On Friday 13 September 2024, the Rally Japan 2024 Commission organised a rally school for elementary and junior high school students in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, as a project to support the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake. 138 children and students participated in the event. Following a lecture by rally driver Norihiko Katsuta, the children were given a demonstration run in the passenger seat of a rally car.
During the Noto Peninsula earthquake on 1 January this year, this area of Togi in Shika Town was also hit by severe tremors, and many residents were forced to endure an anxious night. Kazuyuki Itaoka, headmaster of the school, said: “I rushed to the school immediately after the earthquake, and 1,500 residents had already gathered in the schoolyard to evacuate, and because it was cold, we asked them to go into the classrooms to rest. The school facilities were also damaged with cracks and warping in many places, but we decided to let the evacuees use the school until they could be placed in temporary housing. It then took two weeks for school activities to resume. The town is still in the process of reconstruction, and even the demolition of collapsed houses has not progressed as far as hoped. Togi primary school is still in a state of disrepair, so primary school children take a bus to Togi junior high school to attend classes. I think it is hard for the children to see the remains of the disaster on their way to school. Even so, they are in good spirits. I am sure they will be greatly inspired by this opportunity.”
The Rally Classroom began with a presentation by a representative from Toyota Gazoo Racing, who used a screen to explain what rally competition is all about.
He explained that rallying, like other sports such as baseball and football, is a team sport, and that the Toyota team competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC) has more than 100 members in addition to the drivers and mechanics; that the GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid competing in the WRC generates a whopping 500 hp of power; that rally cars can jump up to 68 metres; that rallies are run on public roads; that rally cars can be driven on public roads; and that the driver and co-driver work together. Next, Norihiko Katsuta was introduced as the father of Japanese WRC driver Takamoto Katsuta, to a round of applause from the students. Katsuta gave a lecture entitled ‘The Challenge of a Dream’. “When I got my motorbike licence at the age of 16 without telling my father, he got angry with me, but he lent me the money to buy the bike. After I got my full licence, I immediately tried my hand at rally competitions, but the rally car I had built myself over a period of three months crashed into a grove of trees. After that, I wrecked the car several times and thought about quitting rallying hundreds of times, but with the support of those around me, I recovered from each setback and managed to take the title of best in Japan. If you have a dream, don’t give up and keep trying, don’t give in to setbacks because failure is the source of success, tell everyone around you that you have a dream, and always be aware of your dream”. Finally, student representative Makoto Shinoda (Junior High School grade 3) said, “I didn’t know about rallying until today, but it was very informative to hear your invaluable talk. Thank you very much.”
After the lecture, it was time for a demonstration drive in the school grounds. The car was a Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris rally car. A total of nine students, chosen in advance, one from each grade from primary school grade 1 to junior high school grade 3, were allowed to sit in the passenger seat of Katsuta. Although many expected the younger pupils to be scared and cry, not a single child cried. The rally car drove across the school grounds so fast that the dust obscured the rally car. Oda Kento (junior high school grade 3), who rode in the rally car at the end of the day, said: “The rally car movement was much more intense than I expected, but it was a lot of fun. The lecture was also very informative. I have a dream to become a chef, and I will do my best to achieve it. Today really inspired me.”
The Rally Japan 2024 Commission invites people living in Ishikawa Prefecture to FORUM8 Rally Japan 2024 to be held in Aichi and Gifu this year from Thursday, 21 November to Sunday, 24 November (https://rally-japan.jp/news /latest-information/ishikawa-ouen/). We sincerely look forward to receiving applications from students who have experienced the Rally Classroom on this day, as well as from other people in Ishikawa Prefecture.
