The Last Royu Driveway of 2019

As I mentioned in a recent article, at the end of last year, Ms. Riko Otsuka, host of the YouTube channel “GTSport Broadcasting Station”, and Tatsuya Sugawara, a GT player, came to our home.

Since they were here, we thought, “Let’s head to the Royu Driveway and have the world-class GT player Sugawara drive the GT3.”
My daughters, Riko, and I followed along in the Panamera.

Sugawara has loved Porsche since he was a child and had always dreamed of driving a GT3. This was actually his very first time driving a real Porsche.

Unbelievable!

Usually calm Sugawara was super excited this time, saying, “I never imagined my first time driving a Porsche would be in a GT3…!”

After passing the Royu toll gate, my husband switched drivers, and Sugawara took the wheel of the GT3. Although he’s used to high-pressure situations in races, he said,
“This is the first time I’ve ever been this nervous driving a car.” (laughs)

The Amazing Porsche

When Sugawara actually drove the GT3,

Fast! Just incredibly fast! Step on it in second gear and things happen in an instant. I finally understood what people mean when they say “it’s too much for regular roads.” And the brakes are amazing. Porsche’s brakes are said to be the best in the world, and I truly believe that.
Stopping is the most important thing for a car. Nothing happens if the car doesn’t move, but once it’s moving, not being able to stop can cause a serious accident.
Thinking about that, it’s incredible that the brakes work so well from any speed range.
The steering is also impressive. It turns sharply and precisely! But it’s not unusable for everyday driving. You can drive it normally if you want. Wow, just amazing!

He praised it highly. Glad to hear that (laughs)!

Meanwhile, my husband, who experienced Sugawara’s driving from the passenger seat, said,

A champion’s driving is so smooth. I’ve ridden shotgun with many people on this road, but his was by far the smoothest and most skillful.
He never forces the car to turn; he really breathes with the car and drives so smoothly.

He was impressed. After that, Riko got to ride in the GT3 passenger seat, and Sugawara drove the Panamera.

As a Panamera fan, I was curious about his impressions. Sugawara said,

It’s totally different from the GT3! So smooth and luxurious! But it’s still a Porsche. The brakes have a bit more play than the GT3, but you can really feel them bite deep.
Since it’s a sedan, I thought the steering might feel loose or lazy, but not at all. Amazing! This would never tire you out on long drives!

He praised it highly.

Since the kids had already fallen asleep in the back seat, he said, “I’ll drive gently so I don’t shake the kids too much.” Even though he’s young, I thought that was very gentlemanly.

Finally, I asked Sugawara again about his impressions of driving the Porsche:

With a box-type car, it’s not about forcing the car to turn, but more like negotiating with it, asking “Could you turn for me?” and listening to the car’s voice as you drive.
I think that’s better for the car and also lets you drive faster in the end.

Makes perfect sense.

Skilled drivers and pros all say the same thing. I remembered hearing something similar from instructors at Porsche’s driving school.

That day, Riko also seemed to really enjoy the GT3, which was great! The footage will apparently be broadcast later on the “GTSport Broadcasting Station” YouTube channel.

At the end, we got Sugawara and Riko to sign the uniform Sugawara wore in the World Series, and that wrapped up the day.

It had been a while since I’d spent time with young people, but it was a really fun and meaningful day.

Sugawara-san, Riko-san, thank you so much for visiting!