GT: From Japan to the World

Now you’re traveling the world on the World Tour?

Sugawara: Yes. Traveling overseas multiple times a year is a rare experience for a normal student, so I’m very grateful.

This year, I’ve been to four countries. In March, Paris; in June, Nürburgring in Germany.

The Nürburgring 24-hour race was happening then, so I got to watch that, and personally, Germany was my favorite experience.

In August, Salzburg, Austria; and in November, Monaco. Unlike last year, the weather was bad this year, which was disappointing. There was a talk show with GT maestro Lewis Hamilton, GT producer Yamauchi-san, and top GT drivers worldwide.

Last year, I had time to take photos with Lewis Hamilton, but this year, unfortunately, I didn’t.

In October, the World Tour’s Japan round was held in Odaiba, Tokyo, and I realized again:

Japan has amazing food! (laughs) Japan really is a great country.

Also, since the venue was just 30 minutes from my university, I managed to attend classes between events and participate in the tournament.

Being a student makes it easier to join so many World Tour events. As a working adult, even with paid leave, taking four week-long breaks a year would be tough.

So I think, “This kind of chance to travel abroad won’t come often, so I’ll go while I can!” Though I still have to attend classes (laughs).

I also plan my semesters carefully, thinking, “There are two world championships in the second half, so I’ll work hard to get credits in the first half.”

How do you cover travel expenses for overseas events?

Sugawara: All travel expenses are covered. Players are basically invited to participate, so flights, hotels, and even racing gear are provided. I was lucky to attend all World Tours except New York this year.

Rico-san, have you always liked cars and motorsports?

Rico: I wasn’t a big car fan, but my father loves cars, so from a young age, he took me to car dealerships, and I had some general knowledge about “what kinds of cars exist in the world.”

I was a sporty girl from childhood: volleyball in elementary school, softball in middle school, track and field in high school, and long-distance running on the university ekiden team.

After graduating, I moved to Tokyo.

My first involvement with motorsports was as a race queen. But as I did it, I realized, “I’m not cut out to be a race queen,” and I found actual races more fun, so I got hooked on that side.

I later quit being a race queen and worked more like a manager among the team staff. That’s when I started understanding the structure of races and differences between various series…

Studying all that deepened my love for motorsports, and this year I was fortunate to serve as assistant MC for PCCJ and PSCJ.

The interview continues in the next part…

[GTsport Broadcast Station Episode 3]
Broadcast scheduled for Wednesday, December 25th, Christmas, from 10 PM!
With special guests and 13 entrants racing! Please check out the channel → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO58eTEkoNo