Graduated Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Formula (SRS-F, HRS at present) at the top of the 2021 class and was granted the scholarship of the year, Arao challenged first in the 2022 French F4 series and then in the 2023 British GB3 series, therefore, it was the very first time for him to compete in a Japanese auto-racing series of any kind.

“I first drove a formula car at the school. I started with almost zero knowledge but somehow graduated the school at the top. Still, I was never sure if I could do well in France with such a humble background,” said Arao.

Mastering formula car driving is not an easy task for anybody, and it’s even more so for a 16-year old boy who had no auto-racing experience at all. For Arao, there was a pile of skills he had to acquire while he was practically competing in the racing scene. But in the learning process, he had only one race engineer near around him to consult with, and the engineer was always busy in taking care of other drivers. To put it short, Arao who had leaped into the French series without the slightest ability of French language had an unconquerable limit from the outset.

Despite all those unfavorable circumstances, Arao participated in 21-races of 7-events of the 2022 French F4 Championship series, achieved 9 podium finishes including 2 wins, and completed the season in 3rd overall. Considering that it was the very first season for him to race in a car so-called single seater, this must be a result far better than what the gallery had expected beforehand.

Not very many people know that, behind the scene, there had been a mastermind at work, namely Hiroki Kato, one of the SRS-F (HRS) instructors who was in charge of Arao in person.

As a matter of fact, Arao had been given an online coaching from Japan by Kato while he was competing in the French F4 series.

“After each practice run, I sent (via internet) the onboard image to Kato-san for his advice. How should I put heat in cold tires, how to use the tires thereafter, and so on. There’re a lot of stuff that I’d relied on his advice,” said Arao.

The remote coaching by means of the internet is the style that symbolizes a digital era. Being born in 2005, and thus one of the digital native generation, Arao had learnt quite a lot from Kato, and at the same time, deepened his inner confidence as well as the driving skill.

“Kato-san has always given me words that brought much confidence in me so that I could put all my doubts behind me before the race. I think I’d done fairly well as a debutant to the formula car racing.”

Having run the racing kart ever since he could remember, and stepped up on a roll till then, Arao encountered the biggest obstacle he has ever met in the following year. That is to say a tremendous slump he hit in the British GB3 Championship to which Arao transferred from the 2023 season.

The British GB3 Championship was a new British-original formula car race series established in the wake of the breakup of British F3 which introduced the race car performing slightly better than the FIA-F4 format.

Arao entered the series from HITEC PULSE-EIGHT, one of Britain’s distinguished racing teams, and participated in 24-races of 8-events that year. His overall result was a pitiful one to say the least; Fastest Lap just for once, two 5th places at his best and 17th in overall ranking. His Irish team mate achieving 2nd overall with 2-wins was not at all a consolation to him. It’s indeed the first and the biggest frustration for Arao who had so far enjoyed smooth sailing in the racing sphere.

“Nothing went well in the UK, I’d say the worst year in my life. Couldn’t get along with the team, it’s the biggest reason among them all. They set up the car in accordance with the driving data of my team mate. The car didn’t fit me in many ways, but I had to drive as it was. Having said that, if I was quicker than my team mate, they would set up the car to fit my style. So, It’s because I was not quick enough, I knew that’s the main problem.”

Arao went on to say, “I was mentally knocked off in the middle of the slump, and dragged it for a while. I brooded over my life, even at the age of 17, if I tell the truth. I thought I was mentally tough in my nature, but it’s not the case last year.”

Arao came back to Japan this season, and was given the opportunity to compete in the Super Formula Lights series from Toda Racing which is one of Japan’s distinguished racing teams that has produced many top drivers in association with HFDP (Honda Formula Dream Project).

The team director of Toda Racing is Kato himself who supported Arao, as a remote coach, while he was in abroad. In addition, Hiroki Otsu who has been with Toda Racing from the beginning and currently be one of the top drivers in Japan is appointed as his coach. Not remote one, but a direct coach attending every race Arao runs to provide nuts-and-bolts instructions.

“I still felt some worry that came from the slump a year before. But, as I spent days in Toda Racing, I came to think I’d be okay. I felt I was resuming good flow before I knew it,” said Arao.

“I’ve been doing pretty fine even since I was a small kid, though, I fell in deep shit last year. I don’t think I could get out of it all by myself, never. I need experience more than anything else. So, I think I should make much of experience rather than result itself. Kato-san is a vastly experienced driver also serving as the GT300 team director and the school instructor, and teaching me things he had experienced in many different categories. I also want to study this year how to issue comments as a driver, set-up methods, or whatever I can learn from the outset from Kato-san. I can get great help from my coach, Otsu-san too. I might as well learn from his experience such as the latest informations about GT500 and Super Formula.”

As if implementing his inner motive as expressed above, Arao achieved 3-straight 7th finishes in the first 3-races of the SFL series. Although not reached to the point-scoring rank, he obviously seems to accumulate practical experiences and recovering his confidence. Let’s wait and see how he would materialize his determination in the next race.