Celebrating a hard-earned achievement is only natural, but timing and setting matter. In the case of Japanese racecar driver Yuuki Kamakura, his celebration may have gone a bit overboard. Competing in the recently concluded World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) at Sydney Motorsport Park in Australia, Kamakura achieved a personal milestone by clocking an impressive 1:31.34 in his fully-built Mazda RX-7, running under the GCG Turbochargers Open Class.

Given the fierce competition, this was a huge accomplishment. His team had worked tirelessly to fine-tune the car, and their efforts clearly paid off, giving Kamakura every reason to celebrate.

What was meant to be a routine pit return quickly turned into an unexpected spectacle. Instead of pulling into his designated spot and shutting off the engine, Yuuki Kamakura broke into a series of smoky donuts right in front of his team, drawing cheers from spectators and media, but stunning race officials.

It was a moment fueled by the joy of achieving a personal milestone, made even more meaningful as it was his first time competing in Australia. However, such antics are strictly prohibited in the pit lane under any race regulations. As a result, WTAC officials promptly disqualified Kamakura from the event.

“WTAC are deeply disappointed by Mr. Kamakura’s actions in the pit lane. His deliberate decision to perform “donuts” in a restricted area was not only a serious breach of our fundamental safety policies, but it also placed lives at risk, including officials, team members, fellow competitors, and spectators.”

Just like any race governing body, the WTAC takes safety very seriously and imposes zero tolerance for anyone who compromises the safety of the event and the well-being of everyone by acts of reckless behavior. This forced the WTAC to disqualify him from the 2025 World Time Attack Challenge and nullified all his recorded lap times. The takeaway from this incident has forced WTAC to formulate a template for international competitor conduct in Australia. All international competitors will be given this form to ensure they understand all Australian motorsport regulations.

As for Japanese driver Yuuki Kamakura, despite the unfavorable outcome, he continued with the celebration in the team’s garage and even went to social media to celebrate their feat, as their video footage of the incident has already amassed 1.6 million views.