Display maker “in discussions” with companies to sell the site (JDI) is to turn a display manufacturing site outside Tokyo into a data center The Japanese display maker this week announced plans to end production at its Mobara Fab by March 2026 into an AI data center after production ends “JDI is also in discussions with companies that require AI data centers focusing on the sale of the Mobara Fab assets and their conversion into an AI data center,” the company said According to a JDI investor presentation the Mobara Fab currently offers more than 100MW of available power The 338,985 sqm (3.65m sq ft) site is currently “underloaded and unprofitable,” the presentation noted The existing buildings total 368,960 sqm (3.97m sq ft) with 178,020 sqm (1.9m sq ft) of clean rooms but the announcement suggests the site will be sold rather than leased Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed JDI was formed in 2011 after the merger of the small and medium-sized liquid crystal display businesses of Sony After the Mobara fab closes – which will end in-house OLED display production – JDI will consolidate LCD production operations at its Ishikawa Fab The company said final decisions around the 1,323 Mobara employees will be made after consultation with JDI’s labor union Elsewhere in Japan, Sharp is selling an LCD panel manufacturing site in Osaka to SoftBank and KDDI for data center development Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia (JDI) has announced plans to sell its primary LCD panel production facility in Mobara with production scheduled to end by March 2026 The company will transfer manufacturing capabilities to its Ishikawa factory.. Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site Share your travel photos with us by hashtagging your images with #visitjapanjp In addition hosting Benten Pond and wide variety of seasonal flowers, Mobara Park is famed for being one of Chiba prefecture's top cherry blossom destintations The red bridge that crosses the lake is a stunning sight in the pink bloom of spring The cherry blossom trees around the pond are being illuminated from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM from Tuesday Mobara City (25-minute walk from JR Mobara Station For more information on the unique cherry blossom viewing spots in Chiba please have a look at Visit Chiba's article: https://www.visitchiba.jp/things/unique-cherry-blossom-spots/ Browse the JNTO site in one of multiple languages Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan If you have spent an extended time in Japan This particular spring day was made even better with a Hachiroku drift event at Mobara Circuit Mobara Circuit is a multi-purpose motorsports complex nestled just across Tokyo Bay in Mobara City While most know Mobara for its various drift and time attack competitions the venue also hosts motorcycle and go-kart track days most of which take place on the lesser-known short course track just off the side of the main circuit Having attended my fair share of events at Mobara Circuit and being quite familiar with average AE86 power output I was eager to see how these cars handled the ‘Gallery’ corner – a big sweeping left-hander onto the straight this is the main judged zone in D1 Divisional and similar grassroots competitions For anyone who hasn’t visited Mobara in person it is difficult to convey on camera how much elevation change there is at this point on the track there were more AE86s than you could poke a stick at Team Mouse and Major Force were out in numbers with some of the nicest-built and most recognisable cars You would be kidding yourselves if you thought they would miss an event like this was driving at the event in his Garage Matsuyama-built Levin for the last time before returning home to Australia While Marcello and the rest of Club 4AGE were charging hard for most of the day it was sadly cut short for my Aussie counterpart when his Levin’s highly-strung engine threw off its timing belt I don’t think I would have been able to hold the same brave face if it had happened to me If you’d like to check out more of the chaos in video format I put together a short event recap which you can watch above I think it is safe to say this 40-plus-year-old chassis isn’t going anywhere anytime soon when it comes to motorsport – especially drifting in Japan AE86 related stories on Speedhunters Makes me sad that these are percieved in North America as "weeb tax" or only desired due to a comic book and didn't sell well since they cost the same as a v8 mustang at the timeThe guys I know with these cars have never read the comic book They just like the setupThe engine was a copy of a Cosworth and the basic layout was similar to a 60s Alfa Add in Toyota's amazing durability and you have a fun car that won't let you down.Glad to see people still driving these cars I know drifting isn't for everyone but at least they're seeing some use My fav is the pink and white one in picture 31 popularity grows through media and pop culture references and as popularity increases so can the aftermarket support and following for the car itself just saddens me that you guys don't seem to understand or appreciate the car Of course if I sold it to an American it's a plus for me Having learned to drive in an early eighties Toyota I had been thinking about these cars If I could find a good example to buy that’s not overpriced I’d buy it Speedhunters is an international collective of photographers writers and drivers with a shared passion for uncovering the world's most exciting car culture stories Acrid white smoke billowed from wheel wells as American and Japanese drivers recently showcased their drifting skills on a winding course east of Tokyo Eight of the 80 registered drivers at the Butcher Style Racing 88 event in Chiba were service members from U.S “Drifting and the car culture here in Japan is unlike anywhere else in the world and has helped me make local friends at drift events and car meets,” Capt an intelligence officer stationed at Camp Zama worldwide phenomenon that brings people from many backgrounds together “I think car culture is a great bridge that helps connect the local Japanese communities with U.S began organizing racing events shortly after arriving at Yokosuka Naval Base about eight years ago and that was to land a job that would give me a visa to work and live in Japan,” he told Stars and Stripes by email Sept DeLeon said he’s been racing since he was young and drifting since 2006 he wanted to create an affordable motorsport event where drivers could enjoy themselves and make friends “Once I began working on starting up my own events I messaged all the fellows that I met and asked if they would be interested in joining a new style of event that everyone can enjoy with family,” he wrote DeLeon has brought American and Japanese cultures together through drifting and grip racing events He credited DeLeon for bringing him into the fold in 2022 but he quickly gained experience with DeLeon’s encouragement there was an upcoming drift event at Fuji Speedway that he invited me to which was the first time I’ve ever drifted,” Chong said I’ve been lucky to make friends from drifting that help share upcoming drift events.” made alluring by movies like “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” and videogames like Need for Speed is the ability to slide sideways on all four wheels at high speed through a turn Drivers will burn through two or three cheap sets of tires in one event thanks to the wear and tear associated with the sport the occasional driver overcorrected his vehicle and spun to a halt Other drivers on a track straightaway performed the Manji Drift a Japanese term for a car snaking back and forth on the straightaway in a controlled drift Drifting originated in Japan in the late 1980s with its agile Butcher’s racing events brought the phenomenon full circle – an American devotee inviting all comers to show their stuff on a Japanese track The 88 races feature four driver categories: beginner basically the conventional way of driving a fast car through a turn with all four tires facing forward “Being able to drift with the local Japanese community where drifting was born is such a great opportunity,” Chong said at the event The atmosphere in Chiba was amicable and electric as drivers talked among themselves revved their engines and prechecked their vehicles before their performance times