Ukyo Sasahara, Porsche Japan

I recently attended the Porsche Sports Car Together Day 2019.This season, as a Porsche Japan Junior Driver, PCCJ(Porsche Carrera Cup Japan)Interview with Ukyo Sasahara, who participates inI was able to do so.

Ukyo Sasahara is 23 years old, born in 1996 in Gunma Prefecture.Racing debut in karts in 2003and won champions in domestic and international series.Formula Renault since 2013and finished third in the ranking in 2015 in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, and in 2016 in SRS-Formula(Suzuka Circuit Racing School Formula)He won a scholarship at theIn 2017, 2nd place in FIA-F4 Japanese ChampionshipIn 2018, he finished 3rd in the All-Japan F3 Championship.
Source.Ukyo Sasahara official website

This interview was not conducted by a motoring journalist.I'm just a layman, and I'm here to tell you a story.Therefore, I decided to ask a simple question that I would not normally ask in an interview with a motor magazine.

Interview with Ukyo Sasahara

Q1. About training

What kind of training do you usually do?

We also do general training, but in a way that is unique to racing drivers.Neck" trainingWe put a lot of effort into During a race, especially when cornering, a fairly large G is applied to the neck.

For example, in the case of F3Power steering on the machine(A mechanism that assists the driver in steering a motor vehicle.)is not attached.So the steering is very heavy. The higher the speed, the more downforce is generated and the more effective it is, but then the steering becomes even heavier.

Also, when turning a corner in F3, about 4 G(4 times the gravity of your body weight)Since it takes aIf the neck muscles are not trained, the body will not be able to withstand cornering.

Also, when you turn a corner, you can'tUse all of your shoulder, back, and arm strength in addition to your neck.Therefore, it is very important to build muscle strength in the upper body. In addition, modern machines are equipped with ABS, soStrong tread force on the brake is also required.In the end, we need to train the entire body, including the lower body, in a balanced manner.

What does neck training involve?

There are many important nerves in the neck, and if you put too much load on it and train it the wrong way, you can seriously injure yourself. I take care not to let that happen.Attach a rubber rope to the wall and pull the rope around your neck, moving it back and forth and side to side ___ times each.They also train their necks by lying on their sides, placing a 5 kg weight on their necks, and moving their necks up and down.

But since there is no such thing as "the right answer,"Every player trains in his or her own style through trial and error!I'm not sure.

And, in a word, "building muscle."Stiff muscles like those of a bodybuilder are not useful for racing. A racing driver needsMuscles that may not look big, but have a strong or supple trunk.

Luckily for me, I've always been a swimmer.Swimming, which naturally stresses the body through the water pressure, strengthens the entire body.As it turned out, that was very good.

Q2. Favorite circuit course

Having competed around the world, what is Sasahara's favorite circuit?

Well... my favorite is.Spa-Francorchamps in BelgiumThis is a circuit called I am sure many of you have heard of this famous circuit.

Spa-Francorchamps is a course that I am very attached to, as it was the course where I won my first Formula Renault championship.Very fun to run.I guess so.

It's difficult, but it's fun, and with each lap, you'll find yourself saying, "I'm not sure I can do this.I want to run more, I want to run more.I don't think there is any other course like it.

What is so interesting about Spa-Francorchamps?

Large difference in elevation, "all overThere is a famous corner called "The Corner," and when you enter it, it is as if you are entering aThe feeling of running toward the sky, as if you were crashing against a wallThe The ground is almost invisible.

Beyond that, roughly speaking, there is a tremendous difference in elevation(equivalent to an 18-story building)There is a section that runs from top to bottom through theA test of a driver's nerve and driving skills.But at the same time, it is a very important section to see the balance of the machine.

When I won my first Formula Renault championship.Both the driver's efforts to push the car to the very limit and the car's settings were perfectly matched.It was a great feeling.

As a result, theI was able to take pole position with a qualifying lap that was almost a track record at the time.But at that time, I was in the zone...I was having fun, enjoying myself, and my adrenaline was in full swing.

