Monday 8 December 2008

Touge Racing



Touge (峠 tōge) is a Japanese word literally meaning "pass." It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas.
Placing a series of s or bends in the steep roads that provide access to and from the high elevations of the mountains was intended o be a safety measure, usually to prevent commuters from reaching unstable speeds or creating excessive wear on the vehicles associated with them. It is therefore ironic that these same passes have become popular with street racers and motorsport enthusiasts in the last two decades, providing a dangerous and therefore challenging course where nightly competitions are not unheard of.



There are 3 types of Touge battles

Cat and Mouse

The lead car wins if the space between the cars increases considerably, while the following car wins if the gap between them stays the same, decreases from start to finish or the following car overtakes the lead car. If any car spins out or crashes, the other one wins the race.
This method is used when the road area isn't wide enough to allow passing, but if the car in front does indeed somehow get passed, the overtaken car automatically loses.

Straight up

If the road is wide enough, this method comes into use. Instead of the lead and chase type of start, the cars are lined up next to each other. If there is a handicap in horsepower, a rolling start would be used up until the 1st turn. Whoever is in front at the end of the "touge" road, is the winner.

Random battle

A challenge is communicated through the use of the hazard lights. Then according to the road, use of one of the 2 prior types of battle.

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