This entry into Coppa di Himeji 2022 came out of the warmth of a human connection.

So many lovely photographs came in that I want to leave them here as a digest.


I only covered one day this time, but driving it thanks to that connection left me with a rally full of smiles and overflowing gratitude.

I have left the full race report on the blog, in three parts — do have a look, if you like!

The record of a motorsport woman driving a life: the challenge to 14,000 km, Peking to Paris
03.06.2022
Coppa di Himeji 2022 — part 1
/himeji1
I am entering Coppa di Himeji 2022, held over two days, 4–5 June 2022, for the first time. https://coppa-di-himeji.com/ Coppa di Himeji runs from Himeji Castle across the Banshū road and through green country into the Tamba region. I am covering only day one, 4 June, starting from Himeji Ōtemae Park. This whole year I have been aimed at the huge challenge of 14,000 km, Peking to Paris, and I had all but given up on entering any Japanese classic car rallies — and then a chance arrived, carried by human love. Practically an act of God! This time the car is a 1960s Alfa Romeo Sprint Zagato …

Meeting people changes a life

Meeting the motorsport of rallying turned my life around a hundred and eighty degrees, but really, who you meet changes a life just as much as what you do.


It means finding friends who share a passion, but more than that, meeting treasures for a lifetime.
Winning and losing matter, but a bond that matters even more grows out of it.

The record of a motorsport woman driving a life: the challenge to 14,000 km, Peking to Paris
06.06.2022
Coppa di Himeji 2022 — part 2
/himeji2022〜part2
“I got to know Komochan at an event once, and I always look forward to reading her Facebook posts — I’ve genuinely been cheering her on from Himeji. Won’t you come to Coppa di Himeji 2022?” “I explained to the office that I wanted to invite Komochan, and got the executive chair’s approval. We’ll work out the details from here.” That lovely message arrived in early April. Being reached out to like that, when I am nobody famous at all, became a memory I will never forget for the rest of my life. When the message arrived I was away on business in Hokkaido …


I am still very much a newcomer to the rally world, and I know almost nothing about cars or mechanics. But to share how much fun rallying is, driving with a smile, always — that alone has been my policy all along.

Being told “you’re Komochan, the one who drove the Lotus Seven, right?” or “can we get a photo together?” and watching friends grow across the country like that is a genuinely happy thing.

The record of a motorsport woman driving a life: the challenge to 14,000 km, Peking to Paris
06.06.2022
Coppa di Himeji 2022 — part 3
/himejipart3〜
True to my jinx of always bringing good weather, the day itself was clear! Coppa di Himeji 2022 opened under a genuinely blue sky. This time I entered as co-driver for the well-known television personality and motoring journalist Kei Takeoka. We had already hit it off at the pre-event party the night before, on first-name terms — Kei-chan, Komo-chan 💓 The theme for this rally? “Enjoying it, of course!” Kei-chan was in demand everywhere we went, mobbed for autographs and photos! As for me, I kept my usual easy-going Facebook Live going. (Though, punchline: the footage never actually saved …

This year I have set every other rally aside for the great adventure of the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, but I look forward to bringing everyone in Japan a smile again some day.

My heartfelt thanks for all the support and all the people I met.