The Fuji International Speedway will host the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix,
circuit owner Toyota confirmed on March 24th, with an October date to be
finalised. The Fuji track was opened in 1966 and hosted the Japanese GP in
1976 and 1977. The facilities were renovated last year and with
its Grade 1 FIA license the Fuji Speedway is now certified to hold F1 races.
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Fuji Speedway. Photo by Hiroshi Yamamura.
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The deal to host the race was agreed with Formula One Administration (FOA)
and Bernie Ecclestone commented: "We, at FOA, have the pleasure that Fuji
Speedway, as the brand new venue nestled at the foot of the most majestic
Mt. Fuji, will be the new home of Japanese F1 Grand Prix. We also have a
good expectation that the F1 event there would be the opening of new era of
Formula One history."
For the 1976 event, Niki Lauda arrived at the Mount Fuji track for the last
race of the season with a three point lead over James Hunt in the
championship standings. In appalling wet conditions, Lauda withdrew after
three laps but Hunt battled on and eventually finished third to clinch the
title -- Mario Andretti was the winner of the race.
Hunt won the race the following year but the event was marred by a crash
which resulted in the death of two marshals. F1 would not return to Japan
for ten years. In 1987 the Sepang circuit near Nagoya, which was originally
built as a test track for Honda, hosted the Grand Prix and the race remained
there up to and including this season.
In 1994 and 1995 Japan held two races; the second was named the Pacific
Grand Prix and was hosted by the remote Aida circuit. Both races at Aida
were won by Michael Schumacher, claiming his second world championship title
with Benetton there in October '95. However the Aida track was too far away
from the major cities to become a fixture on the calendar.
It's been suggested that Suzuka may have a place on the calendar next year
with a similar second-race status as Aida previously had, but so far that's
only speculation. The Japanese GP at Suzuka, which was won by McLaren's Kimi
Raikkonen in 2005, is the penultimate round of this year's championship on
October 8th.
