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.”
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: 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