Targa Florio, the classic rally that closed 2021 for me — and I came home with the trophy from abroad I had wanted for so long.
That trophy had been a dream for years. In Japan the winner of a rally usually receives a prize. Abroad, the prize is a bottle of wine. No money, nothing.
But the leading finishers are given a trophy, and that honour is celebrated.
Because it is neither a prize nor money, nobody envies it; everyone simply celebrates the achievement together.
When I did the live stream from out there we were on the edge of retiring. In fact, in my first two years of rallying abroad I retired again and again, and had the frustration of travelling that far without even reaching the competition.
Whenever I think about coming home from a rally abroad, it is a dream I could never have reached alone, so I feel nothing but gratitude towards every person and every thing that made it possible.
It came true only because people looked forward to the live streams, drove with me from Japan and gave so much support.
There has been more hardship, more crying and laughing, than I can convey — and looking back, all of it was thanks to the people around me.
Not comparing yourself with others; simply clearing your own goals, one at a time
It is a competitive world, so there is always winning and losing. But what mattered was not comparing myself with anyone, not envying anyone, and simply clearing the goals within our own reach, one after another.
One of my dreams was to hold a trophy from a rally abroad.
That has now happened — and it is only the opening chapter; since it finished, the debriefs have gone on, results in hand. I have finally reached the start line.
Next year, and the future, nobody can know. But going on without giving up — I would be glad to pass that on to everyone, and not only in rallying.