忙しい〜。（泣）

ここ数日間のLAはメチャ暑っ！今日になって少し涼しくなって一安心。が、５００の交渉も前進していますが、勢いで決め込みたい所ですが今は慎重モード。なんだか、茂木が終わってドタバタで疲れがたまってるのか、体調のあんばいはあまり良くないです。咳がとまらないので、明日は病院に行って薬をもらって５００に乗り込むのにベストな体調に整えないと！！

Last couple of days here in LA has been really hot! It started to cool off a bit so I am bit relieved. The negotiations for the 500 is moving forward but there are couple of things that we have to make sure at this point which we are waiting for...I hope to know something real quick. It's been a real busy couple of days, and I am not feeling to well. I may be a bit tired after the Japan race...but I can't stop coughing so I am going to see a doctor tomorrow in order to get a medicine so I can at least stop coughing in front of the people!!

ミーティング

今日は日曜でしたが、午前中にIndyについてのミーティング。アメリカに戻ってきて話し合う事が沢山あったのでかなり時間が長引いてしまいました。ミーティングを終えて家にダッシュで帰ってきてカンザスで行われているIRLのレースをTV観戦。今回はGanassi勢の独走のレースでしたね！！最後は英紀も頑張って６位完走！！立派な走りをしていたので、今後の活躍も期待できそうですね！！いやはや、もう来週からは５月。いよいよ５００の話も急ピッチで進めないと、って感じです。

Although it was a Sunday, I had a meeting in the morning to talk about my 500 program. Since I was away for couple of weeks, the meeting went longer than I expected but there were a lot to catch up. After the meeting, I came hope quickly to watch the Kansas race on TV. It was a Ganassi domination all day long but my buddy Hideki did well at the end. I think he will be a top 5 contender as the season goes on. Well...I can't believe that we are already getting in to Month of May next week!! That means I will need to pick up my pace to strike a deal for the 500. It just shows how competitive it's going to be even to strike a deal this year when you can't get it sealed with a sponsorship in place!?! However, I really fell there are many good things to come and I hope to know something by mid this week!!

もうレース！？！

今日のLAはメチャ暑いです！真夏日和でした。が、自分は時差ボケでなんだかだる〜って言う一日。日本に行ってる間に冷蔵庫はすっからかん状態だったのでスーパーに行き、午後は家でユックリ。明日はカンザスでIRLのレースが行われますね。つい、先週末は茂木でレースが終わったばかりなのに、もうカンザスでレースって感じです。いや〜回りが走ってるのを見てしまうと自分も早くレースしたいな〜〜！！

It was a real hot day here in LA today! It definitely felt like being a record heat day!! I am still trying to recover from jetlag and it's getting better. Since the fridge was empty since we were away for weeks, we went to the grocery store today to stock up with food again. I got home and watched the Indy Car qualifying on computer. I can't believe those guys a racing already this week end. Watching the car go around made me want to get back in to the car again!! I hope to get my deal sorted out real quickly!!

ミニ・ロジャー

相変わらず時差ボケで辛いっす・・・。夜中はぜんぜん寝れなくて、日中は気合いでお仕事。なんとか週末の間には時差ボケを治さないとって感じです。今日は日中はずっと溜まっていたメールの返信へのキャッチアップ。多くのファンメールも届いていました！皆さん本当に有り難うございました！！

I am still jetlagged from the trip. I couldn't sleep much last night and had to work through out the day to catch up with all the e-mails as well as responding to as much fan mails.

そしてその中から毎年IndyJapanでは、僕と全く同じスーツを作成して作って来て頂いてるお子さんが今年もニュースーツで登場！しかも、僕が２年間オヤスミをしている間に、もう一人のお子さんを出産してミニ・ロジャーが２人になって登場！！メチャメチャ可愛くて一緒に写真を撮ってしまいました！！こんなにリアルに作れるのは本当に凄いです！！かなり大変な作業だったと思うので、一生懸命つくっていただいたご両親には心から感謝です！！

I was going through all the fan mails and found a pict that I took with the Mini Roger kids. The older boy always comes to the race with the identical designed suits that the second child was on the way while I was not racing in Motegi and now I have two Mini Roger. The suit was identical to the one I was wearing and I must say that the mom and dad had some long nights making the suit!! I really appreciated their support and I had to take some time to take picture with them as well as giving them a quick tour to my car.

