If you dig deep enough in a pile of dog shit, you might find a diamond ring.
That diamond ring, is Kaoru Matsuo, a local teen who is a celebrity among youth. Kaoru has a dream – a dream she is working hard to have come true – to be an F1 Racer. What is F1? F1 or Formula One, is referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship and is the highest class of single-seater auto racing in the world. F1 cars are the fastest multi-turn circuit-racing cars in the world and can race at speeds of up to 350 km/h (220 mph).* That’s fast. These cars are capable of lateral acceleration in excess of five g in corners.* That’s badass.
I met up with Kaoru in the local comic store along with her friend Reign when she agreed to an interview with yours truly. Kaoru, though her dreams are big, her heart and humility were even bigger. So without further adue, here is our Observer Youth Exclusive with a local celebrity:
Mich (Reporter):Â How old are you and where are you from?
Kaoru: I’m 15 years old and was born in the Trailer Park here in Hathian… I got 3 siblings: Mera, Pippin and Mary… and… my parents are dead.
Mich (Reporter): What got you into racing?
Kaoru: Well I guess it was when Vettel started racing in F1 he was so adorable and lovely and godlike…. I just wanted to be like him. And then I went to the go-kart track outside of town and I immediately fell in love with the adrenaline rush and the sport… I was doing good too.
And for those of you who are unfamiliar with Sebastian Vettel, he is a German Formula One racing driver who is currently driving for the Austrian racing team, Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion having won the championship in 2010, 11 and 12.*
Mich (Reporter): Who is your inspiration in the F1?
Kaoru: [Vettel] is my future husband… no but he is the best of the best… I will tell everybody he is… and those Mark Webber fans, you know what? Mark wasn’t able to come even close to Seb in the last years… and he is always whining… so $%#&# him… still Vettel he took third World Championship last year and is on his way to fourth… and he’s so cute and adorable still, but he has a girlfriend… and I need to fall in love with people who are not hundreds of kilometres away…
This reporter thought she felt very strongly about her loyalty to Vettel. Mark Webber, is an Australian Formula One driver.*
Mich (Reporter): Describe a typical day for Kaoru.
Kaoru: Well actually quite fitting since this evening Pippin will drive me down to Austin… tomorrow we have practice, I get to the garage and into the car when the team has it prepared… and my first objective will be to get to learn the track since the Circuit at Austin is all new to me… in F1 you usually test new parts then as well, but since I’m not in F1… we don’t upgrade the cars in our class… so I race and after Practice or Qualifying is over I just go to the place I’m staying at. After the Race I usually get a trophy… then I celebrate with the team.
Mich (Reporter): What sort of car do or would you prefer to race in and What’s your fastest recorded lap?
Kaoru: I would love to race for Red Bull… when I come to F1 obviously, they got Renault engine… right now in my class we all race the same cars, with different graphical design, Ford Engine… and my fastest lap… well depends on the circuit… top speed was around 190 km/h so not nearly as quick as an F1 car… there are many good racers out there… right now in the class I race in – Jack Brown and me are the best – but there are other classes in America, but everywhere else too, you really have to be the best of the best to make it to F1 but that is my ultimate goal – to become the first female Formula 1 champion and take Danica Patricks place as best female racer of America.
The First Female Formula One Champion.
And with that, she gave me a smile and humbly stated and I quote, ‘ “Thanks… but… I’m nothing special you know? I hope that people don’t think I am” ‘ unquote. Then thanked me for the interview.
It only takes a few of us to rise above the ashes, like the mighty Phoenix, and show the rest of our community that this ISN’T all there is, it’s not just about getting your fix from your dealer, or riding that pole down at the TT. There is more to life than self-satisfaction and exploitation. There’s real ambition and real dreams – that with hard work and determination like our Kaoru, you too, can reach for the gold.
And that, Hathianers, is an Epic Win.
Reporting for the Hathian Observer, Youth Reporter Michiaki Yamaguchi.
*Facts taken from Wikipedia
