Naoko Kitami

Naoko Kitami (北見直子; Kitami Naoko) (born March 15, 2000) is a Randomese professional racecar driver. Since 2019, she has been a member of J.U.M.P, a RARCAR racing team. So far, she has won two races (2021 Chaos at Cloud City) and (2021 Zoom Zoom Brr 500).

Naoko is known for being the first and youngest Asian woman to join RARCAR.

Early life
Naoko was born on March 15, 2000 in Cloud City, Oneiria Island, Random Region to Japanese immigrants. Her father is a retired car mechanic and her mother is a retired Shinto priest who owns a chain of flower shops.

During her elementary school years, Naoko and her parents moved to Japan so they could be closer with relatives. It was during this time that Naoko began tuning in regularly to televised RARCAR races with her father and began aspiring to be like her favorite racers.

Naoko and her family ended up moving back to Oneiria Island when she was in the seventh grade, which was when she began partaking in many different sports. However, she found herself not enjoying any of them and still had her mind set on being a racecar driver.

Naoko graduated from Cheesepuff Grammar School some time in 2018.

2019: Beginnings and Media Attention
On November 17, 2019, a then-19 year old Naoko was announced as RARCAR’s newest racer, making her the first and youngest Asian woman to affiliate with them. Due to this, RARCAR's announcement received mass press coverage. Many Randomese news journalists have cited Naoko joining RARCAR as "a step in the right direction".

In December that same year, Naoko made her official RARCAR debut in the Lake Cheesepuff 1000 race of that year. She ended up blowing a tire during the final lap and finishing the race in 4th place.

Chaos at Cloud City Win
On March 7, 2021, Naoko won 1st place at the Chaos at Cloud City race in her hometown of Cloud City, Oneiria Island. This event is notable in the RARCAR community due to Naoko's extremely shocked reaction upon being announced as the winner.

Naoko once again made headlines as the first Asian woman to win a racing tournament in the Random Region and frequently appeared on news programs and talk shows discussing her experiences and thoughts on her fame.

Zoom Zoom Brr 500 Win
Naoko once again finished in 1st place following the events of the Zoom Zoom Brr 500 race of August 22, 2021. After being given the trophy, Naoko made a special announcement thanking her family, friends and fans for supporting her throughout her career.

Future activities
Naoko is slated to compete in the upcoming Lake Cheesepuff 1000 on November 7, 2021.

Personal life
Naoko lives in Cloud City with her parents. She is currently attending the University of Cloud City, but is currently doing her courses online due to her RARCAR schedule.

Naoko has cited retired RARCAR racer Chad Engine as her role model. In 2021 interview, she admitted to "obsessively" collecting merchandise of him during her elementary and middle school years.

Religion
During an interview in 2020, Naoko revealed that she is a follower of Shinto and that she and her parents travel to Japan to attend Shinto events and festivals. Naoko also revealed that during her childhood, her mother wanted her to become a performer of gagaku (雅楽) music, a style of classical music that is performed at shrines.