Some cars had immaculate body kits and paint jobs; others were a little beat up from use older model sedans like the Toyota Crown Athlete typically you want something that is rear-wheel drive that way you can get the rear of the car sideways,” Deleon said contractor assigned to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo brought experience from his native Trinidad and Tobago He came to Chiba as a first-time grip racer “I am confident and feel pretty safe,” he said while inspecting his 1998 Skyline Some drivers modify their cars’ differentials which deliver power from the engine to the wheels Some install hydraulic e-brakes or handbrakes and turbocharge their motors for more power but that hasn’t slowed him down on the track but I don’t feel that I am getting better,” he said at the track Sekiguchi prefers Fords and has four models helps organizing the Japanese side of business for her husband’s events “We did not expect it to be so busy; however it turned out really good to the point that we had to apologize to a lot of people that there’s no more entry,” she said at the track over the rumble of a drifting car In 2022, Japan Display (JDI) announced that it has developed a "historic breakthrough in display technology" - a new OLED deposition process which they refer to as eLEAP that is said to be cost effective and can be used to create freeform OLEDs that are brighter and longer lasting compared to OLEDs produced using mask evaporation (FMM) JDI is planning to establish a 8.7-Gen eLEAP fab in China and it is also building a smaller-scale 6-Gen eLEAP production line in Mobara The company announced that the 6-Gen Mobara fab is advancing ahead of schedule and production of eLEAP panels will begin before the end of 2024 JDI developed 14" laptop panels that are three times brighter than other OLEDs (at 1,600 nits) JDI is also looking into adopting a tandem structure to increase brightness even further to 3,000 nits as there were speculations that the company is struggling to fully develop and ramp-up the eLEAP production process JDI is reportedly aiming to build a single 8.7-Gen (30,000 monthly substrates) production line in Wuhu (originally it planed to establish an additional 6-Gen line) It managed to gain Apple as a customer for Watch wearable displays This new partnership with HKC could be great news for the company finally gaining access to the vast amounts of money required to mass produce AMOLEDs The main advantage seems to be that OLED displays produced by eLEAP technology can achieve an aperture ratio of 60% compared with FMM OLEDs which achieve a ratio of about 28% This means that the OLED displays can be driven at lower currents - which extends the lifetime improves the efficiency and also enables higher-peak brightness when needed JDI claims that eLEAP displays offer a boost of 2X in emission efficiency and peak brightness - while lifetime is extended by of 3X (which also reduces burn-in problems) JDI is using a 300PPI display for these calculations JDI says that eLEAP can be combined with the company's HMO (High Mobility Oxide) backplane technology to dramatically improve OLED display performance eLEAP production technology can be scaled up to 8-Gen (2200x2500 mm) substrates - or even larger and is suitable for OLED display production from wearable-size displays to TV sizes JDI says that eLEAP reduces operating costs reduces material waste and does not require cleaning fluids for the masks - which means that eLEAP significantly reduces material usage In 2022 it was reported that Samsung Display is interested in JDI's eLeap technology, but this wasn't confirmed since then, and later reports suggest at SDC is interested in an exclusive license, which JDI does not wish to provide What is the application that they have achived mass production yield of 60% The sakura festival features a range of events from wadaiko performances and pop concerts to a bazaar and flea market The sakuras take on a dreamlike quality when they are lit up at night the park is adjacent to the exclusive Mobara Country Club where US President Donald Trump played golf with Prime Minister Abe Shinzō in May 2019 Sakura 100: Japan’s Best Blossoms I came across an interesting character in the paddock of Mobara Circuit At first I noticed his car; a white Nissan 180SX sporting all sorts of custom track-oriented aerodynamics and riding at just the right height before functionality slips away I was so intrigued by all the details of this car I got up the nerve to test out my very very infantile Japanese language capabilities on the owner It went something along the lines of: “My name is Sully Your car is really cool,” and “I don’t speak Japanese.” The irony being I said it all in Japanese Google Translate then took the reigns on the rest of the conversation and I found out he lived very close to where I was staying in the countryside of Chiba Prefecture We also happened to have mutual friends – what a strange small world he opened up his doors to me and we ended up spending quite a bit of time together Besides sharing with us his two beautiful Nissans both featuring aerodynamics which he fully customized by himself he explained a simple and great strategy for what automotive tuning should be: It should look good to stretching the legs on his 600hp R34 in the middle of the night to just sharing conversation over a meal – it was truly a pleasure getting to know him along the way I can say I have another close friend across the Pacific More IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER posts How the heck could you not mention that he did all of the body and paintwork for Re-Amemiya! people who don't know that it don't read Super Street are gonna miss that massive part of information Masao actually did not want that to be known to public knowledge that he may have done sub contract work for them and was quite upset at the fact it was blown out of proportion Because those cars were produced by RE Amemia and he has not done anything in recent years with them for their demo cars What Sully wanted to capture was Masao’s character and his own personality The work he has done for other people is irrevelant and I hope we can all respect Masao’s wishes.Hope you enjoyed the video!Thanks What if I told you he actually didn't want that to be mentioned out of respect for RE-Amemiya since technically he was sub-contracted for the work Super Streets article on him totally blew that out of the water sadly made it seem like the main part of the article I had a conversation with him about it after the SS article came out and He made it clear; he may have done body work on some of Amemiya's previous auto salon cars and he mentioned he hasn't worked on any of the RE cars in recent years so make what you will about the SS article but I felt it was a bit conflated Making friends on the other side of the world because of cars is just awesome or what was the reason for you being in Japan I believe those were the best holidays you ever had Just for a holiday but I have spent quite a bit of time over there the last couple years check this out, i found the interesting information, so dont miss it Kitaqq Any chance you have more pictures or details on the side mirrors but the extra little titanium arm on top is a cool addition check this out, i found the interesting information, so dont miss it Bandar Poker I would love to see an isolated shoot + story for that 180 A couple of days before I got a call from Rod telling me I had to meet up with him in Italy for a last minute Speedhunting trip where aspiring drifters compete to get the sought after points needed to certify for a D1 Street Legal license For me these are the events that best represent the whole drift culture in Japan everyone is out to have fun and try their best to get those ever important points With a turnout of around 70 cars this was going to be a great day of drifting And a quick walk around the paddock at Mobara revealed some pretty mean machines Here is a novel idea for keeping your hood propped open Might need a slightly taller spring if you need to work under there though The weather was far from cooperative on the day with rainfall pretty much beginning once the first group of cars hit the track But nobody was complaining as the extra slippery conditions called for some pretty cool action Check out this gold/pink GTS-t sliding around on the wet tarmac I was very impressed at the quality