La Festa Mille Miglia is a thousand-mile classic sports car rally that began in 1997. It takes place every October across the Kanto region in Japan. One of the largest events in Japan, La Festa Mille Miglia will be celebrating its fifteenth year in 2011.

Its sister event, La Festa Primavera, takes place every April in the Kansai region. Starting in 2011, the race will expand to cover one thousand miles over four days, with the aim of visiting a larger number of scenic and historical sites dotting the Kinki region. We are confident that these spring and autumn rallies, the only events in Japan recognized by the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA), will be unforgettable opportunities to experience traditional Japanese culture.

The ideology of La Festa—"respect for the old”—is not only about the classic cars participating in the race, but also historic buildings and sites. “Staying young at heart” and “promoting friendship among participants” are also mottoes that ring true for both La Festa Mille Miglia in autumn and the original Mille Miglia in Italy.

As for the fund raising for environmental protection and the education of children who have lost their parents in automobile accidents, it will be conducted again this year with the subtitle “Ganbarou Nippon!” (Let’s do our best, Japan!), and done as a part of the activity to raise monetary donations to those being afflicted by the recent Tohoku Pacific coast earthquake.

One can learn new things by studying the past: this belief is our inspiration in continuing to organize these events.