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IndyCar
IN THE COCKPIT: Simona De Silvestro, Japan
I feel good about what we did in the race on Sunday. Starting from the back of the grid was frustrating, but I just focused on gaining positions.
Simona De Silvestro  |  Posted September 22, 2011  
Perseverance was de Silvestro's greatest ally in Japan. (Marshall Pruett)
SimonaDesilvestro.com


In my opinion, Japan is more like an adventure than a race weekend. The amount of travel it takes to get to Motegi is a little overwhelming at times, but totally worth it when you realize what a cool experience it is. Our trip started with a three-hour bus ride to O’hare airport in Chicago, followed by a 12-hour direct flight to Tokyo. I took nap after nap and watched movie after movie, and THEN I still had six hours left to go!

When we arrived in Japan, we hopped on another three-hour bus ride to the Twin Ring Motegi race track. On our way, we stopped for a travel break at a gas station. I was starving! They have this really good snack that’s kind of like sushi – it’s rice and fish (you can get a bunch of different flavors) all wrapped up in seaweed. It’s delicious, but unwrapping it correctly is the tricky part. The plastic wrap is kind of hard to figure out without the whole thing falling apart.

I got back on the bus and we were still parked as I tried to unwrap it. I was having a bit of trouble and as luck would have it, there was a bus full of Japanese people next to us who noticed my troubles. They were pointing and making fun of me through the window! We all had a good laugh and I felt lucky that my driving skills are better than my Japanese snack skills!

When we finally arrived at the track, I was exhausted. It had been 24 hours since we’d left Indy and I was really feeling it. We grabbed some quick dinner and I was in bed early. Unfortunately, I was wide awake at 2 a.m. because of the jet lag.

On Thursday, we did the track walk. Twin Ring Motegi is such a cool facility – the track is very long and smooth. I don’t think I had ever driven a track that smooth in an IndyCar before. I wish we had something like it in Switzerland! I like to think of it like a giant Disneyland for drivers. It’s just awesome.
Hundreds of fans lined up to get Simona's autograph during the final Indy Japan event. (Marshall Pruett)

Overall, the race weekend didn’t go as we planned. We struggled a bit with grip and just couldn’t put together the laps we wanted for qualifying. Despite that, I focused on the positives, one of which was the awesome fans that came out all weekend. They’re friendly, knowledgeable and really passionate about the sport. I hope we get to go back and race there again someday.

I feel good about what we did in the race on Sunday. Starting from the back of the grid was frustrating, but I just focused on gaining positions and we were able to find some speed that day. I finished the race P14 and I’m proud of what I was able to do with lots of help from my Nuclear Clean Air Energy team.

That night, we went to the town of Utsonomiya, where the rest of the team was staying. We had a nice dinner and I was very thankful for the picture menus so I knew what I was ordering!

On Monday, we took the train to Tokyo for a little sight-seeing. It’s a crazy city, and I mean that in a good way! There are so many people and so much stuff to see. I had a great time and hope to be back for another visit.

We flew out of Japan on Tuesday morning with the rest of the IndyCar teams. Only a mere 24 hours later, we were back in Indy! Now it’s time to recover from the jet lag and focus on the last two races of the season. I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans in Kentucky and then ending the season in Vegas. I’ve heard there are some great things that IndyCar is planning. I want to say thanks, as always, to my fans for the support and I hope to see you at the track!

Learn more about Simona, her team and her sponsors at www.simonadesilvestro.com.
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Simona De Silvestro

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