Japan's latest Auto Race sensation winning new admirers

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Friday, 19th August 2011
In Japan Sports News,

Japan's latest Auto Race sensation winning new admirers

A teenage daredevil motorcycle stunt rider is acquiring a legion of followers across Japan as she dominates the country's Auto Racing arenas.

The AFP reports that 19-year-old sensation Maya Sato has quickly risen to the top of the popularity ratings among fans of the motorsport.

Having won her first Auto Race last month, she is now seeing her popularity rejuvenate interest in the sport, which involves racers travelling around an asphalt track at speeds of up to 150kmph, without any brakes.

Sato is the first woman to compete in the sport in 44 years, with the sport having only recently opened up to female riders.

Talking about the extreme nature of the training she undertook - an army boot camp-style programme in which riders are not allowed any TV or mobile phones - she explained to the news provider that it was gruelling at times.

"I'd be lying if I said I never felt like crying. But I hate to lose. I had my hair cropped short to build up my fighting spirit," the teenager was quoted as saying.

Sato, whose bike is called Serena, made her professional debut at Kawaguchi Autorace in July.

Written by Mark Smith