色々と振り返ってみると残念な結果に終わってしまいましたが、皆から力強い声援を頂いて、来年もまた頑張るぞ〜って気合いが入ります！！

After thinking about the whole race week end...yes the result was not ideal but I feel a lot stronger now wanting to go back to perform well next season for all my fans!!

またまた交渉

今日の午前中はお家でユックリ。風邪が少し悪化しているのか体調がわるく、とりあえず安静にしています。しかし、５００の交渉を急ピッチで進めないといけないので、お昼からはメール＆電話でドタバタしてました。

I was able to get a good sleep last night but still feel a bit jetlagged. I also think I caught a cold which I am trying to get rid of very quickly since I have Month of May coming up. I was in the bed all morning trying to recover but I needed to get working in order to finalize everything for the 500.

そんな中インディーから良いニュースが飛び込んできました。以前から交渉していて、５００へスポンサーが決まっているHH Gregg社の本店でレース前のサイン会が決定。しかも、５月の間はインディアナポリスの新聞へ自分の写真を広告掲載するなど露出への協力もしてくれるとの事なので今後の営業にもかなりプラスになると思います！！

I received some updates from Indy today where my management team is working with hhgregg on their Indy 500 sponsorship. Tentatively, I'll be doing an apppearance with the showcar at their headquarters on May 23 from 5:00-6:00. It sounds like they'll be promoting this in all of their advertising leading up to the race.

さらにさらに、マイクロソフト社とも交渉開始。レース前のイベント等に参加をする方向で話を進めていて、２週間以内にまたミーティングを行う予定です。

I also received some fantastic news that Microsoft has requested me to be involved in their Month of May plans as well. It's in the early stages, but we've got a meeting with them in 2 weeks.

まだまだ決めなくてはいけない事が沢山ありますが、色々と良い方向に動いています！早く発表できる様に全力で頑張ります！！

We still have some work to do in order to get all the deal done but I feel confidant that we are making progress and we are days away from being able to confirm our deal. Stay tuned...

無事に帰宅

今日は無事に家に着きました。飛行機の中では相変わらず息子がしぶとくグヅって、なかなか寝れませんでした。家に戻ったら子供も安心したのか昼寝のつもりがグッスリ寝ています。自分も疲れがドッと出たせいか、爆睡してしまいました。これは完璧時差ボケですね・・・。さて、明日から気合いを入れ直してお仕事だゼイ！！

Just got home. The flight was pretty nice, but my son was up for a while and I had to chase him around in the plane since he was tired with just sitting in the same seat. When we got home, we all fell a sleep and we are definitely jetlagged!?! I was pretty tired from the trip and will need to get some rest today and tomorrow and get back to work by tomorrow afternoon!!

これからアメリカに戻ります。

これからアメリカに戻ります。日本での滞在もあっと言う間に終わって、レースも終わり思い出に残り２週間になりました。レースは本当に悔しい結果に終わってしまいましたが、皆の応援で気合いが入り５００に向けてのファンメールもいっぱい届き、５００の話も早く決めて今度こそは良いレースがしたいと思ってます！！

I am just getting ready to catch my flight back to LA. The stay in Japan was great and everything went by so fast... The race was not what I was hoping for, but I couldn't be happier about all the fans cheering for me and sending me kind e-mails after the race.I am focused now on trying to get the Month of May deal sorted out and be competitive during the 500.

レースが終わってからは月曜は紅月に行って、今回は豚のシャブスキを食べてきました！メチャメチャ美味しかったです！！数週間のあいだレースに向けて我慢していた、おいしいお酒も呑めて楽しい時間が過ごせました。

After the race on Mon, I went to Kougetsu and enjoyed some great food there with awesome wine. I haven't been drinking for couple of weeks getting ready for the race and it certainly was great to taste the ice cold beer after the race!

そして、昨日は午前中に箱根に行って、XaCarの車の試乗をしに行ってきました！お昼には東京に戻り、夕方は上野に移動してエアープレス上野に行き酸素カプセルに入ってきました。疲れもバッチリとれてアメリカに戻る準備もバッチリです！！

Than yesterday, I had to go to Hakone to do a photo shoot for the XaCar magazine and doing a quick road test in the morning. I got on to the bullet train and was back in Tokyo by lunch time. Than in the afternoon, I went to Air Press Ueno and got in to the oxygen capsule. I was able to relax and got refreshed going back to LA and getting ready for the 500!!

