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| The rally entered its second half on day three. It started to rain last night, but turned to a light drizzle this morning. Unlike previous years, all of the participating cars, except for the cars that retired before the opening, managed to start day three. For the cars and the entrants who traveled approximately 520 km for two days, the key in the second half is whether they can complete the rally. They are in a crunch time now. The party left the Hotel & Resorts WAKAYAMA-MINABE at 7 am and drove along the sea to the EE Park, both the first stamp point and the competition point. The gray sky and the rough sea gave an impression of midwinter. The rain was light, but it was a cold morning because of the strong wind. After arriving at the EE Park, the entrants got a stamp first and started the competition. They tend to be more conscious of their rankings when competing in the second half because the interim results were released in the evening on day two. It may work well, or may put pressure on the entrants and put them off their stride. The cheers from local people coming to the EE Park despite this weather encouraged the entrants. The entrants left the EE Park and got stamps at the Hidakagawa Community Center and the Aridagawa Railway Park, then headed to the Kainan City Hall. In the rain, they got a stamp and competed in PC competition held in the results open format there. The rain got heavier and sapped their energy every minute. After leaving the Kainan City Hall, the party took a short break at the next stamp point SHIMA SEIKI, then left Wakayama Prefecture for Kaizuka City in Osaka. By the time they left SHIMA SEIKI, the rain let up. They got a stamp at the Kaizuka City Hall, and after finishing a competition in the Ion Seiyaku Nishikinohama Factory, they headed to Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture. They got a stamp at Imai Town Kotsu Hiroba in Kashihara City and had lunch at THE KASHIHARA. After lunch, the entrants passed through a stamp point in TANZAN JINJA-Shrine and competed in a PC competition at Hase Dam. It was held in seven consecutive sections set on a road circling around the dam. The measurement line placed at the end of a corner couldn't be seen from competitors' side and it was hard to grasp the distance. If they go too fast, they will have too much time left when getting close to the measurement line, and if they go too slow, they will run out of time. The entrants looked more careful in the start than usual. The last competition on day three was held at Kasa Soba near Hase Dam. It was held in the results open format, and when the measurement results were read aloud, some of the entrants were making a note of their time to compare with the set time. The party left Kasa Soba in Nara Prefecture for the last stamp point on day three in the Osaka City Hall. The scenery was gradually changing as they ran through the mountains and were getting close to the heart of Osaka. When the entrants arrived at the Osaka City Hall, many people were waiting for them. Some of them looked a little tired from the approximately 320-km traveling, but still waved back to the cheers with a smile. Although the weather was not good and it was a chilly day, many people, including local people, came to cheer at each point or along the streets, encouraging the entrants. The people as well as the scenery the entrants met will remain etched in their heart. All the cars set off briskly this morning, but unfortunately, some of them ended up retiring at the end of the day. It is crunch time also for the mechanics, who travel with the entrants for four days and maintain the cars late into the night every day. The entrants can drive safely and concentrate on competitions thanks to the mechanics. There is only one day left in the event. Day four, the final day, will start in Osaka and pass through Nara, Mie and Kyoto, then back to Nara and finish in Kyoto. The entrants will run approximately 260 km to the finish line in Okazaki Park in front of Heian Jingu Shrine. I hope as many of the cars as possible will reach the finish line safely, and am looking forward to tomorrow. （text & photo：Mika Iwamoto） |
 ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA 750D competes in PC competition at Hase Dam  Entrant in LANCIA AURELIA B20S leaning out of car in rain to look at measurement line in PC competition in EE Park  JAGUAR XK120 DROPHEAD COUPE seen off by many spectators at SHIMA SEIKI  PORSCHE 356 SPEEDSTER competes in 4th section of PC competition at Hase Dam  ALFA ROMEO GIULIA SPIDER cheered at Osaka City Hall |