and level of mechanical and aesthetic tuning most of the cars were sporting This Nakajima JZX90 looked good enough to compete in D1-GP trying different shooting locations as well as getting down by the inside of the corner right where most cars were clipping the apex This ER34 GT-t was on top form getting some wild angles on the corner exit but things would end up very messy for it later on in the day It looked like every car was going straight for a collision with the pit wall from where I was standing Andy from Powervehicles put on a great show manhandling that overpowered JZX100 of his around the main judged corner No point showing up at a D1 Divisional event without plenty of rubber Notice how this Chaser has a set of sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R for the front and some regular trires for there rear The gold Skyline was running Advan Neovas up front I love checking out all the wild team names "Kemu" means smoke so you can imagine what the is hinting at but this 180SX is the one that got the closest After spending the previous week-end at the Drift Matsuri in Ebisu I was craving for more wall hits LOL we will have to do a feature on this car as it's one of the cleanest rides in the pro-drift circuit In his following outing at Honjo Andy ended up blowing the gearbox even transmissions start to become consumables the rain miraculously stopped and the track began to slowly dry who ever made this would go through to the Best 16 Andy took advantage of the dry tarmac tapping into all his 600+ horses He put in a series of perfect runs with tons of smoke but it didn't get him anywhere as the judges didn't think his line was good As I moved back into the center of the track the rain began to fall giving way to slippery conditions once again Before the Best 16 got under way I took another look around the paddock and spotted this Do-luck kitted MZ20 Soarer There is a lot more to come from this very wet Mobara D1 DIvisional so make sure you don't miss the next posts Any chance of being emailed high res shots of that Z20 Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee soarer@boost.org.nz any photos of that 2 white Vertex kit S15 in the second photo They are so lovely and caught my first glance in that photos >.< Hope that their photos come in PT2. i couldnt go to sleep before reading this post you're killing it with these wide pans --LOVE IT http://vimeo.com/4876080?pg=embed&sec= hey rod check this vid out my email is failing me so this was my only way to send this to you its from our first big comp is oz this year the drift cup in adelaide at mallala raceway Traveling and getting to attend events like this would be a dream job. hi dino,more pic plz on the do-luck soarer plz plz plz....thanks You seriously make some wallpapers of this And I'm still waiting for the Red Z20 wallpaper from the auto queen battle :P Thats Just Awesomeness,Its Being some time i visited speedhunters,And I again i feel its still the best ,Would Love Some Walls From This Issue I've seen that purple C34 laurel in person sort of behind the scenes of being at the track waiting in line. eZV8oZ http://ttnkygcavvit.com/">ttnkygcavvit, [url=http://wzxuwdwywvce.com/wzxuwdwywvce/url], [link=http://nxrdbxobmyrj.com/nxrdbxobmyrj/link], http://olniviqevthw.com/ One of the main attractions of the MSC Challenge are the triple drift runs After checking out the cars that stood out the most in Mobara this past Sunday it’s on to the Best 16 battles that kicked off in the afternoon after all what would drifting be with some a bit of tsuiso The first bout of the day was between top qualifier Naoki Otani in his Evolexlink S15 and Atsushi Kitazawa in the Illusion JZX90 Chaser A fiercely contested battle with awesome driving that saw the bigger and more powerful Chaser move up to Best 8 Kitazawa ended up loosing to the turbocharged Levin of Daisuke Fukuda Jun Tayama behind the wheel of the Illusion JZX90 found himself winning his first battle of the day… …after Bungo Maemori crashed into his side dent on its side but the S15 was looking a bit sorry for itself It’s great to see whole families coming down and checking out events like these the welcoming and chilled out atmosphere adding to the enjoyment one more incentive to choose the more grassroots oriented side of drifting rather that the marketing and promotion driven pro-circuit Andrew Gray came to Mobara with the intent of bringing home as many points as possible so that he could hold on to his second spot in the rankings In his Best 16 battle he had to see it off against Mikihito Kawamura and his Origin Labo S13 Andy had a good first run putting distance between him and his opponent going for a slightly tighter line on the exit He kept glued to the Silvia on his chasing run and got the nod from the judges to move into Best 8 It was a battle of the S15s when top ranked driver Yuji Saito went up against Osamu Sasaki in the CS-Ducks Silvia Saito had the upper hand and moved up to Best 8 His opponent would be the winner of the next battle… …between Teruo Hamakawa and the very colorful Link Racing Project JZX100 of Masataka Kawashima These guys had a series of great close battles but it was Kawashima that took the win and proceeded to the next round The battle between Andy Gray and Yuuki Takamiya of Team Magician was looking to be an exciting one as both drivers threw their cars sideways at high speeds for the entry into the judged corner Andy kept his line but Takamiya came in too fast and had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the Powervehicles MarkII Andy grabbed the win and headed straight into the Semi who after beating Kawashima was ready to see it off against the Scotsman in Andy’s leading run Saito messed up his entry and gave up attempting to catch up With a rather big advantage it was time for Andy to follow and despite Saito’s great run there was no way he could make up for his initial mistake So for Round 2 Andy was once again in the final his JZX100 against Yasanabu Umebayashi’s JZX90 Prior to the run both drivers were allowed a slow lap to help their engines cool down a little seeing how fast the Best 16 competition had been run Andy seemed to have some issues with his clutch but with no choice but to drive he went for it starting off with a nice aggressive entrance with his rear wheels on the very edge of the rumble strip Umebayashi managed to keep nice and close but Andy’s clutch was beginning to really let go by this point… …not allowing him to keep the distance he wanted The judges called a “one more time” where Umebayashi had the obvious advantage Andy’s JZX100 wasn’t even able to move any more the clutch slipping badly and sending no drive to the wheels who was the part of the judge’s panel on the day had the drivers line up in front of the spectators… …where he announced Umebayashi had taken the win who wasn’t present at the first round in Nikko took home 25 points Saito’s third position yielded enough points to allow him to hang on to the first spot in the East Division rankings The third round in the SL series is being held this coming weekend at Meihan so there are a lot of preparations both drivers need to do before then With his JXZ100 well and truly done for the day Andy had no choice but to walk back to the pits happy with the result despite the mechanical issues I will definitely be trying to revisit the Street Legal series later on in the year as it’s just about the best way to enjoy some awesome drifting in Japan right now Don’t forget to scroll down and check out some of the desktops I’ve prepared from this round at Mobara D1 Street Legal Official Website D1 2012 coverage on Speedhunters Both Mark IIs in the final are JZX100s I believe As I type this from Italy I still can’t believe what has happened over the last week and a half after resizing and uploading this last batch of pictures from the first round of MSC in Mobara I was getting ready to write my final entry of the event when the massive earthquake hit We were pretty lucky in Tokyo compared to what those poor souls went through up in the Tohoku region but it was an experience everyone in Japan won’t be forgetting anytime soon Not wishing to take any chances with what occurred shortly after at Tepco’s nuclear plant in Fukushima I headed home to Italy So that’s why you haven’t been seeing any posts from me over the last week or so It feels quite eerie seeing these images once again after