' this year. We prepared them by sticking them onto Gran Turismo and logging a few laps around Mount Panorama...though I don't think that's part of the schedule? ... Oh well, I think we're going to do just fine. I promise ... I mean we could just take out the other drivers, right?
What I think we need to work on is team chemistry, because that is non-existan-I mean team chemistry is fantastic!!"
"What I'm really excited about is that Team Kate Upton doesn't even have a trailer yet! So at least we're not totally unprepared!!"
We also asked about the ARTA and sponsor partnerships.
"We were bored and decided to build a race team, so we just approached this really Mexican looking guy and a hunk of a Kiwi, and we asked for cars and we got them. Oh yeah ... sponsors ... that ... well Autobacs gave some good money...that other company gave us huge stacks and some other things...might be a cartel or something. Nothing good ever comes out of Mexico these days ... I'm kidding, okay?"
Rather surprisingly, the team's engineer was former Red Bull Racing's own Adrian Newey, who was desperate to get into a racing series where he could break many rules.
"This car? Totally legal! Just trust me! There's no fans or weird downforce or anything..."
Other engineers, Takanashi and Dekomori, were not available for interview, as they stated that they had important things to do, like scribbling Sharpies on the other team's cars and annoying the Team Director.
UPDATE- The reporter was recommended for a vacation and consistent sessions of therapy after interviewing the team.