ではでは、これからアメリカに戻りますが、引き続き５００の応援も宜しくお願いします！！

I will be heading back to US now and hope to see you all at the 500!!

ファンメール有り難う！

皆さん、お疲れさまです！さっきホテルにチェックインして、メールチェックをしたら数えきれない程のファンメールが送られていてビックリです！お忙しい中メッセージを送ってくれて本当に有り難うございます！！メチャメチャ嬉しくて涙がでそうです！！この勢いで５００も頑張ります！！

I just checked in to my hotel I Tokyo, I just checked my e-mails and I couldn't believe how many fan mails I got over the week end!! Thanks for the kind message!! I will keep trying my best and I hope I have something good to announce in couple of weeks!!

応援有り難うございました！

今日は無事に路面も乾きレースをする事ができました。延期になってしまっても多くのファンが今日も現場に来てくれて本当に嬉しかったです！！レースはもう結果はご存知かと思いますがとても残念な事にリタイヤで終わってしまいました・・・。

The track was dried up and we were able to get the race started! I was surprised to see many fans come back today and I was relieved the get the race in for the fans!!

レーススタートでは車のバランスが少し悪く、フラフラしててちょっと危ない状態だったので、ここは何とか辛抱・・・。２スティント目からは車を微調整していってようやく走れる状態になって、ラスト５０ラップまでにはなんとかみんなについていけるレベルで戦えるかな・・・と思ったのも束の間。

The race was a bit disappointing...as you may already know. The car was a bit handful during the first stint but the we made some adjustments during the race and the car was getting better and better. I thought I was going to have pretty good car by last 50 laps.

ピット作業が終わった後にブレーキがロックし余儀なく車をウォール近くまでもっていって停車。ブレーキが焼き付いて動けない状態なってしまい残念ながらレースはリタイヤすることになってしまいました。とりあえず壁にぶつけずにすみましたが、皆の前で最後まで走れなかった事は本当に悔しかったです。

Unfortunately, after our 3rd stop,,,, for some reason, my front brakes locked up completely and the car came to a stop. I have no idea what happened with the brakes and I had no choice but to park the car next to the wall. I felt very sorry for the fans who were cheering me through out the race and I wished if I could have finished the race.

茂木まで連日応援に来て下さった皆さん本当に有り難うございます！！このままじゃ悔しいので、また来年もリベンジしに戻ってくるので、ぜひまた応援しにきて下さい！！

I want to thank all the fans for coming out to the race. I definitely will try my best to come back next year for another round and wish me luck at the 500!! I think we will be strong there from what we have learned here!! I will be back guys!!!

明日に延期

今日のレースは残念ながら、サーキット上から湧き出る水の為レースは明日に延期されてしまいました・・・。たくさんのファンに応援に来て頂いたのに、レースができなくてとても残念です。できる限り、多くのファンが明日来てくれる事を期待してます！宜しくお願いします！！明日のレース頑張ります！！

Today's race was unfortunately postponed due to the weeper on track. I went to check out the leak and it didn't look good at all to race. I felt really bad for the fans who waited for a while and I just hope we can get the race in tomorrow. I am looking forward for the race tomorrow and I hope the fans will be coming back to see us race!!

雨で残念・・・

今日は残念ながら雨で走行は中止。せっかくセットアップの変更をした車を乗れると思ったのに、セットを試す事ができなくて残念・・・。色んな所から情報を収集して方向は間違っていない事は確認できたので、レース前に向けて少し安心しています。

Unfortunately today's session and qualifying was cancelled due to the rain. I was some what disappointed because I wanted to check if we were able to make any gains in our set up. Talking with other team members, I think we are headed towards the right direction and I just wished if we could have done couple of laps to check the ride height.

何よりも雨の中たくさんのファンがトークショーや、サイン会に訪れてくれたのが本当に嬉しかったです！！皆からエールも頂いて明日のレースは気合いが入ります！！明日の決勝は全力を尽くして頑張るので応援して下さい！！

However, I felt really bad for all the fans out there and I want to thank every fan that came to the autograph session today as well as the talk show.I really hope that the weather will get better tomorrow so we can get the race in. I am looking forward to seeing all my fans tomorrow and I will do my best to finish the race in top 10!!