what has gone down the JDM car culture is the last thing on people’s mind however I think that a glimpse back at a side of Japan we all love and admire will help us all wish the best for this incredible country So let’s take this final look at some more grassroots sideways action from Mobara This is probably one of the most dramatic viewing spots of the whole circuit as every car that exits the main judged corner looks like it’s just about to hit the pit wall barrier After seeing this C33 Laurel in action I just had to get a closer look when it returned to the pits… I know a lot of you liked the Soarer I showed in Part 1 so here are a couple of more shots for you to enjoy The car wears a full T&E wide body aero kit beautifully painted in candy blue His main job isn’t drifting but designing and creating custom graphics… This JXZ100 is a complete Weld creation and one we have seen before on Speedhunters The controls have been modified so that the driver and the most impressive thing is that it has a manual transmission Nothing beats getting as close as possible to the action from the apex of the main corner We all know that the triple drift rounds are what make MSC so unique… …but it was a welcome sight seeing the adoption of tsuiso rounds too Here is Hibino with his S14 against Matsui in the S13 he was sharing on the day The racing was very close but it was Hibino that impressed the judges the most Hibino again put on the better runs in the final After the event was over it was on to the podium ceremony where Taniguchi and Orido called the top finishers in each class on stage That is Mori-san from Auto Service Mori on the left grabbing second spot in the Expert Class… With most tracks around the Tokyo area having suffered some damage from the earthquake and a lot of events having been cancelled well into April it’s not quite sure when I’ll be able to bring you more coverage like this but I’m sure things will be back to normal sooner rather than later Motorsportcom MSC Mobara I remember reading an article in Import Tuner about it Glad to see it still rocks the fire breathing dragon design is there anymore info you can give me on designing drift car graphics im really into the idea of that line of work its the first time i've ever seen on of those C33 Laurel's in action - wicked those rims are cool as hell..- think i missed Part 1 MORE ON THE DRIVER IN THE WHEELCHAIR PLEASE!! There are always SO many amazing cars at MSC events Any idea how much powert that Laurel was putting down i would love to see a spotlight on it once everything in Japan has been sorted out great article and glad to know that youre ok dino It's nice to still see this kind of stuff after what has happened in Japan The rain-soaked action from the D1 Divisional in Mobara continues with this opening shot from one of the tsuiso battles Why not…this JZX100 was definitely getting the attention it deserved I think this might have been the only time that Bomber Yamamoto wasn't on the mic He literally keept a running commentary throughout the day including while moving around the paddock and I'm sure I saw him head into the bathroom at one point too. This is his daily driver and drift machine. I really dig his style, kept things very simple with a nice set of Watanabes complimenting the beaten up front bumper. You can keep up with his blog on JDM Option by clicking here I'm glad wide pans are going down nicely as I did end up trying to take a lot on the day This Laurel was without a doubt the craziest at Mobara powered by a fully tuned externally gated SR20DET The few times the track dried the cars were shooting out of the main corner with incredible speed His selection of TE37's came in handy on the day as he really seemd to have no mercy for that Federal rubber There seemed to be a few different schools of thought on how to attack the main judged corner at Mobara Some people entered deeper and came out tighter like the S14 above while others carried more speed and exited wider The main thing the judges were looking for was for a fast and aggressive entrance with drivers getting their cars sideways well before the actual corner began This caused some problems as the slippery conditions made grip levels hard to read Remember that ER34 from Part 1 It ended up in the wall right under the judges taking a while to get dislodged I noticed more and more drifters were using color-matching tape to cover their head and tail lights this gold and pink coloring seemed to be growing on me during the day Spotted this Drift Gang Sileighty in the paddock but the blue color actually shifts to purple depending on the angle you look at The air-intake in headlight thing is something that has been borrowed form the drag and most recently time-attack scenes I wonder if something like this would be road legal in other countries The sheer number of cars and action at Mobara made it impossible to take even a short brake Make sure you don't miss the final installment from this D1 Divisional round lately I was wondering when would be the next time I'd see a coverage from a Japanese drift competition other than D1GPThanks the red MarkII with the black flame vinyl needs to be a wallpaper please or any other Speedhunters reading this comment would you please get some videos of the next drift competition(s) in Japan other than D1GP but sometimes its just fitting to see the cars in motion and hear their engines I never got the tape on the headlights/tail lights when at the track.. grip racers tape their head/tail lights so they don't fall off while running or fall off easily in a collision Same reason why the drifters are starting to use it it helps to try and keep the glass in in one piece instead of shattering everywhere as long as the headlights work and are somewhere between amber and white the intake thing is 100% legal here in Ontario There are a couple civics in town with velocity stacks for their turbos popping out of the headlight i was there standing next to Dino filming the event all day long im putting the video together now unsure if it will go on here have not heard much back from Dino or Rod Out of all the various forms of motorsport drifting is by far the most visual painted and styled to the actual driving itself it is all about tickling your visual…not to mention aural and even olfactory senses When it comes to entertainment on four wheels there isn’t much out there that can match it So let’s begin with a walk through the paddock at Mobara to check out what kind of cars were present at this second round of the East Division Yuuji Saito’s widebody S15 built in collaboration with Garage Yamazaki is one mean machine and one of the fiercest cars in the series It may not boast massive power but it seems like a very agile machine on track …Scotsman Andrew Gray that after years of drifting in Japan has stepped his game up and decided to go full out in the professional circuit which has over the years been evolving into the car you see here Powering it is a 1.5JZ with an HKS T04Z sitting right by its side Andy has just fitted new Hey Man extended front lower arms to help pump the front TE37SL right out of the wide fenders Andy has even needed to cut off a bit off the bumper so the tires don’t catch on full lock in-between Naoki Ootani who managed to snap up first place… The warm day meant that drivers had to take special care of cooling making sure the cars cooled down out on track before pitting and then in the pits to avoid too much heat soak Here is one of Saito’s buddies spraying some water on the intercooler and radiator Walking through the pits I came across Daisuke Fukuda and his Stealth with Team Red AE86 Levin… …and I just had to have a quick nose around in his engine bay The little turbocharged 4AG seems to have plenty of puff to maintain a decent drift and angle around the long judged corner at Mobara a turn that catches out a lot of naturally aspirated cars This is something you see all around the pits during the practice sessions wives or whoever is available film them while doing their thing out on track When back in the pits they take a look at their performance and think of ways they can improve their styles On one side of the pits the trophies and prize boards were already neatly laid out on display…a sort of incentive for the drivers I guess Teruo Hamakawa’s Makeover S13 was looking a little beat up but nothing a bit of color-matched tape can’t disguise which as