On 14 October, 45-year-old Keiko Ihara will share the wheel of a Ligier JS P217 on behalf of Larbre Compétition at the World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of Fuji with teammates Romano Ricci and Erwin Creed. 

The Japanese driver has participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times, with as best result ninth place in LMP2 in 2014. She is the only woman to date to have reached the podium in the World Endurance Championship (WEC): at Fuji and Bahrain in 2014 in the LMP2 class (third). That same year, also at Fuji, she won the 4 Hours of Fuji in the Asian Le Mans Series along with David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung. In her native Japan, Keiko Ihara is recognized as a racing driver on an international level.

This evening, as a member of the FIA's Women's Commission in motorsport, Keiko Ihara will take part in Mondial Women, an event aimed at increasing women's interest in automobiles and motorsport. It's a very important endeavor to her in many ways, particularly as she has very special project on the horizon: "to form an all-female team, including drivers, engineers and mechanics with the goal of competing in endurance and one day entering the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I would like more diversity in industries like motorsport. I want women to be more involved in areas such as science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics and sports." Given her drive and determination, the Japanese driver is well on her way to making it happen via this event and more.