When car enthusiasts envision their dream house it’s usually a home with a large garage full of cars, or potentially a built-in car lift to make working on projects a little easier. However, drift lover Takeshi Teruya took it one step further than most and decided to build a nearly 0.1-mile drift track around his home. Needless to say, the wife wasn’t happy.
Originally from Japan, Teruya moved to Hamilton, New Zealand in 2007 where he continued his studies and spent time competing in drifting competitions. Teruya said that he had loved drifting ever since he learned how to drive and had been actively involved in motorsport for years. One day while attending a car event, the inspiration for what would eventually transpire at a home that he hadn’t even purchased yet suddenly hit him.
“A few years ago, I attended the Leadfoot Festival in Hahei where the races took place at Kiwi motorsports legend Rod Millen’s driveway,” Teruya told the New Zealand Herald. “That inspired me a lot, so when I came back I started planning on how I can have my own drifting track at my house.”
According to the 37-year-old mechanic, land in Japan is not only scarce, but it’s also very expensive to purchase. When he stumbled across the New Zealand property at a former employer’s housewarming party in 2013, Teruya knew that he had to purchase it. For the sum of $178,000 ($270,000 New Zealand Dollars), he had purchased the home and began construction on the 425-foot drift track. Since Teruya completed the majority of the labor himself, he was able to construct the track for the sum of $10,500.
Teruya wasn’t worried about the neighbors either, as most of the folks around the cul-de-sac neighborhood were all car lovers, including his former boss. They even helped to pitch in on the project by lending a hand with the labor and providing the mechanic with a safe and accessible place to slide his car. His wife, however, was not initially a fan of the track.
“Who in the right mind builds a race track around your own house?” she told the Herald, but later went on to mention that she enjoys playing on the track with their two daughters. “It is really good for the kids’ scootering and push bikes, so now we don’t even have to go to the parks.”
Perhaps New Zealand’s own racing star Scott Dixon will hone day honor Teruya with a lap around home home track—quite literally.