【ABEMA】 “I reached 240km/h at my local circuit” – Takagi Nana’s “speed freak” comment causes a stir in the studio! The studio was astonished by the otherworldly completion time for the approximately 24km distance: “18 minutes!?” “Unbelievable!”
ABEMA Press Release: October 27, 2025 “I reached 240km/h at my local circuit” – Takagi Nana’s “speed freak” statement causes a stir in the studio! The studio was astonished by the otherworldly completion time of the approximately 24km distance: “18 minutes!?” “Unbelievable!” A special feature leading up to the opening of the World Rally Championship (WRC) Japan tournament, “Further Fuss at Rally Japan 2025,” navigated by ChocoPlastic’s Nagata, is now available for free streaming.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/64643/2170/64643-2170-9bddf76ba921168d63ca61e103727388-1920×1080.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/64643/2170/64643-2170-904b15c48c1b4e6ec8f1c3f714c5dc83-1920×1080.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/64643/2170/64643-2170-a5a7a55d2c6a877d740ac4382358a029-1920×1080.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/64643/2170/64643-2170-db0155d9b97ba77e99be4e6a87206482-1920×1080.jpg ABEMA, the new TV of the future, will broadcast the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to be held from Thursday, November 6th to Sunday, November 9th, 2025. Ahead of the FORUM8 Rally Japan 2025, a special program titled “Chocolate Plastic Osada Navigates: Rally Japan’s Big Fuss Just Before the Kickoff SP” aired on Friday, October 24th. The program delivers a fun and educational look at the thrill of WRC races racing on public roads at speeds of up to 200km/h, as well as the depth of motorsports. MC Shohei Nagata of Chocolate Planet (ABEMA Rally Japan Support Team Leader) served as the host, and guests Nana Takagi, Shun Matsuo (Chocolate Planet), and Pierre Kitagawa, a motorsports commentator with over 30 years of experience, appeared on the program to explore the appeal of one of the world’s most prestigious rallies. The program began with a conversation looking back on memorable moments from various WRC events. After watching footage of the Spanish event, Nagata commented, “The suspension sags that much,” to which Matsuo immediately chimed in, “How can you tell just by looking?” Furthermore, while watching the rally footage, they couldn’t hide their surprise and asked, “Is this a public road?”, drawing laughter from the studio. Next, when they saw footage of the Swedish rally, where rally cars were racing through the snow on studded tires, Takagi and Matsuo were both astonished, exclaiming in unison, “That’s dangerous! You’d better stop!” Furthermore, in the Kenya rally, Matsuo commented on the rough driving of rally cars across the grasslands, “Basically, the course conditions aren’t good,” which elicited laughter from the studio. As the program progressed, Nagata commented, “Ogier is strong this season too.” Pierre Kitagawa agreed, saying, “Ogier’s championship fight is amazing, as expected.” Meanwhile, Matsuo seemed confused, asking, “What is this all about?” Nagata quickly chimed in, “It’s the WRC (World Rally Championship)!”, eliciting laughter from the studio. To ensure that even WRC novices could enjoy the event, Nagata carefully explained, “Unlike F1, where all cars race together on a circuit, WRC is a time attack format where cars race one by one on public roads around the world.” Osada also asked, “As an athlete, don’t you also compete for time?” Takagi immediately replied with a smile, “I’m a speed freak, though.” The studio was abuzz at this unexpected side of the two-time Olympic champion. Takagi also answered the question about the car he usually drives: “RANGE ROVER EVOQUE.” He surprised the MCs by revealing that when he drove it at a circuit in his hometown of Hokkaido, he “reached a top speed of 240 km/h.” The epic scale of Rally Japan was introduced in the middle of the program. The WRC has 14 races over the course of a year, with the Japan event being the 13th. When asked, “How long do you drive in one race?” Takagi replied, “About 100km?”, to which Pierre Kitagawa quickly pointed out, “That’s a little short.” The entire studio was filled with gasps of surprise when they heard that in one race the total distance traveled was approximately 1,700km, which in Japan would be roughly the same distance as traveling from Aomori to Miyazaki. In the next question about the driving skills of rally drivers, it was announced that while it would take a regular car approximately 1 hour and 16 minutes to cover the 23.67km course, rally drivers can complete it in “just 18 minutes,” prompting Takagi and Matsuo to exclaim, “18 minutes!?” and “Unbelievable!” The second half of the program focused on the “co-driver,” who could be considered the “other main character” of rally racing. Takagi also spoke about her relationship with her coach from her speed skating days. Please tune in to “ABEMA” to watch the rest of this program, which will bring you all the charm of Rally Japan. ABEMA will broadcast FORUM8 Rally Japan 2025 live for free for four days, from Thursday, November 6th to Sunday, November 9th, 2025. Special programs bringing the excitement of the rally from the event are also planned, along with original live commentary and commentary for special stages (SS). Be sure to tune into ABEMA to watch the world’s fastest drivers race down Japan’s public roads. ■ABEMA “Chocolate Planet Nagata Navigates: Rally Japan’s Big Fuss Special Just Before the Opening” Broadcast Summary Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/64643/2170/64643-2170-27ebde97c7c3709261ae8fa689937e21-1920×1080.png Broadcast Date and Time: Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:30 PM Broadcast URL: https://abema.tv/channels/motor-sport/slots/9LxB9fm2pS7MmR Appearance MC: Shohei Nagata (ABEMA Rally Japan Support Team Leader/Chocolate Planet) Guests: Nana Takagi, Shun Matsuo (Chocolate Planet) Expert: Pierre Kitagawa Host: Kanna Fujita (ABEMA announcer) *Broadcast dates, times, content, and broadcast format may change without notice. Thank you for your understanding. *Please be sure to credit [(C) AbemaTV, Inc.] when publishing or using images. ■About “ABEMA” “ABEMA” is a video streaming service that aims to innovate television and is being developed as “the new television of the future.” No registration is required, and approximately 25 channels across a wide variety of genres, including a 24-hour news channel, original dramas, romance shows, anime, and sports, are broadcast 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition, we boast the largest number of original episodes of any domestic video service in Japan (※), and offer a wide selection of content, including notable new movies, popular domestic and international dramas, and trending anime, as well as a variety of music and live stage performances online. You can enjoy content anytime, whether on TV or on demand, and you can watch programs that fit your lifestyle, regardless of location, on your smartphone, PC, tablet, or TV device. In addition, by subscribing to “ABEMA Premium” for a monthly fee of 1,080 yen (tax included), you can watch exclusive content and enjoy exclusive features such as catch-up playback and download functionality. Additionally, with “ABEMA Premium with Ads” for a monthly fee of 580 yen (tax included), you can watch “ABEMA Premium” exclusive content with ads. *As of October 2024, based on in-house research Copyright ©
Corporation All Rights Reserved.