17-Year-Old Racer Nicknamed ‘Robot’ Makes History with First Japanese National Anthem at Imola F1

May 1994, at the Imola Circuit in Italy, a sacred place for F1.

Ayrton Senna, the “Prince of Speed,” was competing in the San Marino GP when he failed to complete a turn at Tamburello, a super-fast left-hand corner at Imola, and crashed violently into a concrete wall. He was killed instantly. The news of his death at the age of 34, in an accident during a race that was being televised around the world, sent many F1 fans into a sea of grief.

In June of this year, exactly 30 years after the Imola tragedy, Senna, a legendary racer and a 17-year-old Japanese youth who said, “I only know your name,” drove through Tamburello Corner at the top and stood right in the middle of the podium. This was the first time in history that “Kimigayo” was played in the holy city of Imola. Although F4 is a lower category of F1, the world’s most prestigious racing series, this was the moment when a young Japanese challenger achieved a great accomplishment.

Hiyuu Yamakoshi took pole position in qualifying for all three Italian F4 races held in June, winning the first and second races in succession. Born in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo in 2006, he moved to Europe at the young age of 15. He is a “promising star” of Japanese motorsports who has continued to produce results in Italian F4 and Euro F4.

We visited Yamakoshi, who was back in Japan for a short summer vacation.

Proud to be a “Robot

I have been collecting Tomica miniature cars since I was a child. I don’t have a clear memory of it, but my parents told me that I used to move the miniature cars by hand and race them all the time. There is no doubt that miniature cars are where it all began.”

With a face that still looks so young, it is hard to imagine him racing against racers from around the world in a formula car with a top speed of 245 km/h. “What made me become a racer?

The first time I became a racer was when I was in the second grade of elementary school, on a trip to Guam, where I rode a go-kart. I enjoyed the act of controlling the machine by myself so much that I asked my parents to take me to a karting facility as soon as I returned to Japan. Until then, I had experienced my father’s hobbies such as skiing and golf, but nothing could compare to the appeal of karting. I went to a kids’ school at a circuit in Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture, and practiced hard.

Yamakoshi’s talent soon blossomed, and he won race after race.

When I was in the sixth grade of elementary school, I asked my parents directly, ‘If I win the next national championship, please let me try racing overseas. I don’t remember why I could say such a big thing. I can’t remember why, but I do remember that I had a gut feeling that this would be the turning point.

Yamakoshi won the SL Karting National Championship 2019, in which only the top finishers in points earned in races held around Japan are allowed to compete. It looked as if he had opened the door to go abroad, but….

My parents immediately started looking for a place to study abroad,” he said. However, the timing coincided with the spread of the new coronavirus, so I concentrated on racing in Japan for two years after ……. My father gave me a chance to race in Europe when the coronas had settled down and I was just a couple of months away from graduating from junior high school. Once I went to Europe, I would not be able to return home for three months, so I would not be able to attend the graduation ceremony. But I had no hesitation. My homeroom teacher and the principal were very understanding, and my father accepted my diploma on my behalf.

Yamakoshi made the decision to fight in Europe alone in the midst of his adolescent years, when he tended to be withdrawn and reserved. He studied abroad in Switzerland. At the time, “I didn’t speak any English,” he says.

Now I can use English well enough to get by in everyday life, but back then I had a hard time speaking and listening. But that was OK. I didn’t come to Europe to make friends. I left Japan to race. Rather than communicating with my classmates, I prioritized my own training. Thanks to that, the nickname I was given at the time was “Robot. Because I didn’t understand the language, I didn’t even laugh. Maybe it was because all I did was muscle training in silence.”

Although the nickname sounds like it could lead to bullying, Yamakoshi’s expression reveals a core strength that says, “What does it matter?

Many young people study abroad with dreams, but suffer from the differences in environment and culture. There will be many sweet temptations. Influenced by the people around them, they are swept away by the easy way and waste their precious time. There are countless such young athletes and researchers. Yamakoshi, however, was different. Even on holidays when he did not have classes or races, Yamakoshi trained and researched races on YouTube.

He said, “I have access to the Internet, so I can catch up on popular Japanese TV shows, trends, etc. But I didn’t do that. But I didn’t do that. I wasn’t interested.”

The face of Shohei Otani, who at age 30 is still called “baseball kid” and spends most of his personal life playing baseball, came to mind. Moreover, unlike baseball, which is a team sport, Yamakoshi has no colleagues or peers to call his own. He must discipline himself, inspire himself, and continue to fight. I was bowled over by his stoicism and strength of spirit. But even Yamakoshi has something to fear.

Accidents. As long as it is motor sports, accidents cannot be completely avoided. ……

Hearing him say “I’m scared,” we thought we were finally seeing the true face of the 17-year-old, but we were surprised at the “reason” behind it.

If I have an accident, the machine will be damaged and it will cost money to repair it. It would cause trouble for our sponsors. And if I were injured, I would not be able to practice until I heal. It would be a waste of valuable time. That is why I am afraid of accidents.

Like his nickname, “Robot,” Yamakoshi continued without changing his expression.

There are two types of accidents: one that feels like an instant and one that goes into slow motion. I am just speculating here, but I would say that accidents that feel like an instant are those that are not life-threatening. When it is in slow motion, it is an accident that may be life-threatening. I can’t say that you can avoid an accident by handling just because it looks slow. ……”

It is said that when humans feel threatened, they try to make the most of their brains even if it means reducing all bodily functions, including their eyesight, and as a result, their visual acuity drops and their surroundings appear to be in slow motion. This phenomenon is called tachyphylaxis, and although it is being studied by experts, it is rarely experienced by people living a normal life. It is an experience that we cannot avoid encountering because we live in the special world of motorsports.

Even so, Yamakoshi fears accidents not because of the danger to his life, but because “there is a possibility that my dream may become distant.

I think the limit for my debut as an F1 driver will be in 2030, when I will be 25 or 26 years old. Young drivers are coming out from all over the world one after another, but only 20 of them will be able to sign a contract with a team as an F1 driver. When you think about it, 17 years old is not young. I don’t have time for detours.”

How does his mother see the development of such a stoic young man?

She says, “I have watched him all his life as he decided he wanted to start karting on his own, got hooked, and learned the joys and frustrations of the sport. But I never thought the time would come for him to leave his parents at the age of 15. Now I’m cheering him on as best I can and watching all the races in real time on YouTube. However, I still get scared and close my eyes at the start of the race. I am sure the day will never come when I get used to …….”

Despite his mother’s concerns, Yamakoshi made his signature dash to the start and attacked the corners. He never slams on the brakes in pursuit of his goal of becoming an F1 driver.

A bronze statue of Ayrton Senna stands in front of the Tamburello Corner of the Imola Circuit in Italy. Many fans still visit the statue to offer their condolences, and a Brazilian flag and bouquets of flowers are offered to the statue. Senna was close to Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda, the engine manufacturer of the car he was driving at the time. The home of motorsports is Europe. He had a dream to make a name for himself in Europe by joining forces with Brazil in South America and Japan in Asia. Because of this, Cena loved Japan and was loved by Japan. We wonder what Senna thinks of the young Japanese man who is attacking the corner where he lost his life and continuing his lonely struggle.

After the interview, when asked about his summer vacation plans, Yamakoshi finally took off his robot mask and smiled with the innocence of a 17-year-old.

I’m going to Shibuya with my friends to eat hitsu-mabushi and monjayaki. Afterwards, I’ll go to a super public bath and relax. All of this is something we don’t have in Switzerland.”