This weekend Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley will make Kiwi motorsport history as he becomes the first New Zealander to race in a Japanese Formula One Grand Prix.
While the first Japanese Grand Prix was held back in 1963 at the Suzuka circuit, it was run as a sports car race. This continued for a number of years as motor racing grew in the country and switched to the Fuji Speedway which held a number of non-championship Grand Prix, F2 and Can Am type sprint racing. In 1966, the track hosted a USAC Indy Car non-championship race, won by Jackie Stewart.
Fuji Speedway hosted the first two Formula 1 races in 1976 and 1977 with a break from the calendar until 1987 when it moved to Suzuka. (It briefly returned to Fuji in 2007 and 2008).
It was in 1976 that the World Championship saw the dramatic conclusion to the James Hunt and Niki Lauda battle. In terrible rainy and arguably dangerous conditions, Lauda withdrew from the race which Mario Andretti Hunt won while Hunt crossed the line to earn enough points to win the title.
While Hartley has raced at Fuji in the World Endurance Championship four times with one win and several podiums he has not competed at Suzuka. He and his team head to the Honda Motor Company owned circuit needing to impress their current engine supplier.
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