    
|
 |
| As it was cloudy in the morning on day two, the entrants were quickly preparing for rain early in the morning, installing a convertible top on their open-top car. They were also checking the condition of the car by listening to the engine sound as a morning routine. The important things to complete a rally without any trouble are daily maintenance and to try to notice something wrong with their car, just like the human body. The time the entrants communicate with their car before departure is very important. The entrants left the Shima Kanko Hotel at 7 am and headed to J-Place Isobe for the first PC competition on day two. They were competing earnestly like an athlete, having the interim results for day one in mind. After finishing the competition first thing in the morning, the party headed to a stamp point in Ise Jingu Shrine (Naiku). They got a stamp at the parking lot of the shrine, then moved to Okage Yokocho. At the stamp point set up in front of Joyato (all-night street light) in Okage Yokocho, a delightful gift Akafuku was given to the entrants. In La Festa Primavera, to pass through all stamp points and to get a stamp at each of the points are necessary. Competitors will not be ranked or be eligible to win a prize if they miss even one of the stamps, no matter how hard they try on competitions. This year 26 stamp points are set up for four days, and the entrants collect stamps while enjoying meeting new people as well as local people there. The entrants made their way to the next destination, Michi-no-Eki Kiinagashima Manbow, seen off by a lot of local people. They got a stamp there, and after finishing competitions at the Kihoku Town Office and the Yamazaki Sport Park, they had lunch at Resort Kumano Club. The competition at the Yamazaki Sport Park was the only competition held in the results open format on day two, and a lot of spectators cheered on the entrant. After lunch, they ran through a winding road among mountains smoothly to a stamp point in Maruyamasenmaida. The sun started coming out of the clouds at this point and was shining on the rice terraces, making the fields' green color more vibrant. The entrants left Mie Prefecture and arrived at the next stamp point in Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture. As all the cars were lined up under the Otorii gate, tourists who happened to be visiting there stopped all at once to view and take photos of the cars. The entrants all had a purification ritual before the departure, then left the shrine, going through the gate one by one. The last competition on day two was held at the Nankishirahama Airport Site, using its large runway. It was a challenging competition in eleven consecutive measurement sections. It is extremely difficult to synchronize the timing of stepping on a measurement line with counting in that setting. As the entrants stepped on the last measurement line, some of them smiled and others frowned in disappointment, but each of them looked satisfied and seemed to have a good feeling about the competition. By the time the entrants arrived at the Hotel & Resorts WAKAYAMA-MINABE and checked in, it started raining. It was as if the rain was waiting for their arrival. The weather was also on their side. Day three will take a route of approximately 320 km, starting in Wakayama and passing through Osaka and Nara, then back to Osaka. The first half of the event ended and the entrants must be concerned about the condition of their car as well as the results, but first of all, they have to reach the finish line safely. （text & photo：Mika Iwamoto） |
 BUGATTI T35 leaves Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine  JAGUAR XK120 OTS passing through Ise Jingu Shrine (Naiku)  BENTLEY STANDARD 3LITRE seen off by a lot of spectators in Okage Yokocho  Entrants in TOYOTA 2000GT looking at measurement line to match timing in PC competition at Nankishirahama Airport Site  Mechanic working on car in light rain after arriving at Hotel & Resorts WAKAYAMA-MINABE |
