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| The weather was a concern on day four, the final day of the event. It was clear and sunny this morning. I hoped this fine fall weather would continue. Italian Ambassador to Japan Gianluigi Benedetti also participated in the rally today with Ferrari F355 Spider, heading to the finish line with the entrants. The entrants set off from the hotel at 8 a.m., and after competing a PC competition at Nihon Automobile College NATS, they headed to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. They received a stamp and a purification ritual one by one in front of the gate of the temple. After about half of the cars passed through the stamp point, it started to rain heavily so the rest of the entrants had to drive to the next point, Shibayama Niouson Kannonkyouzi Temple, in the sudden rain. The entrants received a stamp at Shibayama Niouson Kannonkyouzi Temple in the rain and headed to Tsurigasaki Beach. After competing a PC competition at Tsurigasaki Beach, they received a stamp, then headed to the lunch venue, Kazusa Akademia Park. By the time the entrants arrived at Kazusa Akademia Park, it had stopped raining and patches of blue sky were visible. They received a stamp from Kisarazu City Mayor Watanabe, then had lunch and took a break as they were tired from driving in the rain. After lunch, they rearranged the formation and restarted the rally. The final PC competition venue was Porsche Experience Center Tokyo near the lunch venue. The consecutive PC competitions were held in the handling track, and it was easy to imagine that the final rankings could change greatly depending on the results of the competitions from the layout and settings. After finishing the final PC competition, the entrants finally headed to the finish line in Makuhari. It was not raining but dark clouds were gathering little by little in the sky. Many local people were already waiting for the entrants at this year’s finish line, Valentine Street in Makuhari Bay Town. However, just before the entrants arrived there, a heavy rain started to fall so unfortunately, the performance by the Chiba Girls' High School Brass Band scheduled at the finish ceremony was canceled. The cars received the final stamp at the start of Valentine Street in the rain, and as they were arriving at the finish line one after another, the sky was getting bright. By the time the last car arrived, the rain had let up and the wet car bodies were glittering in the bright sun. All the cars arrived and the finish ceremony started. They moved to under the finish gate one by one to the lively music performed by the Makuhari Sohgoh High School Orchestra Club. Welcomed by Chiba City Mayor Kamiya waving the finish flag, the entrants looked back on the four days with a smile and drove through the finish gate while being thankful that they got to the finish line safely. After that, the entrants drove directly to Hotel Okura Tokyo for the farewell party. They enjoyed delicious dinner, drinks, and special live performances by JKim, Akira Miyagawa, and The Voices of Japan, and then the awards ceremony started. The third place went to the No.6 of Uryu and Takayama team, a talented team from Fukuoka. They moved up gradually throughout the rally and eventually placed third. The second place was the No.26 of the Takigawa father-son team. Mr. Takigawa, who became the new chairperson of VETERAN CAR CLUB TOKYO, performed at his best and helped the team take second place. The winner of the 25th anniversary event went to the No. 3 of Mr. and Mrs. Takemoto team. They held the lead from day one to day four just like they did last year, wining this year’s title. Although the weather was changeable, they performed well from beginning to end, achieving an overwhelming victory this year too. Since this year’s event was the 25th anniversary, some special awards were prepared. Among them, what impressed me was the award given to Akimoto-san, No.1, who has participated in all the 25 events. A cake, a song, and a commemorative plaque were given to Akimoto-san, who turned 77. He was asked to give a speech and said, "I’ve met many friends through this rally, and some of them have already passed away. I am 77 now and realizing that my driving skill level has dropped by about half compared to when I first participated in the rally. Still, I’m going to participate as long as I can drive. Treasure your car and your friends." and the venue was filled with warm, respectful applause to Akimoto-san. Although this year’s La Festa Mille Miglia 2022 was also held under the COVID-19 pandemic, many local people cheered for us at each point and from the street, and that was really encouraging. The event celebrated its 25th anniversary and it would be an unforgettable fall journey of four days for the entrants. We still don’t know when the pandemic will end, but still, the La Festa Mille Miglia will keep moving forward next year. （text & photo：Mika Iwamoto） |
 Just like last year, Mr. and Mrs. Takemoto hold lead from start to finish and win title  BUGATTI T35C arrives in front of gate of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple  HEALEY SILVERSTONE receives stamp from Kisarazu Mayor Watanabe at Kazusa Academia Park  BENTLY 4.1/4L D.H.C. by VANDEN PLAS crosses finish line at Valentine Street in Makuhari Baytown, welcomed by Chiba Mayor Kamiya waving finish flag  Special award given to Akimoto-san, who has participated in all 25 events |
