Touge, literally is the Japanese word that refers to a mountain pass. Popular culture though, has brought in a whole new meaning to the word. Largely to blame for this is the Anime Initial D. Although it accurately depicted how Japanese street racers would race each other on the mountain passes, it has now caused a whole new generation of fanbois to think that touge means racing. You need not look further than the Wikipedia article on the subject which even lists the types of 'races' that one could do on a touge. Look it up for a good laugh but remember that was likely written by a 12 year old.
Back to reality. The touge will also be forever tied to the sport of drifting. In Japan in the late 70's and early 80's, street racers or 'Hashiriya' as they called themselves took to the mountains so they could freely drive flat out to their hearts content- given the traffic and traffic laws in most cities, this was likely the only place one could. Driving flat out through the winding mountain roads eventually evolved into the art of sliding the car around the turns to maximize the entry speed in the corners. This technique pioneered in Rallying eventually evolved into the modern multi-million dollar sport called drifting today.
What holds true for the Hashiriya's of Japan back then still holds true today. It might be even correct to say that it's even more so today. With the traffic conditions in Metro Manila for example there are few opportunities to really enjoy your high performance car. Race tracks are out of the question for most with track days being rather expensive and the tracks being few and far in between.
This now brings me to 'Touge' in our colloquial; basically taking your car for a blast up some of our local mountain passes. This is done mostly for fun (sometimes we call it a fun run) usually with some excuse like going up to see a view or have breakfast in some small restaurant on top of the mountain. The appeal of such an activity might be hard to understand for someone outside looking in but for the hardcore driving enthusiast the rewards are on many levels. First, is that it is a test of ones driving skill. Going for it uphill and downhill involve different techniques including being able to 'read' each corner accurately to judge the speed at which it can be taken- with a margin of safety of course. Being able to preserve momentum while climbing up and save the brakes from over use while going down. Secondly, it is a test of the machine. This type of flat out driving will test a machine to it's limits. The engine has to have the power yet at the same time be reliable to be able to keep at it for extended periods of time. The cooling system has to be able to keep up with the constant high RPM. The brakes must be strong and fade resistant. The suspension must be firm to corner well yet have enough stroke and wheel travel to absorb the road imperfections. The gearing must be matched well to the engine to keep it in it's sweet spot (as discussed in previous entry). The tires must be good too. A good friend of mine said that taking his car to the touge was his way of testing if everything was alright. He'd go for a run in what is called the Devil's Playground- A long zig zag road in Tanay, Rizal province going up the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. If the car survives that it can survive anything. Lastly, The whole experience of going for a drive like that is what makes all the effort we spend working on our cars worth it. All the hours and money spent tuning and modifying all suddenly make sense when your going at it on a twisting mountain road with the car performing at it's peak and with that feeling of being one with the machine. I personally find this very relaxing. If any it's a momentary escape- if only for a few hours from the stress of our day to day grind.
Some might argue that it is dangerous. But really anything is dangerous if you take unnecessary risks and are not careful. It's always best to go at it on your own pace and go with someone who's done it before. I also like to avoid big groups as things can get messy if a lot of cars are involved. Make sure the car is in top shape and you are well rested and go up at a time when the traffic is light and enjoy the drive. I have had a little experience with Motorsports and it can't compare to the rush of driving touge. Value for money too. Spend 700 to 800 pesos for a Autocross or Slalom and you'll get around two practice runs and two timed runs and spend the rest of your whole day in line waiting your turn. Entry to a track day will usually set you back a thousand pesos or more. There's rarely a mountain pass that has a toll fee and if ever that under 20 pesos tops. You can drive flat out to your hearts content- usually an hour or so for most and enjoy a good meal and see some nice views when you get to the top of the mountain.
The Philippines is blessed with some incredible mountain roads some of which I have had the pleasure of being able to run on. There is a project I've always wanted to do, which is to document a run on these different roads and share what it's like to drive them. Watch for an update of that here at a later time.
Hey good day!
ReplyDeleteI'm familiar with the roads that your talking about here. Those are good roads, and really a good place to drive. I have traversed those roads since I was in College, and still going up and down those roads up to now.
I'm pretty sure that you have drove around this roads many times now, so you would already be familiar with each turn. Your post is very inviting for people to go there, drive there, and feel the thrill. And it is true, those are very thrilling roads to drive on.
But I just wanna remind everyone that those are still PUBLIC ROADS. You can see a shanty at several corners and short straights. A horse, a cow can sometimes cross the street, and people. Even trucks and other cars passing these roads.
What I'll advise to people who wanted to test their "precious" on these roads. Make 2-4 slow passes on these roads, regular drives both going up and down. So you can get "to know" the road. If you feel you can do a faster run after that then go ahead. Put Safety at topmost priority here. Help is a bit far. Group runs are good, and what I would recommend, just keep a bit of distance while running.
That picture above, I hope you can change it. You're on the other side of the road...
(I'm hoping you just flipped that in post-processing.)
MORE power to your old School Lancie! Good Ride! Hands Down to your Ride sir!
@Aly
ReplyDeleteHi Sir.
Yes, I agree extreme care has to be taken when running around like this. It is very important to respect the road and there is a reason why they call it the Devils Playground.
The pic above is not flipped. I really was on the inside lane cutting the corner. We had that section of the road closed off that morning and we were doing some runs for the little audience that had gathered.
And look! There's a cow in this pic! http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k4/dog283/4337548704_d7d09cd9ca_b.jpg
Thank you for your comments. =)