走行初日

今日はついに走行ができました。１時間半のセッションが２回あったのですが、残念ながら２セッション目は途中で雨が降ってきて中断。今回は車がシェークダウン状態だったので、初日の走行に色んなトラブル発生・・・。電気系統のトラブルだったり、セットアップだったり色々と試したい事がいっぱいあったのですが、まだまだスピードを出せるレベルではありません・・・。

I finally got to drive the car! We had two 1.5hr session today but the 2nd session was cut short due to the rain. Since it was pretty much a shakedown day for us since we never got to test before this event. The car is running but we have a lot of work to do needing to fix the telemetry system as well as the car set up in general. The track has changed quite a bit over the last two years and we need to change the set up accordingly. I wished if we had more track time but I think we were at least able to find the direction for the race.

走行が終わってから長いミーティングをチームとして、明日に向けてセットアップの向上についてずっと話をしました。方向性は見えてきてるので、レースではボチボチいけると思うのですが、残念ながら明日は雨みたいで走れなかったら厳しい・・・。とにかく明日は晴れて欲しいです！！

Obviously I needed to do a lengthy meeting with the team to make the car best as possible and I think we have a plan for tomorrow now. However, the forecast is rain all day tomorrow and that is not going to help our situation...I will need to keep my finger crossed in order to gain more track time and speed!!

いよいよ茂木に到着

今日は午前中に同愛記念病院を訪問。たくさんの子供達と会えて、僕が元気をもらっちゃいました！！訪問は１時間半くらいで終わり、茂木に入って早速いろんな準備。チームも現場での最終確認で今もまだ作業中です。今夜は明日に備えて早目に寝ないと・・・。

I went to Doai Hospital this morning for the Racing For Kids visit. Seeing the kids were great and I certainly enjoyed the visit!! The visit went on for 1.5hr and I headed to Motegi right after the visit. I am finally glad to be here. I had to sort out a lot of things when I arrived at the track and the team is still getting the car ready for tomorrow's session. Well...I better get to sleep early tonight to be 100% ready for tomorrow.

腹ごしらえ

今日も何だか、ドタバタの一日。昨日の夜は母親の家に行って、お袋の味を堪能してきました。がっつり食べて、夕飯後に髪をカットしてきました。さっぱりしてレースに向けて準備万端！

It was another busy day for me... I went to my mom's house last night to pick up my wife and my son. I was able to enjoy my mom's home made cooking and went to cut my hair after dinner.

今日はお昼にトレーニング。トレーナーにみてもらって身体の調子も絶好調です！！色々とできる事はやったと言う感じで後は車に乗るのみって感じです。が、天気予報が少し心配です。

I got up really early this morning and went to the gym. I was able to get a great training program through my trainer and I am just about ready to race!! However, I am a bit worried about the weather for the week end.

今夜は出発前に紅月に行って、最後の腹ごしらえをしてこようと思います！今日はお昼抜きなのでがっつり食べちゃう予定です！！

For dinner tonight, I will be going to Kougetsu which is my favorite restaurant in Tokyo.

明日はいよいよ茂木入り。朝は同愛記念病院にRacing For Kidsの小児科訪問をしてからサーキット入りです！とにかく車に乗るのが楽しみです！！

I will finally be heading to Motegi tomorrow but in the morning, I will have to do my Racing For Kids visit at Doai Hospital. I am really looking forward to seeing the kids there!!

ファンの皆さん有り難うございました！

昨日は大宮に行き、NACK５が行ってるINDY CAFEでのイベントのトークショーにも出演してきました。２日連続で来てくれたファンや生後２ヶ月のお子さんを連れてきてくれたファンもいて、個人的には凄く嬉しかったです！昨日も色んなトークで盛り上がり楽しかったです！！夜はジムでトレーナーにしっかりみてもらったのガッツリトレーニング。身体の体調も絶好調でレースが楽しみ！！

I went to Oomiya yesterday for another talk show that was hosted by the NACK5 radio station. I was really happy to see a lot of fans there. Some fans attended two days in a row and I was surprised to see one of my fan who brought just a 2months old baby to the talk show!?! In the evening I went to the gym and had a good work out and I am just about ready for the race.