I’m sure you know by now I am quite partial to it is always Mikihito Kawamura’s Origin Labo Silvia which I like watching out in action… …as he sure knows how to get some awesome angles with it Sadaki Okamura’s KY Auto Service is pretty hard not to miss either Atsushi Tarumi was just parking his S15 when I grabbed this shot… …having just come back from his final practice session of the day The judges are always looking for a wide entrance into the corner at Mobara before drivers get hard on the power to carry speed through and exit in style with tons of smoke There were a lot of spins as drivers overdid it on the entrance pretty much wrecking his S14 Silvia on his first outing of the day Ok so we have been looking at too many Silvias so here are a few Skyline to balance things out a little First the Team Magician HCR32 of Hiroshi Morikawa… …which was obviously packing some serious power judging by all the nice and shiny things going on in the engine bay This car was entered in the License Trial group… …for those attempting to qualify for a D1 license  Takero Hayashi was also doing his best  in his spotless Deep Air ECR33 4-door to score points of that coveted license everyone wants so bad There were plenty of big Toyota sedans and coupes to feast one’s eyes on It sported a 2JZ swap and a few minor modifications needed to boost power slightly Chiba-ken is the home of Team Magician so it’s not surprising that so many cars were entered in the event This JZX110 Verossa was driven by Kenichi Nakamura… …another driver there to gain points for his license Checkout the wild aero an all the carbon fiber additions Under the hood the 1JZ was lightly tuned with some equal length exhaust manifolds and an upgraded turbo Masafumi Watanabe’s JZX90 burning some rubber And of course there are always those that prefer to do it differently like Kenta Iwade piloting his massive D-Magic Racing WGC34 Stagea You can expect to see more cars and of course much more action in the second part of the coverage from this D1-SL round… …as we take a closer look at the tsuiso battles that went down on the day Stay tuned for more smoke-filled action from Mobara D1 Street Legal official website DESKTOPS WANTED FOR THE TEAM MAGICIAN CAR!! Fantastic report...love the track shots with special attention What are the lights on the back of the JZX100 in the last picture The Z21 Soarer with the light tune 2jz swap is awesome the 'Deep Air' ECR33 Skyline is my favorite. The pink Skyline sitting next to Andy's JZX100 looks interesting.. "Ok so we have been looking at too many Silvias..." I like a bit of variety GT3037 for VVT-i is common and is highly rated The important auto event series returns to Mobara Twin Circuit this spring for its bi-annual music and motorsports festival All-day access to the track to practice drifting and grip racing for beginners to professional drivers; all wrapped in the energetic atmosphere curated by Tokyo’s hottest DJs and performers This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page There's no doubt 2011 will be a pivotal year for Japanese drifting While a new grassroots series gets launched the established professional championship is forced to reinvent itself for the simple fact that it has always done it's own thing trying to bring those that enjoy drifting for what it is …where a family atmosphere takes precedence over outright competition Then of course there are aspects that have always made MSC unique like the triple drift something that goes back to the real roots of the sport where multiple team members attempt to drift in tandem with each other But what MSC is all about is to promote and grow drifting at an amateur level by guiding drivers in the right direction thanks to the input of guest-judges and pro-drifters The result is very evident as competitors strive to push their techniques honing their skills and attempting to nail those hard lines that will yield the highest score from the panel It all makes for a great show and I personally like it for the variety of cars that participate… …most sporting a very street oriented style The Magician S14 hard on the power as it exits the corner during the morning qualifying round Nakatani-san from Garage LFW looking over the rear damage of his customer's S14 which was looking pretty rearranged after a hard impact with the sponge barrier This lightly tuned S14 is what Hibino was drifting on the day Orido was very impressed with his driving which showed tons of precision and a very clean line through the corner Looking over his car it quickly becomes obvious that skills are far more important than what you drive A good drifter can drift anything he gets into a great lesson to teach those that are trying to improve This is the expert class lining up on the track each driver waiting to be judged one by one As I mentioned in Part 1 but a small grip session is also organized Mobara is such a tiny track that lap times were in the 48-second bracket… …with the tight layout favoring lighter cars like this AE86 which took the win during the 5-lap race that was organized in the afternoon who finished in second position in the S14 tried very hard to keep up but the gap kept getting bigger each lap Spotted this stickered up S14 in the parking area and left a couple of Speedhunters stickers under the wiper Found one already applied to the car later on in the day D1 driver Matsui was behind the wheel of this S13 This C33 Laurel was really killing it out on track… …and a quick look under the hood revealed the reason for its tire-shredding capabilities No MSC event would be complete without a Run Free AE86 Coolest thing about Mobara is that you can really get up close to the cars as they zoom past on the inside of the judged corner Next up is a look at some more action from the afternoon battles so check back soon for the final part of the coverage Mototsportcom MSC Mobara PT.1 i wonder what he mean by lightly tuned on that s14 looks likes hibino would peobably reach 250-350 with that stuff under that hood Just wondering if anyone knows a good website to buy stickers/decals from In particular vintage japanese ones as well as modern japanese ones would've liked to have seen the Run Free Levin in action. and the 'triple drift' aspect is a great facet to the event IMO that's a waste of an RB26 cool concept http://ll.dev.speedhunters.com/u/f/eagames/NFS/dev.speedhunters.com/Images/Dino%20Dalle%20Carbonare/2011/MAR2011/MSC-Mob-2/AY0F1199.jpgunsafe much more on that jzx100 in the last pic please lightly tuned in japan is medium tuned for the streets of the U.S most of the time so maybe we can have specs next ttime and i saw when it did make a difference what hibbino drove "Ebisu 2009" when his nitrous went out he couldnt drift as good as my homie Travis with a stock KA24 in a 240sx @ChasrrTouge Automotive has a good selection of stickers If for no other reason that to tell the guy with gearbox troubles to use jack stands He's asking to be crushed by his taste-fully-modded ride I'm waiting for my box of tagalongs right now!! cant wait to bite into that peanutbuttery goodness!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/JDM-Drift-Race/185670544789915#!