After the fuss over the negative test result the night before, I made it to the scrutineering venue with barely a minute to spare — and here, at last, is the scrutineering report from the finest rally in the world.
In the middle of a global crisis, in the middle of Covid, we were the only Japanese entrants for this first-ever entry, and support from Japan was difficult too — there was nobody to ask. Just getting this far had been a nerve-racking start.
We reached the scrutineering venue safely. From there, with no idea of the route or the procedure on a first visit, this was still the critical starting point deciding whether we could actually enter.
Being our first time, I had nothing to compare it with, but it was clearly a quiet, sparse scrutineering venue, showing every sign of being held in the middle of a pandemic.
The relief of finally holding the entrant’s ticket was beyond words. Four days of competition were about to begin, and yet the road just to get here had been so hard that I was already thoroughly worn out (laughs).
My other pleasure: the Mille Miglia merchandise only entrants can get. Even at scrutineering there was plenty of gear sold only in that particular year.
Everything felt stripped back, given the circumstances, and among the merchandise were masks and sanitiser too.
I bought a Mille Miglia sweatshirt as a keepsake!
But more than any of the merchandise, what made me happiest was simply having this number plate fixed to the car, confirming our place in the field.
The sponsor of the world’s finest rally, Mille Miglia, is Chopard, and every entered car gets one engraved watch.
I don’t need the watch — just lower the entry fee, please. A very ordinary, down-to-earth wish of mine (laughs).
And now, at last, on to the report from the parade before the start of the finest rally in the world, the Mille Miglia.