いや〜でも何よりも数日間のイベントや取材で、自分が想像していた以上のメディアさんやファンが訪れたので心から感謝です！！本当に有り難うございます。そのぶんレースで頑張ります！！でも、天気が心配ですね・・・。

The last couple days were busy...but really enjoyable. I must thank my fans as well as all the medias for participating the Indy Japan event as well as the interview since the amount of people have certainly exceeded my expectations!! As for now, I am a bit concern for the weather since it is not looking too good as of now.

ではでは、今日は昼過ぎにエアープレス上野に行って酸素補強をして、それからグッヅ関連の商品の最後のつめをしないと！！

I will be going to Air Press Ueno today to relax and recover from tiredness and will need to sort out the final details of my merchandise goods later tonight.

Indy Cafe & Interush Event

昨日は午前中は宇都宮でまずは、クラシックラリーのスターター。かなりレアなクラシックカーがあり、個人的にはビックリ！自分もがっつり稼いで６０年代のクラシックカーが欲しいな・・・と思ってしまいました！？！（笑）

I was at the Classic Car Rally yesterday in Utsunomiya. I was the Grand Marshall for that race and was honor to start the field. There were some real nice classic cars and I really would like to get one of the cars from the 60's...if I make enough money in the future!?!lol

その後はオリオン商店街に行って、簡単なご挨拶。そして、IndyCafeに移動してトークショーのイベント。現場に着いたときはオープン前からカフェの前に並んで待っていたファンがたくさん居たので本当に嬉しかったです！！トークも盛り上がり、沢山のオフレコトークをしまくり。来れなかった方は本当に残念ですね・・・・！？！（笑）ぜひぜひ来年もIndyCafeに行きたいと思います。

After the event, I had to do couple of stops visiting the local mayor and went to Indy Café to do my talk show. There were a lot of fan waiting outside even before the café opening and I really appreciate my fans coming to all of my events!! The talk show was great and I was able to talk about some secret stuff...in which for all you fans that couldn't make it out there...I'm sorry but you missed out!?! May be next year...

夜はInterushのイベントが渋谷であり、その後に１０時にまたミーティング。今日はこれから大宮に行き、今度はNACK5のIndyCafeでトークショー。連日イベント続きで大忙しですが、今日の夕方からはレースに集中できる様にミッチリトレーニング＆リラックスタイムです。

In the evening, I attended to the Interush event and had a late night meeting at 10pm. I was up at 8am this morning and will have to head to Oomiya today to do another talk show event at another Indy Café location. All my appearances will calm down after today and I will finally be able to train and relax and prepare my self for the race!!

NATS訪問

今日は朝一に成田へ行き、NATS（日本自動車大学校）へ公演に行ってきました！９００人以上もの生徒の前で色々とレースであったり、インディーカードライバーとしてのチャレンジングな部分を話して内容の濃い１時間以上のトークができて楽しかったです！！

It has been busy couple of days for me. I had an event today near Narita Airport to talk to more than 900 students at NATS(one of the biggest school in Japan specializing teaching Automibile / engineering & mechanic degree) in regards to Indy Car Racing as well as being a Racing Driver. The talk went on over 1hr and I certainly enjoyed the time there.

最後の質問ではかなりハイレベルでテクニカルな質問には、個人的にも驚かされました。日本人のメカさんやエンジニアさんの器用な仕事内容は、個人的にも高く評価しているのでもっと沢山の若い日本人のメカニックやエンジニアが国内のレースだけでなく海外のレースにも挑戦して行って欲しいと思ってます。

We held a Q&A session at the end and couple of the student asked some interesting question which I was very impressed with. I really hope these students will be interested in working for an Indy Car in the near future and I hope I was able to teach them the importance of the communication and the bond with mechanic/engineer to be successful in racing as a driver.

今は宇都宮に移動してきてホテルに着いて少しリラックスをしている所です。明日は朝早くにクラッシック&スーパースポーツ2&4のスターターを行ってから、インタビューがあり、お昼前にはIndyCafeに行ってラジオインタビュー。久しぶりに多くのファンの皆さんと交流できるので本当に楽しみです！！近くに住んでいる方はぜひぜひ遊びにきて声をかけてくださいね！！そして夜はInterush社のイベントがあります！！色々とドタバタしてはいますが、色んなイベントで皆さんから嬉しいメッセージを沢山頂けて充実した時間が過ごせてます！！何よりも来週のレースが楽しみです！！！

After the event, I took the train to Utsunomiya and will be spending a night here for couple of events tomorrow morning. I will be the starter for the Classic Rally in the morning and will go to a live Radio Show at the Indy Café. I really look forward to seeing my fans there and will also attend to the Interush event in the evening. It will be another busy day, but I am very excited to see all the fans and can't wait to drive the car next week!!

