Vancouver Sun
Tora Takagi talks to his crew in the pits after a shortened
qualifying session Friday for the Molson Vancouver Indy.
The trailblazer for Japanese drivers in CART was actually
more trailer than blazer. Who can forget Hiro Matsushita, the perennial
backmarker of those full-field events of the '90s, frustrating championship
contenders as he merrily rolled around tracks while being passed more often
a motorhome on the Coquihalla.
In nine seasons, including at least five full campaigns,
Matsushita's best result was a sixth and he never finished better than 23rd
in the driver's standings. For Matsushita, it was more hobby than job.
"Without appearing disrespectful of him, he did it
for the love of it," said team owner Derrick Walker, who employed
Matsushita for a couple of seasons when the driver brought a full package of
sponsors and some of his own money.
"And, obviously, we all know he's a got a few yen
stashed away somewhere."
But a dozen years after Matsushita made his debut, CART is
still waiting for its first podium finisher, let alone a winner, from the
Land of the Rising Sun. In that time, the series once dominated by Americans
has seen precocious hot-shoes from Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Spain
and England win not only races, but championships.
The likes of Hideshi Matsuda, Naoki Hattori and Takuya
Kurosawa have come and gone the last few years with no impact.
This year there are two Japanese drivers in the open-wheel
series and they look like the best bets yet to make a breakthrough, both
having recorded career-best fourth-place finishes in the first nine races.
But if Tora Takagi and Shinji Nakano are to ever win a CART race it might
have to be this year as both are likely headed to the rival IRL next season
because of long-standing ties to series-switching engine manufacturers
Toyota and Honda.
"I'm a Honda driver," said Nakano, in his second
season with Fernandez Racing.
"My goal is to win a race for Honda in a world
championship series, whether it's CART or IRL."
Further fuelling the speculation that Nakano will switch
series -- but still compete in a Fernandez team car -- is the fact the Indy
Racing League will race next season at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, a circuit
CART is saying sayonara to after five years.
"Indy Racing League is going to Japan next year which
is very important for me," said Nakano, whose English is far better
than Takagi's almost indecipherable attempts. "If I drive IRL and win
the race there it's going to be a big one."
Takagi, who is with Walker Racing, and Nakano were 10th
and 11th, respectively, in Friday's qualifying session for Sunday's Molson
Indy Vancouver and sit 13th and 15th in the driver's standings after nine
races.
Both had joined CART -- Nakano in 2000, Takagi last year
-- after brief but unspectacular careers in Formula One.
Nakano says the relative lack of success of some of the
earlier Japanese drivers in CART can be attributed to tough cultural
adjustments, including language. Walker, who has had three different
Japanese drivers race for him, said the feeder system in Japan isn't
particularly strong and also noted that lining up sponsorships for Japanese
drivers is not easy.
"It's very difficult to market Japanese
drivers," said Walker. "There are not a lot of major companies
that will put a lot of money into American racing for a Japanese driver.
"Part of the reason [Takagi and Nakano have stuck] is
really because of the engine manufacturers being Japanese, coupled with the
fact we raced in Japan."
But with Honda and Toyota moving to the IRL, "there
might be a period where there won't be any new Japanese drivers coming into
our series for a while."
Walker says Toyota has "first dibs" on Takagi's
future.
"I'm not sure if that means if we had an opportunity
to keep Tora in this series that Toyota wouldn't release him. I haven't
really asked that question because I'm still looking for [sponsors for next
year]. Until I get the money, it's don't ask the question."
Walker certainly sounds, however, as if he'd like to keep
the 28-year-old native of Shizouka, whose fourth this season came on the
oval at Chicago.
"Tora has a lot of raw talent," said Walker.
"He's extremely quick and he's very, very brave. But
the thing I've noticed with him over the last year and a half that he's been
racing with us is that he's matured a lot and really seems to have calmed
down a bit to the point where he's a lot more patient with the system and
with his racing. He thinks a little further ahead [on the track] than he
perhaps would have a year ago."
- Gary Kingston Vancouver
Sun 27 July 2002