/pages/JDM-Drift-Race/185670544789915 MSC in Honio was the just the kind of exposure to drifting that I was after please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent As gas prices soar along with all forms of energy due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the weak yen a Chiba Prefecture town has seen its costs remain cheap and unchanged for a decade Mobara City and the surrounding area produces its own natural gas resulting in prices around 60% of those in Tokyo — and household gas bills are set to become even cheaper from February to October with a government subsidy aimed at keeping rates in check and are using the reasonable gas prices as a means to woo people to relocate to the area “Restaurants need lots of gas,” said Kaoru Suzuki who runs a Japanese-cuisine restaurant in Mobara “I’m very grateful that the bills don’t rise.” a Mobara-based gas company that supplies about 170,000 households in and around the city said it has not changed its gas prices since 2013 The monthly gas bill for the average Mobara household is ¥5,310 which will fall by about ¥1,000 from February when the subsidies kick in Compare that with ¥7,630 in January for a similar household supplied by Tokyo Gas Co. which had been about ¥5,410 in December 2021 — about the same as Otaki Gas Even after applying the government subsidy the Tokyo Gas figure will remain high at about ¥6,960 Locally produced natural gas is the key factor in holding down gas bills In the town of Mutsuzawa — adjacent to Mobara — bubbles can be observed floating on the surface of a river “That’s natural gas bubbling up from the ground beneath,” said an Otaki Gas official The bubbles emanate from a leak in the Minami-Kanto gas field that runs primarily beneath the Boso Peninsula The gas field contains methane dissolved in underground water and has about 368.5 billion cubic meters of potentially extractable gas — an amount capable of providing natural gas for all of Japan for three years only about 400 million cubic meters is extracted each year People in the area have been using the gas since the Meiji period (1867-1912) “While it may not be possible to extract large amounts of gas it’s nevertheless significant that the area has a source of energy that can be produced and consumed locally,” said Tomochika Tokunaga a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Frontier Sciences “It’s important to think about how to use it effectively so it becomes an appealing feature of the area.” Neighboring cities and towns are seeking ways to make the most of the extracted gas as a local energy source The Michi-no-eki rest area facility in Mutsuzawa uses the gas to generate electricity the facility offered local residents free hot showers and cell phone battery charging in effect serving as a town-based disaster response center “Having a cheap and stable supply of gas is a real plus for Mobara,” said a municipal government official “We’d like to beat the drum about our gas at events that promote relocation.” Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report 13 is not expected to make landfall in Honshu as it will turn into a tropical cyclone on Sept but heavy rain and thunder were still likely in the Tokai Kanto-Koshin and Tohoku regions through the following day the Japan Meteorology Agency announced that a linear rainband has developed in the southern part of the Izu island chain Linear rainbands were also reported in northwestern and southern parts of Chiba Prefecture at 10 a.m and in the northeastern part of the prefecture 20 minutes later the typhoon is traveling about 180 kilometers south-southwest of Omaezaki It had a central pressure of 1,000 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 64.8 kph near the center Maximum instantaneous wind speeds clocked 90 kph 371.5 millimeters of rain fell in the 12 hours to 3:40 p.m. the highest 12-hour rainfall amount ever recorded in the area Roads were flooded at many locations in the city Level 4 evacuation orders were issued in some areas of the prefecture The typhoon is expected to become a tropical low-pressure system after 9 p.m the JMA is forecasting 250 mm of rainfall in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions 200 mm in the Izu islands and 120 mm in the Tohoku region The agency said rainfall may increase locally if a linear rainband develops as well as those running between Odawara and Atami on the Tokaido Line have been canceled from the first trains of the day until around noon on Sept The Ome Line will be stopped between Ome and Okutama as will the Hachiko Line between Komagawa and Yorii from the first trains in the morning until around 4 p.m on the same day there were also suspensions on the Uchibo and Sotobo lines the Tokaido Shinkansen operated normally from the start but intermittent rain continues to fall along the line and there is a possibility that operations may be suspended depending on weather conditions Heavy rain forecast for wide areas as typhoon sideswipes Japan Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission The sweet smell of burned rubber was in the air this past Sunday After what has seemed like non-stop grip action drifting is definitely something I was beginning to miss With our move to try and cover more grassroots events in Japan this year I couldn't possibly miss the kickoff to the MSC drift championship an amateur level series that combines the friendly atmosphere of any small track event with serious pro-level action As ever the selection of cars at MSC rounds is mouthwatering… …the small paddock at Mobara packed with some of the coolest drift cars in the Kanto area You may recall having seen this Rocket Bunny kitted Hanashima RPS13 in our Tokyo Auto Salon coverage a few months back I was impressed that it actually gets used properly…and looked amazing out in action Entrants are divided into three separate groups expert and super class depending on their skill level and their performance at previous MSC events On top of that there is a separate "grip" class that can be entered for those wanting to get the most out of their time out on track…plus it makes it cool seeing drift cars trying to grip and for entrants there is always plenty of time to warm up and get familiar with the track layout and conditions on the day Mobara is a very small circuit but has a very challenging layout for both grip and drift MSC uses the last corner before the straight to judge drivers who then power out and get as close as they dare to the sponge barrier placed in front of where the pit-wall guard rail begins The Garage LFW S14 has gone back to SR20 power the RB25 deemed to heavy for optimal weight balance Yuuki Takamiya as ever was present with his pink Team Magician JZX110 and was together with the driver of the cool pink S13 in the opening shot Enkei is one of the official sponsors of MSC and had a nice little display of their latest wheels… …like the 92 that have recently been relaunched They are available only in 15-inch sizes and in a choice of either silver Can't wait to see some old-school cars riding on a set of these This Soarer belongs to a professor at the NATS technical university in Chiba the guys that always create those weird concept cars for the Tokyo Auto Salon He is also one of Orido's pit-crew at D1 events and was at Mobara on Sunday to support a student that entered in the beginner class I saw this cool R33 last time I went to an MSC event back in 2009 at Honjo circuit Mori-san from Auto Service Mori was driving his own S14 at the event in the Expert class At 50 years old he was the oldest drifter present and has only been doing it for three years Judges for the day were Manbu Orido and Nobuteru Taniguchi who were there to also offer constructive advice to drivers The guys from Video Option seem to be everywhere and it seems are covering MSC as well this year During the morning each driver in each of the three classes was judged separately… …and then in the afternoon participated in a "chase" round as the organizers called it Not sure if this started in 2010 but it's very cool to finally see drivers up against each other in MSC Motorsportcom good to see a return to the grassroots. with Formula D becoming a second NASCAR, and D1 Grand Prix without tsuchiya and inada, this is where it's at. http://www.youtube.com/user/DRFTmonkeh?feature=mhum I really love all of these grassroots events Wall paters of the white corolla and red S13 smoke trail please Wallpaper of Magician S13 in opening shot would be awsome too i actually preffered when they didn't have battles please for the love of all that is holy give us some more info like where that hood came from more grass roots drifting...Can't wait to see how Drift Muscle turns out. i want to see the Sign141 S-Chassis flying round this track these cars look like theuy've come for a Show & Shine event. can't spot many with the usual 'battle-scars' - thanks for the quality pics The fact that S13 and S14 are still being used so much after all these years is proof that car companies don't make drivers cars anymore haha i just saw the Mallory drift event and the two look soo different Japan on top of the world when it comes to drifting That line-up in the 3rd pic is so colourful God I hope my professors would come to school in cool cars like that NATS professor's Soarer hahaha There's no doubt 2011 will be a pivotal year for Japanese drifting President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe play golf at Mobara Country Club in Mobara President Donald Trump presents the United States President's Cup to wrestler Asanoyama at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe greets U.S President Donald Trump at