酸素カプセル

昨日はインタビューや挨拶回りがあり、夜は上野にあるエアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入りリラックス。時差ボケも解消されて、今日は午前中にトレーニングに行って、午後はまたずっとインタビューです。週末は宇都宮でイベントがったりでドタバタですが、ようやくイベントで皆さんにお会いできるのが楽しみです！！宇都宮の側に住んでいられる方は、ぜひぜひIndyJapanクラッシックラリーのスタート＆Indyカフェのイベントに来て下さいね！！

I had couple of media interview and appearances yesterday. I was really tired by the evening especially with the jetlag so I decided to go to Air Press Ueno to get some time in the oxygen chamber for 1hr. It was definitely relaxing and I was able to refresh getting ready for more interview and some time at the gym today. Unfortunately the weather is not so nice today and I hope it will clear up all next week....

日本に到着

昨日のフライトで無事に日本に到着しました。機内では子供が歩き回り＆ぐづりまくりでちょっと大変でした・・・。同じフライトに２００５年に自分のデータエンジニアが乗っていたのでビックリ！？！どうやら上海で行われるA1 GPのレースに行くみたいです。どさくさまぎれに、茂木のデータをこっそり聞けたのでラッキ〜！！（笑）しかし、昨日の強風は凄かったですね。おかげさまで、飛行機が１時間も遅れて大変でした。

Made it to Japan safely. Surprisingly, I was on the same flight with my data engineer from 2005 who was headed to Shanghai for the A1 GP race. It was great to see him and I was able to get some valuable information that I can use for the Motegi race. It was really windy yesterday here in Japan and the flight was delayed for an hour because of the traffic hold up at the airport.

今日はこれから挨拶回りでドタバタ。グッヅ関連の段取りもあったりで、今週中は忙しそうです。

Well...I will be doing a lot of media interview for next couple of days and it's going to be a hectic 2weeks leading up to the race. I can wait to get to Motegi when I can finally just think about racing!!

明日から日本

今日はメチャメチャ忙しかった。昨日の飛行機の中で仕事をして、夕飯を食べて帰ってきてからまた仕事・・・。疲れたのでそのまま寝て今朝起きたのは７時前。８時前にミーティングがあり、茂木で着るウェアーをピックアップ。お昼も色々と頼まれ物をピックアップして、家に戻ったら６時過ぎ。これから荷造りがあるので大変です。

It was an extremely busy day today...I got a lot of work done last night in the plane but still needed to finish everything off when I got home. I was really tired last night and went to sleep at midnight. I had to get up early for an 8am meeting this morning and picked up the team wear that I will be wearing at Motegi as well as some of my Silver Jewelry collection that I got. It really looks cool and I appreciate the SteelFlame guys on making these products.

今夜は早めに寝て明日は５時起きでトレーニングをして、９時ピッタリに銀行に行ってから飛行場へ向かいます。かなりドタバタの数日ですが、レースまでさらに忙しくなると思うと今のうちに気合いを入れ直して頑張らないと！！ではでは、日本で皆さんにお会いするのを楽しみにしていま〜す！！

I was pretty much running around the town today picking up the stuff I need for the trip to Japan. Since I will be leaving tomorrow, I will need to pack up everything tonight and head to LAX at 10am tomorrow. I am trying to get everything sorted early tonight to so I can get to the gym and the bank before departing to the airport tomorrow morning. All in all, I am really excited about the race and I can't wait to get to Motegi and see all the fans cheering for me!!

シート合わせ

今日は朝起きて、スタバによりコーヒーをゲットし、チームに行ってシート合わせをしてきました！ショップについて、スタッフに会ったら思った以上にベテランの優秀なメカがいたのでビックリ！車のカラーリングもかなりいい感じにあがってるので、レースが楽しみになってきました！！

Got up early in the morning and went to Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee. Than I headed to the team to get my seat fittings done. I was surprised to see couple of crews at the shop since the team hired some well experienced mechanics!! The car paint scheme looks great and I am really looking forward to the race now!!!

