[Competitors race office chairs at high speeds around a square course during the ISU-1 Grand Prix on March 26, 2016 in Kyotanabe, Japan / Photo by Trevor Williams/Getty Images]
On the surface, Japan’s office chair grand prix is about as dorky a race as you could encounter. But look a little closer, and you’ll find that the “Isu-1 Grand Prix” is a thrilling, nail-biter of a competition filled with hairpin turns, dangerous spills and ridiculous costumes.
The sixth annual edition of the contest took place March 26 in Kyotanabe prefecture, and the following photos show that the competition was intense.
[Some teams cross the finish line together during the ISU-1 Grand Prix on March 26, 2016 in Kyotanabe, Japan / Photo by Trevor Williams/Getty Images]
The race’s founder, shop-owner Tsuyoshi Tahara, created the event to attract attention to the Kirara shopping arcade after customers began heading to new malls in the area, reports Upworthy.com. The race was such a success that it is now held in 12 different prefectures in Japan, and shopkeepers in Tainan, Taiwan are hosting the first international race on April 24, reports the Asahi Shinbun.
The race is set up as an endurance test. Participants compete in teams of three and to circle an 18-metre course as many times as they can in two hours.
There are a few rules: the chairs cannot be modified (although humorous decorations are allowed) and teams can prepare a spare chair that can be entered in the race if the original is destroyed. Protective headgear and elbow and knee pads are encouraged.
[A competitor rushes down a straight stretch during the ISU-1 Grand Prix on March 26, 2016 in Kyotanabe, Japan / Photo by Trevor Williams/Getty Images]
[A competitor crashes without serious injury during the ISU-1 Grand Prix on March 26, 2016 in Kyotanabe, Japan / Photo by Trevor Williams/Getty Images]
Some competitors come dressed in full athletic gear, while others sport a more business casual look. After all, these racers are riding office chairs.
And although the mode of transportation in this race isn’t a Formula 1 race car, that hasn’t stopped Tahara from having grand ambitions.
“Sometime in the future, I want to hold one in Monaco,” Tahara told Japanrealm.com. “Like an F-1 Grand Prix.”