Mobara Country Club in Mobara Site managed by by | Feb 8 The Press Council of South Africa (PCSA) announced the appointment of Latiefa Mobara as its Executive Director Mobara takes over from veteran journalist Joe Thloloe whose term of office ends at the end of February another veteran journalist with over fifty years’ experience in journalism was appointed as Public Advocate to take over from Mobara while Dr Johan Retief has been retained as Ombud and has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years She previously worked as Executive Director at the South African National Editors’ Forum She joined the Press Council in 2013 in the then newly created role of Public Advocate The Appointments Panel and the Constituent Associations of the Council have also finalised the list of people who will be on the Press Council and the Panel of Adjudicators thus ensuring that the PSCA continues to advance the freedom of expression clause in the Constitution and Kalim Rajab have been appointed as the Public representatives on the Press Council former deputy judge president of KwaZulu-Natal they make up the non-media voice in the Press Council The Press representatives on the Press Council are Raymond Louw The non-media voice on the Panel of Adjudicators is amplified by the appointments of Pria Chetty Brian Gibson and Carol Mohlala as the public representatives Megan Rusi and Wandile Fana will serve as the press representatives on the Adjudication Panel Press Council chairperson Judge Phillip Levisohn thanked Thloloe for the sterling role he played in his role both as Ombud and Executive Director.  He also expressed gratitude to both members of the public and the media who were previously on the Council and Panel of Adjudicators AmaZulu FC are set to part ways with two defenders in Thembela Sikhakhane and Abbubaker Mobara With the 2024/25 preseason underway in almost all the Premier Soccer Laduma Usuthu is part of the teams that have already started their preparations iDiski Times understands that the KwaZulu-Natal-based is set to part ways with Mobara and Sikhakhane Mobara joined Usuthu in January 2022 after ending the long relationship he had with Cape Town City The 30-year-old made over 50 appearances for Usuthu in the past two-and-a half seasons Sikhakhane’s four-year relationship with Usuthu has also come to an end The 31-year-old has over 160 appearances in the colors of AmaZulu Story by Sinethemba Makonco (@Makonco_M) iDiski Media was founded in December 2019 and comprises of a range of football media products Contact us: [email protected] Former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo has explained why the referee made a mistake in giving Abbubaker Mobara a red card against Orlando Pirates The Buccaneers beat Usuthu 1-0 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday but the visitors played over a half with 10 men after referee Cedric Muvhali sent Mobara off for a contentious foul on Patrick Maswanganyi The comes after AmaZulu already felt they were disadvantaged in their 4-2 Nedbank Cup defeat to Pirates a week prior – with Ncobo arguing that Muvhali didn’t make the right call to send Mobara off “I do not buy the decision to give that red card was the correct decision,” he said on Extra-Time the striker takes the ball with the outside of his left foot which for me takes the direction towards goal away – that’s the first point “For me the defender would’ve had an opportunity to get to the ball And the referees view here is obscured by no less than two players “It’s the application of the DDPP principle – it’s direction possession and proximity of other defender “The moment you take away any of those four considerations and they are not yes-situations – is it a straight direction towards goal is it a yes or no and I’d say no because at that moment just before he was fouled he took the ball away from that direction there is a case to be made for the proximity of another defender who could’ve had a stake to claim defence of that ball “I have not found a conclusive that shows me that there was a foul tackle There is no case for me to show the striker was fouled There is no conclusive evidence for the foul “Even as I’m analysing elements of DOGSO (denying obvious goal scoring opportunity) I could not find the foul that would then lead to free-kick and the free-kick would mean denied a goal scoring opportunity and a red card I think at best there was indeed a foul – yellow card for breaking a promising attack.” Contact us: [email protected] AmaZulu head coach Pablo Franco Martin has revealed that Usuthu submitted an official complaint to the Premier Soccer League because they feel Abbubaker Mobara’s against Orlando Pirates should be rescinded The Buccaneers beat Usuthu 1-0 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday but the visitors played over a half with 10 men after referee Cedric Muvhali sent Mobara off for a contentious foul on Patrick Maswanganyi with former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo saying it was a mistake by the official Martin has now explained that AmaZulu have since taken the matter to the PSL because they feel Mobara’s suspension should be lifted “Mobara is suspended because we we sent a report to PSL because when you are receiving a red card for – first of all probably is not even a red card due to the situation but especially is because it’s not even a foul,” he said “And then when someone else is making a mistake if you need to be punished for the mistake of somebody else “We’re not talking even about being fair It’s bout something that it’s crazy So the report is there in PSL and we are waiting for two days to reply because we are expecting Mobara to be available for this game and for the upcoming games “Because not continue for three games one of our key player for something that he didn’t do and it’s already proven I think could be something again bad for this football and for this competition.” AmaZulu currently sit in 13th place on the log and face eighth-placed Chippa United Contact us: [email protected] Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser. Copyright THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Soccer Laduma (@soccer_laduma) SA News African News World News The Club House Podcasts & Videos More Premiership AmaZulu defender Abbubaker Mobara was wrongfully sent off while an Orlando Pirates should have been given a red card during the two team's highly-charged clash last weekend according to former referee Victor Hlungwani.The visitors looked dominant early on in the match but were reduced to 10 men just 20 minutes into the match when Mobara was adjudged to have fouled Patrick Maswanganyi READ | ONE major area of concern for Pirates The defender was shown a straight red card Tshegofatso Mabasa's late goal proved to be the winner Reviewing the incident on SABC Sport's SoccerZone Hlungwani explained why the decision to send off Mobara was incorrect "Here we see the DOGSO (DENYING A GOAL OR AN OBVIOUS GOAL-SCORING OPPORTUNITY) element One-on-one with the goalkeeper," Hlungwani said "But let's see whether Mobara has committed an offence what clues do we have that tell us that Mobara played the ball It's the changing of direction of the ball so that change in direction tells us that Mobara played the ball Mobara is the first one to get to the ball and he plays it and the ball changes direction he cannot be red-carded because he is not guilty of DOGSO an incorrect decision was made by the referee to give the red card." ?? C??RR??C?? || ??NC??RR??C?? ?? Victor "The Principal" Hlungwani clarifies...?? LIVE ?? SABC Sport ?? SABC+ ?? https://t.co/hibb8lgo8P #SABCSportFootball #Soccerzone pic.twitter.com/zDgwCjnVKy ALSO READ | AmaZulu coach: It's a never ending storyFurther Hlungwani revealed that Maswanganyi should have received his marching orders for violent conduct "Here we see Maswanganyi commit a foul and then the whistle is blown he kicks an opponent when not challenging for the ball A red card should have been issued against Maswanganyi." Meanwhile, Usuthu coach Pablo Franco Martin has called for Mobara's suspension to be lifted if the decision is proved to be incorrect Usuthu host in-form Chippa United on Saturday at Moses Mabhida Stadium  You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments Click HERE to register! 