シート合わせも無事に終わり、茂木のセットアップや作戦に関して簡単に事前のミーティング。茂木に入るとイベント等々でドタバタで、できるだけ事前に話し合える様にしたので、なかなか良いミーティングができたと思います！！何より、車に座るとやっぱりワクワクしますね〜〜！！レースカーに座ったドキドキ感はなんとも言えません。とにかくレースが楽しみです！！

The seat fitting went well and I am good to go for the Motegi race. I talked a lot with the team owner in regards to the set up as well as the strategy for the session since we will not have a lot of time to discuss about those items when we get to track since I will be attending to many events... All in all, I am very happy about the whole program and I think we are going to have a good stable car and I can't wait to drive the car now!!

インディアナポリスに到着

今日は６時のフライトだったので、４時起き。ほとんど徹夜状態で飛行場に向かいました。デンバー経由でインディーに着いたの３時。そのままIRLのオフィッスに行って茂木のクレデンシャルをピックアップしてホテルにチェックイン。

Since I had to catch a 6am flight, I was up before 4am today. I couldn't get much sleep in the plane so I am a bit tired now. When I landed, I stopped by the IRL office to pick up the credentials for Motegi race and I just checked in to the Hotel.

これから、チームオーナーと一緒にご飯に行って茂木の話をしてきます。いや〜しかし、寝てないから疲れた・・・。明日はいよいよシート合わせ！車を見るのが楽しみだ！！

I will be going to dinner tonight with my team owner and we will be discussing a lot of things in regards to Motegi race. I am also looking forward to the seat fitting tomorrow!!

明日からインディアナポリス

今日も午前中にジムでしっかり運動。お昼は外でラーメンを食べ、途中に旅行代理店に行って、来週の日本に戻るチケットをピックアップ。その後はTargetにより日用品をゲットし、家に戻ってきました。

As usual, went to the gym in the morning before lunch. I had to head to Torrance to pick up my air ticket for next week's flight back to Japan. I also had to do some running around to pick up stuff before going to Indy tomorrow and Japan on Monday.

家に戻ってまずはピットを洗い、それからお風呂掃除。来週からピットを知り合いに預けるのでちゃんといい臭いにしておかないと・・・。明日からはインディアナポリスに行ってシート合わせをしてきます！その他にインディー５００の交渉もあったりでかなり大変です！忙しい３日間になると思いますが、全力でお仕事してきます！！何よりも茂木で走る車を見れるのが楽しみです！！

When I got home, I bathed Pit since I need to have my friend to look after him and I didn't want to take him as stinky as he was. Than, I needed to clean the bathroom before I bathed my son.... It's been really busy week but I am really looking forward to going to Indy tomorrow to do my seat fitting!!

500に向けての交渉

今日もめちゃくちゃ忙しい一日でした。午前中はジムでトレーニング。プログラムも順調に進んでいますが、追い込みは日本に帰ってから来週しないと。午後はずっと電話での連絡の取り合い＆交渉。５００に向けてはかなり良い方向に動いております。と、言ってもいっつも１歩進んで２歩下がり・・・って感じですが。が、それにも慣れてきて交渉も順調です。早いうちに話が決めれる様に頑張らないと！！

Another busy day today. I was at the gym in the morning getting the work out done. I will have an extensive program when I meet up with my trainer in Japan next week, but I better be ready for that or else half of that time is going to be recovering from muscle ache!?! After lunch, I was on the phone and computer all afternoon discussing about the Indy 500. I think I made some good progress today and am feeling good about the situation!! I sure hope to be able to announce something before or right after the Motegi race in couple of weeks!!

あっと言う間の一日

今日はメチャX２忙しい一日でした。午前中は家で仕事。インディー５００のアソシエートスポンサーの話が決まったので、その手配等でかなり大忙し。お昼は茂木に備えて国際免許の手続きをして、午後一は日産Altimaのハイブリッドを試乗。夕方は茂木＆５００についてミーティング。気がついたら５時過ぎで、なんだかあっと言う間の一日でした。

It was a super busy day today. I got up early to get a lot of work done in the morning and on a good note, we were able to sign an associate sponsorship deal for the 500 and there was lots to sort out getting ready for that. During lunch time, I had to go to AAA to renew my Intl Driving Permit so I can drive in Japan. I had to skip lunch and go off to a road test driving the Nissan Altima Hybrid. Right after that, I was off to a meeting to talk about Motegi & 500. When I realized it was already 5pm... What a busy day!!