The confirmation of the 1998 race at the Motegi facility was previously reported by SpeedCenter in an interview with Andrew Craig in September, at Laguna Seca Raceway.

DETROIT (Nov. 5, 1996) – The PPG Indy Car World Series, which already provides thrilling auto racing competition to fans on three continents, will expand to a fourth as IndyCar President Andrew Craig announced Tuesday that a race in Motegi, Japan will be part of the 1998 schedule.

The event, to be scheduled in the early portion of the 1998 season at a date to be determined, will be held at the new Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi facility that has a seating capacity of 132,000. The multipurpose complex, situated in a scenic wooded, mountainous 1,600-acre tract 60 miles north of Tokyo, offers a 1.5-mile oval and 3-mile road course as well as four smaller racing circuits.

IndyCar will run its event on Twin Ring Motegi’s 1.5-mile, low-banked oval and plans to use a race distance of 500 kilometers, which is roughly 300 miles. The race will be run on a Saturday instead of a traditional Sunday date. The race title and sponsor will be announced at a later date.

"This is an extremely important announcement," Craig said. "A race in Japan is a critical part of our overseas expansion plans, and this announcement marks the start of a drive to attract more top-line Japanese sponsors to our series. It also will enhance the value of our series to our current sponsors."

"This announcement is another example of IndyCar continuing to set the standard in delivering American racing to the rest of the world. We have exported our product for years and our races are currently seen in more than 180 countries worldwide."

Craig announced the three-year agreement with Osamu Kobayashi, president of Twin Ring Motegi Co. Ltd., at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo before more than 200 Japanese journalists. The addition of Japan, one of the world’s premier business and cultural centers, will expand the PPG Indy Car World Series to four of the globe’s seven continents. The series currently runs in North America, South America and Australia and will have Asia coming aboard in 1998.

"The first staging of a PPG Indy Car World Series race in Japan will allow Japanese race fans to experience a new way of enjoying motorsports activities quite different from the more familiar European style," Kobayashi said. "Races on oval courses are often the scene of fierce side-by-side battles at exceptionally high speeds and always promise much thrill and excitement. Honda’s taking of both titles of manufacturers’ and drivers’ champion have helped increase the visibility of this already popular race series in Japan."

All of the owners and drivers who led Honda to the Manufacturer’s Championship in 1996 were on hand for the announcement. The group consisted of PPG Cup-winning owner Chip Ganassi, champion Jimmy Vasser and Rookie of the Year Alex Zanardi of Target/Chip Ganassi Racing; owner Steve Horne and drivers Andre Ribeiro and Adrian Fernandez of Tasman Motorsports; recently retired owner Jim Hall and driver Gil de Ferran of Hall Racing; and co-owners Doug Peterson and Don Erb, and driver Parker Johnstone of Brix Comptech Racing. Owner Derrick Walker, who joins Honda with de Ferran for 1997, also was part of the Honda owner/driver contingent.

Honda Performance Development, a subsidiary of American Honda, was represented by President Tom Elliott, Executive Vice President Michihiro Asaka and General Manger Robert Clarke.

"Twin Ring Motegi is a truly world-class facility and will host a world-class event," Clarke said. "With Honda’s continuing involvement in IndyCar competition, the race here represents a great opportunity for us at American Honda and Honda Performance Development. Along with the races in Canada, South America and Australia, it represents a natural extension for IndyCar to come to Japan and now Japanese fans will get a first-hand opportunity to experience American-style oval racing. We’re all looking forward to returning in 1998."

Twin Ring Motegi currently is under construction and is scheduled to open in August of 1997. Several other on-site projects also are under construction including a hotel, campsite, amusement karts circuit, museum and driving school. Future facilities at Twin Ring Motegi include off-road courses, more hotels, an amusement park, water and air sports facilities, a golf driving range and multipurpose open fields.

Twin Ring Motegi will provide another world market to broaden the exposure of the sponsors of the PPG Indy Car World Series.

"Mercedes-Benz is a global player in the world automotive industry, and is therefore pleased that the PPG Indy Car World Series will be paying a visit to Japan," said Mercedes-Benz of North America President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Bassermann, who was the former president of Mercedes-Benz Japan. "As an international motorsports series that is based in North America but followed by fans all over the world, the PPG series is an excellent fit for Mercedes-Benz."

"Japan represents a big market for us, and we have many links to Japanese manufacturers," said Mark Coughlin, sports marketing director for Valvoline. "It makes a lot of sense for us to expand to this market. We’re excited about Motegi, especially with our new affiliation with Honda."

"Japan is KOOL’s second-largest market, and racing at the outstanding Motegi complex brings great value to us," said Bert Kremer, sponsorship director for KOOL, which joins the series in 1997.