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton, Cape Town, 7441, South Africa Local International Off The Pitch Orlando-Pirates Cape Town City announced the free signing of Orlando Pirates' Abbubaker Mobara with the defender-cum-midfielder departing Bucs after a mixed three seasons Why did he not fulfil his undoubted potential at Pirates The former Ajax Cape Town man arrived at Mayfair as Bucs beat Mamelodi Sundowns to his signature he had his famous performance at right back in the Rio 2016 Olympics against Neymar doing an excellent job on the world-class star He arrived at Pirates as a player who was considered mostly as either a defensive midfielder or fullback despite his best displays at Ajax Cape Town coming in the 2014-15 season in central defence alongside Rivaldo Coetzee. The young duo started 17 PSL games together in the middle of defence that season averaging 1.88 points per game.    Read: City Snap Up Pirates Player Mobara had come of the back of a poor end to the 2015/16 season The sad death of Cecil Lolo saw him covering at right back for a run of games and in central defence he kept just one PSL clean sheet alongside Coetzee all season.  At the time complacency and rumoured poor discipline off the field were mooted as reasons for his sudden drop in form and he was dropped for some of the games towards the end of the campaign.  he has never settled into a regular position nor found consistent form he won the Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament after netting goals in both the quarter-final and semi-final but Pirates were beaten 4-1 by SuperSport United in the final He mostly played as defensive midfielder that season but the side kept four clean sheets in six games when he played his natural role in central defence It appeared that coaches did not regularly trust him in that role due to his lack of height.   Read: Pirates Announce Numerous Exits  Mobara had some positive performances in midfield alongside Musa Nyatama and even captained the side on three occasions he had significant injury problems and played just 1046 minutes in the PSL Xola Mlambo was signed in January and Mobara's Pirates career as a midfielder was all but over.  seven at right back and one in central defence Once it became clear that he wasn't going to renew his contract he was left out for the final 10 PSL matches He never really settled into a regular position at Pirates nor played an extended run of games - injuries played their part.  Read: Bucs' New Signing Details Confirmed! His time at Pirates did not see the player fulfil his potential but a move to Cape Town City means he will have family comforts again and with Kwanda Mngonyama being sold to Maritzburg United Mobara could potentially return to his most natural position in central defence - the one he played in most commonly during his academy days and in the standout season of his career there is still time for him to deliver on his early promise Which position do you think he is most suited to Let us know by commenting below!   Watch: Van Wyk: I Am Confident That They Will Get Contracts Overseas Siyagobhoza According to sources, some of the players who were signed under McCarthy could be affected by the planned changes at the Durban-based outfit, including former Kaizer Chiefs star Hendrick 'Pule' Ekstein and others.  Mobara joined the KZN side in January but struggled for regular game-time as McCarthy tried different combinations in attempt to get the results for the team in the DStv Premiership and Champions League. However, with a new coach in charge in Brandon Truter, all the players are likely to get a chance to impress in the remaining matches of the season for the management to make final calls on their futures at the end of the campaign. Mobara has made one league appearance for Usuthu so far and has played a further two matches in the Champions League. However, with the player still under contract, after joining the club on a two-year deal, his future could likely depend on the management's decision about the technical team for the new season.        Lucky Lekgwathi – RB Peter Matshitse – CB Gary MacNab – CB Brian Baloyi – GK Jacob Lekgetho – LB Roger Feutmba – CM Peter Rabolele – CM John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu – AM Isaac ‘Shakes’ Kungoane – LW Siyabonga Nomvethe – ST Njabulo Ngcobo Itumeleng Khune Augustine Mulenga Vincent Pule Thapelo MorenaPeter Shalulile Siyethemba Sithebe Jabu Mahlangu – RW      Mobara said last week that he is open for a move both locally and abroad if there is a team that shows interest in his services, but De Sa insists the player is not for sale.“There has not been inquiries. I don't know where the story comes from,” De Sa said. “I don't think any club in the country can afford him anyway.” Meanwhile, De Sa also said that he is happy with the balance of his squad going into the new season, while he is also waiting for work permit for striker Thomas Chideu who was signed from Highlanders. “I'm happy because we’ve still got guys like Nathan Paulse, Travis Graham, Mobara,” he said. “With one or two acquisition we will be okay and probably better than last season I hope. “We are just waiting for the paper work [for Chideu] while we also signed Marcello Mendis as a youngster for our Under-19 squad that plays in the Vodacom League and the Diski Challenge as well. “We are still looking at a couple of youngsters, just to beef up because the Diski Challenge will be more demanding for us. So we needed to have a few more kids that will play in the team.” Ajax Cape Town will be involved in the Cape Town Cup this weekend, with their opening fixture against Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon on Friday evening. Mobara joined City at the start of the 2019/20 season on a free transfer from Orlando Pirates where he had spent three largely unsuccessful years after leaving Ajax Cape Town The 26-year-old had penned an initial two-year deal in 2019 with a two-year option that has now been triggred by the Cape-based outfit He will remain in the Mother City at least until June 2023 ?? | The club is delighted to confirm that we have exercised the option to extend the contract of defender Abbubaker Mobara. He signs until June 2023 ???#iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/pTZf2t7vaV Mobara managed one goal and one assist in 10 appearances across all competitions this campaign before suffering an injury against Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila last month. SA-National-Teams Owen da Gama’s squad leaves for Maceio, Brazil this evening for a friendly international against that country’s Under-23 team in preparation for the Rio Olympics in August.The 22-man squad is scheduled to depart from O.R Tambo International Airport at 22h10. They will travel to Sao Paulo overnight and then connect to Maceio City in the state of Alagaos the following day. Lebogang Mothiba, Lebogang Phiri and Kgosietsile Ntlhe who ply their trade in Europe will join the rest of the Under-23 national team in Brazil tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Luthando Sixhaso has been ruled out due to a shoulder strain he sustained during training. He will be replaced by Steve Hoffman from Vasco Da Gama. The match is scheduled to kick off at 18h30 in Brazil on Sunday, 27 March (SA time – 23H30 Sunday night). This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. is fully aware that his side are in desperate need of a win it’s a big problem,” he tells snl24.com/kickoff “After a great performance against Chiefs in the MTN8 Final we’ve dropped points too easily after that Preparations have been good this week for the SuperSport game and hopefully we can move up the table on Saturday.” The talented defender admits it’s been tough with the stop-start nature of the league fixtures yet hopes maximum points will bring about new energy at the club “The four-week break after Saturday’s game is really frustrating we can change the log table and bring about a positive energy in the dressing room and at training,” he says Despite being described by many as one of the best centre-backs in the country the 21-year-old says he has not been happy with his performances thus far this season as he seeks for constant improvement “I’m never happy with my performances,” he says “I always want to be better than the person I was yesterday Despite conceding just once in four matches en route to MTN8 glory Ajax have kept just one clean sheet in their eight PSL games thus far this term