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LONG TIME COMING; Japanese automakers have shown an interest in Indy since the '60s.(Motorsports)(Honda and Toyota are getting involved with the Indianapolis 500)
Byline: CURT CAVIN
Honda Performance Development boss Robert Clarke was sporting his race face last month when he said winning at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan would mean more to his manufacturer than winning the Indianapolis 500.
"It's not like we've got fond memories of the Indy 500,'' he said. "We didn't qualify there in 1994 and lost on a black flag in 1995.''
As Honda and Toyota prepare for their most significant 500 ever at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it is important to consider their country's history with the Brickyard, or its lack thereof. To date, only four Japanese drivers have attempted to qualify for the 500 with only three making it. None have made a significant impact.
Four-time starter Hideshi Matsuda finished eighth in 1996, but he was three laps off Buddy Lazier's winning pace. Hiro Matsushita's best finish in the same number of tries was 10th in 1995. He ended up a lap down that year to winner Jacques Villeneuve. Shigeaki Hattori was 20th last year in his only 500 start and Kenji Momota qualified for the race in 1992 but Jimmy Vasser bumped him.
This month, Hattori and three other drivers with Japanese roots will attempt to make the 87th annual race. The others are Tora Takagi, Shinji Nakano and U.S.-born Roger Yasukawa, who has Japanese parents. Hattori is likely to qualify well after posting a 228.942-mph time in A.J. Foyt's Toyota-powered car on the final day of testing April 23, otherwise known as the day 63-year-old Mario Andretti flipped. Hattori was second among the 12 drivers that day; only Alex Barron was faster. Hattori's teammate, A.J. Foyt IV, a rookie, was fourth at 228.014 mph. Takagi and Yasukawa figure to fare better in the race given the strength of their teams, Mo Nunn Racing and Super Aguri Fernandez Racing, respectively.
Japan has never had more than two drivers in the same 500 (Matsushita and Matsuda both made the race in 1994 and 1995).
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Source: HighBeam Research, LONG TIME COMING; Japanese automakers have shown an interest in Indy...