Heading west to race with the best
Luna Hirano rides outside Asia for the first time this year, proudly representing Japan in the historical, inaugural season of the WorldWCR. Alongside Taiwan’s Chun Mei Liu – the only other Asian rider on the 2024 grid of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship – Hirano has made the leap from racing in Asia to battle with the best female riders on the planet in Europe this year and it’s an experience she is relishing.
From a country with a proud racing heritage
Japan’s impact on elite level motorcycle racing over the last 50 years has been enormous, with Japanese manufacturing giants Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha being integral to the story and international growth of the sport. It is on the Yamaha YZF-R7 that Hirano now strives to compete with the likes of Ana Carrasco, Maria Herrera, Sara Sanchez and Roberta Ponziani at world famous tracks such as Misano, Donington Park and Portimao.
It all started at Motegi
Hirano’s love affair with motorcycles all began at another iconic racing venue when she first rode an electric kids’ bike in the amusement park zone at ‘Twin Ring’ Motegi, the circuit which annually hosts MotoGP™ for the Japanese Grand Prix. She recalls that first contact with a motorcycle saying, “I first encountered a bike in 2006 when I was six years old. I rode an electric mini bike at the amusement park in Mobility Resort Motegi. I loved riding and my mother recommended a pocket bike. As I had many friends my age also riding it wasn’t so much about wanting to become a rider, I just continued because I wanted to play with my friends.”
Making continual progress on two wheels
Hirano gives the details of her journey to elite level racing from those playful beginnings at Motegi as a child, saying, “I actually began in motorsports at the age of six, as I also started riding pocket bikes in 2006 after trying the electric bike. Then for six years, from ages 6 to 12, I continued to ride pocket bikes. When I was 13 I switched to a NSF100 mini bike and at 14 I raced on an international circuit on a CBR250R. By this time, I had grown to nearly 170 cm tall and then I moved onto larger bikes when I was 16 and participated in regional championships on a CBR600RR at Mobility Resort Motegi and the Tsukuba Circuit. I started racing in the All-Japan Road Race Championship in 2018, fully participating in the ST600 class at the age of 18.”
Testing herself in Endurance racing
Once she was already competing in road racing at a high level, as one of very few women to ride in Japan’s national championship, Hirano then decided to test herself in one of her country’s most prestigious motorsports events in a different format, entering the world-renowned Suzuka 8-Hour race. “When I was 19 I competed in the EWC Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Road Race Championship and the EWC Malaysia Sepang 8-Hour Endurance Road Race Championship on a GSX-R1000. In 2022 and 2023, I also participated in the Suzuka 8-Hour race on the GSX-R1000. After experiencing the EWC endurance road race championship several times, I sense a significant physical difference between men and women. It is challenging for women to succeed in the top categories of MotoGP™, WSBK, and EWC. Overcoming these differences is not easy.”
Having fun and surprising people
Hirano takes the challenge of making it to the very top level in racing seriously, understanding the commitment and determination involved. However, she’s also quick to recognise the simple joys of riding high-speed motorcycles and surprising onlookers with her talent. “While it may be possible to aim for the upper tier with a lot of training, there are physical and strength differences that cannot be overcome, no matter how hard one tries,” she asserts. On what motivates her to participate in such a demanding discipline, the rider from Tokyo adds, “Just the experience of riding a larger 600cc bike was the catalyst for me. You can ride at speeds that you can’t experience on regular roads. It’s a lot of fun. People say I don’t look like someone who rides a motorcycle regularly. They are 100% surprised.”
Hirano’s hobbies and heroes
Hirano works as an instructor at Bridgestone and in her spare time she enjoys playing games on her PC (VALORANT, OW2), watching anime cartoons and reading novels. She lists former World Champions Ben Spies and Dani Pedrosa alongside her compatriot Kazuki Watanabe as her favourite riders. Regarding the female athlete who inspires her most, she reveals, “That’s Saori Yoshida who is a well-known Japanese wrestler. She’s a multiple-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, recognised for her outstanding achievements in women’s wrestling.”
The huge challenge and prestige of WorldWCR
As the sole Japanese rider on the first ever WorldWCR grid, Hirano describes her exciting 2024 adventure as the biggest challenge of her life. “I go through almost everything alone – booking flights, reserving hotels, renting cars and hiring mechanics,” she acknowledges. “The experience of doing all these things by myself will surely become my strength in the future. I hope that by participating, I can set a benchmark for future female riders in Asia. It’s very difficult to go overseas from Japan, so I want to be a guiding light. I am very honored to be able to participate in the inaugural year of the WorldWCR.”