A week-long celebration of Jimmy Vasser’s PPG Indy Car World Series championship begins Sunday in Japan and will conclude Friday in Detroit when he officially receives the PPG Cup and $1 million bonus at the IndyCar awards banquet.

Vasser, Target Reynard-Honda teammate Alex Zanardi – third in PPG points and winner of the $50,000 Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award – and Team Target owner Chip Ganassi will visit nine cities and travel more than 13,000 miles during championship week. That’s about four times the 3,637 racing miles Vasser completed in becoming the first PPG Cup champion to finish every race.

The itinerary looks as demanding as the 16-race season just completed:

* Today (Nov. 2)– Depart from San Francisco.

* Sunday – Arrive in Narita, Japan. Travel to Tokyo.

* Monday – Visit Honda research and development center in Utsunomiya, Tochigi; Motegi race circuit (under construction) and Honda Motor Co. headquarters.

* Tuesday – Visit Bridgestone (parent company of Firestone) headquarters; Mugen Ltd. (builders of Mugen-Honda Formula One engine); news conference and reception. Depart Narita for Honolulu, then continue to Las Vegas.

* Wednesday – Attend Bridgestone/Firestone consumer dealer meeting in Las Vegas. Depart that evening for Minneapolis.

* Thursday – Attend Target stores promotional events and meetings in Minneapolis. Depart that evening for Detroit.

* Friday – Attend news conference and IndyCar banquet in Detroit.

"It’s going to be an incredible experience," said Vasser, who plans to carry a mini-camera to Japan to record the trip for ESPN. "I think it’s great the Honda people in Japan are so excited about Indy car racing. I’m glad we’ll have a chance to celebrate not only our championship, but also Honda’s manufacturer’s championship, with them.

"Obviously, Bridgestone and Firestone – like Honda – played a huge role in winning the championship, so it’s good we’ll get to be them, as well. Target is not only our primary sponsor, but also our No. 1 supporter, so I’m really looking forward to seeing all my friends there."

Ganassi calls the week his team’s "thank you tour."

"I view the entire trip as a way for us to shake hands and say thanks to so many people who helped make the championship possible for us," said Ganassi. "It’s the one thing to write a letter, but it’s another to say thank you face-to-face. That’s what Jimmy, Alex and I are going to do."

Actually, activities won’t end with the presentation of the PPG Cup to Ganassi and Vasser and the top rookie award to Zanardi. On Nov. 11-12, Vasser will test for Firestone at the Homestead Motorsports Complex, the site of his first career Indy Car victory last March. That win launched him to additional triumphs in Australia, Long Beach and at the U.S. 500 as Vasser became the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1980 to capture four of a season’s opening six events.

The dozen dizzying days will conclude Nov. 13, when Vasser rejoins Ganassi and Zanardi – winner of three races (Portland, Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca) and series leader in pole position and laps led – in Memphis for the announcement of an important new community partnership.

Then?

"I’ll be ready for a vacation," Vasser said. "I have to get ready because we’re going to start testing the new car (1997-model Target Reynard) in early December."