Watching WRC in Hokkaido, people will not only watch the racing cars galloping in the wilderness, watch the double-car PK shopping in the short track rally, cheer for the racing cars and racers they support, wave flags and shout, but also visit everything they support at the paddock motorcade station, face to face with the racers they admire and compete for their signatures. Buy a team hat or costume, taste Hokkaido snacks, play racing games, and experience and enjoy a strong racing culture. What we see from WRC is not only the game, but also the enlightenment outside the game.
Cold can't stop enthusiasm.
After a storm, autumn scenery in Hokkaido is pleasant, with blue sky and red leaves everywhere. The temperature is very low, but the crowds coming to watch the game are endless. They come from Japan and even all over the world. Some call their friends, some bring their wives and tapes, and some families go out together. At the scene, you can almost see children of all ages coming to watch the game. I think this kind of edification and enlightenment education for children to accept racing culture from an early age is very worth learning from domestic parents.
From the uniforms worn by people at the scene, we can see the teams they support and love. T-shirts, coats and caps of teams from major manufacturers. The business district outside the WRC paddock sells uniforms and souvenirs. At the game site, some people distributed the flags of each team to cheer for the team they supported. I feel that Subaru has more blue flags, hats and costumes. When they occupied the home court, their geographical location, people and advantages were also sought after by Japanese audiences. Although the venue of the competition is chosen to be held in the wild hillside woodland, tickets are still needed to enter the viewing area near the starting point, and the audience is very orderly. The best viewing position is the VIP area.
Paddock: another arena and stage
In the WRC paddock, flags are flying and all kinds of tents are scattered all over the floor. This is the base camp and maintenance area of each team, and it is also another venue for each team to compare the on-site maintenance technology and speed, and it also bears the heavy responsibility of brand communication.
The excited voice of the commentator in the live broadcast is accompanied by the roar of helicopters in the sky from time to time. Spectators flocked to the maintenance area where the motorcade was stationed. After returning from the track, they could see the scarred cars and the drivers they admired. If you are lucky, you can also get the autograph of the racer and take a photo with the racer. In a team maintenance area built by Subaru's iconic blue containers and tents, we saw busy technicians, including a female technician. There are no Japanese in that group of foreign technicians. It seems that WRC's racing machinery is still controlled by the British.
After a roar of racing cars, the fence in front of the pit was opened, and the 17 car of Subaru team pulled into the station, and then the No.7 car of solberg also returned to the station. Technicians immediately gathered around, put the car in order, unloaded the tires, and the technicians skillfully maintained and debugged the car. Similar scenes were staged in the pits of other teams, which became a major attraction on WRC.
A new short track rally track was built next to the paddock. In fact, as a part of WRC, short track rally has more performance elements. In front of thousands of spectators, the racers staged a performance for cornering skills. The wonderful DK is a scene that the audience is very happy to see. The two cars walked side by side and drew a beautiful sideslip arc, which attracted applause from the audience. There are obvious cheerleaders in the audience. The red one is Citroen phalanx, and the dark blue one is Ford phalanx. Of course, the largest number and the biggest momentum are Subaru's huge blue phalanx. Every time the two cars appear, they can attract cheers from enthusiastic audiences. That kind of devotion and madness is very similar to the NBA and the World Cup.
The power of idols is infinite.
Opposite the Subaru team maintenance area, we saw a blue flag sea shaking. Are fanatical Subaru fans. They wore blue Subaru uniforms, caps and flags, held photos of solberg in their hands, shouted the names of their heroes, and were excited about their idols. Solberg gracefully waved to the cheering crowd and signed the clothes, flags, hats and picture books they handed him. Solberg will take special care of children if they meet. The real interaction between fans and racers is very touching. I believe similar scenes are being staged at the stations of Citroen and Ford. The scenery outside is beautiful.
In the paddock, the major manufacturers' teams have set up souvenir sales points to display the main models of each team on the spot. Visitors who wander here can buy their favorite team souvenirs and watch classic racing cars and original models at close range. The prize-winning quiz and racing game PK set by Citroen team attracted many spectators to participate. Mitsubishi and Subaru are worthy of being enemies, and even the makeshift press release tents stand shoulder to shoulder.
At noon, the dining area was very lively, and various shouts came from the colorful vegetable shed. Hokkaido snacks with full color, flavor and unique flavor seduce people's appetite. Here the audience can appreciate the authentic Japanese food culture.
In the winter afternoon sunshine in Hokkaido, people sit around the lawn to rest, and children play tirelessly. We also accidentally saw that the Japanese Self-Defense Force also set up a booth to recruit soldiers, but this booth is two light armored vehicles, and there are beautiful female officers posing for you.
From this point of view, WRC has matured in Japan, and the Japanese regard WRC not only as a simple competition, but also as an authentic racing festival. Considering the scarcity of domestic competitions, this situation is really thought-provoking.