In an era when safety regulations push auto manufacturers to make cars heavier and heavier, the fact that a modern range of lightweight specials can be collected for a battle is refreshing. Set at the legendary Tsukuba Circuit, the Best Motoring crew of Tsuchiya, Ara, Kinoshita, Kataoka and Ide take on some choice machinery which illustrate the performance characteristics of cars with little power and little weight. Hell, even one of these steeds is powered by a bike engine, but that doesn’t stop it from putting on a stunning performance. It seems bigger is better these days, but these featherweights successfully prove the contrary.

As one of the best turnkey track weapons, the Exige offers huge overall performance for a reasonable cost.

Tsuchiya predictably sat in a modified AE86 – this time an N2 racer with a high-revving 5.5-AG and plenty of aero to keep it competitive with the modern monsters. Aside from the aging Toyota, the lineup is all modern, and the winner could be anyone’s guess. Tsukuba’s tight corners will favor the lightest of these cars, but most of them will struggle to make much of an impression down the circuit’s long straights. Having a GT-R camera car bringing up the rear shows the difference in straightline performance quite clearly.

Tsuchiya’s iconic AE86 is in N2 guise this time, fitted with a racing engine making 220 horsepower!

While the two Loti are about as accommodating as sandpaper bed sheets, the KTM X-Bow and the outrageous Radical don’t even have windscreens. There’s little concern for civility or road manners with this group, but the Radical seems to be in a different league of simplicity, and for good reason.

Its cornering speeds are incredible, and there’s not much the opposition can do to match the miniature prototype’s agility in the corners. Whereas the Lotuses – small cars by any standard – manage corrections with small dabs of opposite lock, the steering wheel of the Radical is constantly flicking with suggestions of lock to bend the little maestro through the corner. This incredible precision lends well with Tsukuba being such a tight, technical track, and the Radical spreads a huge gap quickly, with most of the gains made in the infield. Watching the Radical pass the X-Bow on the back straight, it’s absolutely dependent on the tow to get by, but once the braking zone is upon them, the little Radical can brake three car lengths deeper.

Interestingly, most of the overtaking happens on entry and mid-corner, where the braking performance and nimbleness inherent in these cars allow for precise placement, assuming the driver has enough judgement to pull it off. There’s no quarter given between these competitors here, and skill is all-important to make the pass. While it might be thrilling to leave an opponent standing still on a straightaway, the most exciting and demanding driving takes place during cornering, and that intensity comes through more clearly the less heft a machine carries. All of a sudden, going to the gym seems more appealing.