I don't think there is any other circuit where you can experience this kind of feeling. This kind of extraordinary experience is one of the charms of racing.

Q3. Goals for the future

What are Sasahara's future goals?

This season, theEntered Porsche Japan as a junior driverI am now working on the "Junior Driver Selection to become a Porsche works driver" to be held in Germany at the end of the year, and I would like to win the championship here first.

It's a narrow path, but we'll get through it, and we'll getI want to be able to work as a works driver in my home country.This is my biggest goal right now. Actually, no Asian has ever been selected as a works driver.

Everyone, including the drivers and PCCJ team members, must be feeling very frustrated and frustrated.

That's why I'mI want to pave the way to becoming a works driver as a JapaneseI think.

Did you always have goals such as being the first Asian works driver and being active in the world?

Yes, I agree. I am sure that many of the young people who are just starting out in the race are "In the future, I want to be an F1 driver.I think we all have a dream of being able to do something that we love. However, unfortunately, due to financial and environmental reasons, it is often impossible to pursue that dream.

Me, too.A few years ago I was racing in Europe, but due to various circumstances I had to return home.I would say so myself, but I was by no means beaten by the Europeans, and I was proud that I was the most competitive among the Japanese drivers.

So, to be honest, I felt frustrated at the time.

Nowadays, young people are becoming more and more active in F1, and to be honest, it is difficult for me to aim for F1 now at my age. So, what should I do? When I thought about it, what I had in my mind was, "What should I do?I still want to compete in Europe again!It was a strong desire to "make the world a better place.

At that time, I was given a chance to challenge the PCCJ, and here I am.

Q.4 Turning Pressure into Opportunity

How did you feel racing today, starting 5th and finishing 2nd?

In PCCJ races, starting positions for the final are determined by the order of qualifying times.Qualifying is everything.It is not an exaggeration to say that the ranking in the qualifying rounds has a great impact on the finals.If you don't do well in the qualifying rounds, it will be extremely difficult to recover and win in the finals.

The day before this race, the qualifying session was red-flagged due to heavy rain and the race was cancelled. I was able to take pole position in the race on the first day based on my best qualifying time.Due to the poor second best time, the team started the second day's final race in 5th position.The company was

Normally, in 5th position, it is difficult to overtake the car ahead after a good start, but this timeWe were able to take advantage of every moment and move from 5th to 2nd place.So this second place was a very significant second place for me, in terms of points, of course.

You never know where opportunities may lie during the race.I'm not sure how to do that. Therefore, we must always be prepared to seize opportunities, but on the other hand, there are many times when what we seize as "an opportunity" turns out to be completely different.... But on the other hand, there are many times when what I seize as an "opportunity" turns out to be completely different.... That is the point.It is both the difficulty and the fun of racing.I think.

Do you ever feel crushed by the pressure of so many people's expectations?

I would say I'm used to the pressure... (laughter), soDon't let the pressure crush you.Hey. My family was not a very rich and wealthy family, so we have been able to continue racing thanks to the support and encouragement of many people.

Since he was young, "If you can't get results, you can't keep racing.In the beginning, I sometimes felt pressured to do so, but gradually, being in an environment called "the

'I can't even think about that, every single fight.Concentrate on giving your all in the race in front of you now.Let's do it. Then it will work itself out."

I am now able to think about it. So, to be able to be in an environment where I can race like this now isMore gratitude than pressure.Yes.

To tell the truth, however, I still wanted to continue racing in Europe.

In that sense.PCCJ has a chance to race in Europe again!So I want to seize this opportunity at all costs.

For myself, for the young drivers coming into the Porsche Japan Scholarship Program, and for the PCCJ team members.I want to pave the way as the first Japanese Porsche works driver.It is.

Interview with Sasahara Editor's Postscript

After the PCCJ final race, Sasahara answered our interview in a very polite and sincere manner, even though he was very tired. Sasahara is not only a talented driver, but he also has a wonderful personality, oozing character. I want to support him even more in the future! Ukyo Sasahara, thank you very much!