The reason for us being in Japan, other than the amazing sights we get to experience afterwards, was the 2023 1/8th World Championship. This being my first world's I wasn't sure what to expect and agreed to come for this part of the trip with a little reluctance. Happy to announce it blew all expectations out the window, despite the early mornings.
The Infinity International Speedway is in a tiny town in the mountains. Truthfully, we didn't see anything of Inabe other than the McDonalds close to the track and the track itself. My original plan was to go every other day and watch Luke racing and practicing, but I ended up only missing one day and watching all three of our New Zealand drivers.
We started our days at 6:30am with an hour drive to the track with the sun rising during our drive. The first day on track (for me) was seeding practice, the opening ceremony and concourse. By the end of the night, it was decided that I was going to be posting on the Taranaki Club Facebook with daily updates for those that were not attending the event.
The different nationalities and mannerisms at the track were great to get to know and everyone that we talked to were supportive and excited for our tiny kiwi team.
The rest of the event went by in a blur, with early morning starts, late night returns to the hotel and the hunt for food. The final race was nail biting, intense and kept me on the edge of my grandstand seat all day. All in all, an event I would love to attend again in the next country they decide to visit, rumour has it, Costa Rica.
Comments