Daiki Sasaki: A Life as a Racing Driver

2023/06/13

It all started when I first rode a racing kart at the age of seven. When people think of karts, they usually imagine something you'd find at an amusement park, but in reality, the fastest ones are said to have a perceived speed of 300 kilometers per hour. Getting into a kart wasn't even my own choice; my father told me he was taking me somewhere interesting. At first, I was scared of the speed and couldn't even step on the gas; I thought it wasn't for someone as timid as me.

However, driving a car was still fun, and once the fear faded, I began striving to drive even just a little bit faster. From there, I competed in various tournaments and achieved results, leading to my debut as a driver for the automaker Nissan at the age of 17. Since you are alone when driving in a race, it might seem like an individual sport, but it's actually different. There is constant competition in the development of cars and tires, and it's not just about the driver being fast; many people are involved in building the car and tires before the race even begins. In that process, we communicate with many people to determine what is best, plan and execute, and then apply those lessons to make the car faster. With so many people specializing in different areas, you cannot win if even the slightest thing is out of sync. I think the appeal of that process is why I became a racing driver.

It's never straightforward, and the process of everyone building something from scratch that eventually leads to the success of a victory is extremely difficult and challenging. That's exactly why there is drama in winning a race, and I believe that's why I aspired to be a racing driver. I work hard at racing for the moment when I can share that emotion with many of my teammates when the results of our hard work come to fruition.

With so many people putting in the effort, the driver is the only one who can ultimately express that in the form of a victory and bring the car to the finish line. That's why I never give up and continue to give 100% of my strength until the very end. It might seem obvious, but it's what I keep in mind. I never forget that I am racing with everyone's hopes on my shoulders. I am enjoying this life as a racing driver.