Blood, sweat but no tears in Japan's office chair grand prix

Racers compete during ISU-1 Hanyu Grand Prix, while taking part in the office chair race ISU-1 Grand Prix series, in Hanyu, north of Tokyo, Japan, June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Issei Kato

HANYU, Japan (Reuters) - The rattle of tiny plastic wheels echoed through the normally sleepy streets of Hanyu on Sunday morning as the small city 60 kilometres north of Tokyo played host to the Japan office chair 'Isu' grand prix.

Founded 10 years ago and inspired by Formula One and Le Mans endurance racing, the race sees teams of three battle it out on ordinary office furniture across two gruelling hours to see who can complete the most laps of the 200 metre course.