Japanese Grand Prix – Preview
INTO THE HOME STRAIGHT
With the 2006 Formula 1 season rapidly approaching its finale,
Panasonic Toyota Racing will this weekend enjoy its home race,
the Japanese Grand Prix. The penultimate event of the 18-race
season will also be the last grand prix to be held at Suzuka
before the venue switches to the Fuji International Speedway
in 2007. So there will be plenty of reasons for Toyota to
seek a good result on its home soil. But most of all the team
will want to put on a show for the massed ranks of loyal local
support – along with the employees and executives of
Toyota. Following the difficulties faced in last weekend's
wet weekend in China, the team's race drivers Ralf Schumacher
and Jarno Trulli will be pushing hard for the best possible
result to send everyone home happy.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 7): "It is now
over ten years since I first drove a car around Suzuka. During
my year racing in the Japanese F3000 championship I grew to
learn the circuit very well and it is still my favourite track
on the calendar. It has every type of corner and makes for
an excellent driving challenge. There are many important sections
on the track, notably the first sector up to and including
the famous Esses. Of course I will be sad to see Suzuka go
from the calendar, but I'm also looking forward to racing
at Toyota's home track at Fuji next season. For a racing driver
it's always very enjoyable to race in Japan because the Japanese
fans are very enthusiastic about motor sport so we've always
been well received. But the Japanese Grand Prix is an extra
special event if you're a Toyota driver, as I found out when
I secured pole position there last year. Hopefully this year
we will be able to challenge near the front again and come
away with a strong result in the race."
Jarno Trulli (Car 8): "The Japanese
Grand Prix is obviously a very important event for everyone
involved with Toyota because it is our home race and we will
have so many people cheering us on. The Japanese fans are
passionate about F1 and they give you huge support –
especially if you're driving for a home team. Japan is very
different from Europe but I get on well with the Japanese
and I have many Japanese friends dating back as far as my
days in karting. I also have a big fan club in Japan and I
look forward to meeting many of my fans this week. This will
actually be my third Japanese Grand Prix as a Toyota driver
because I made my debut for the team at Suzuka in 2004. But
the first time I visited the track was in 1990 for a go kart
race. It's a very difficult circuit with a great mix of corners
making it very enjoyable for drivers. We struggled in China
but rest assured we will be pushing as hard as possible to
give all the fans and employees something to cheer on Sunday."
Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis:
"At Toyota we push as hard as we can at every single
F1 race because there is always pressure. But we have extra
motivation for Suzuka, because we really want to reward all
the Toyota fans and employees who will be there and give them
memories to be proud of. This will be the last Japanese Grand
Prix at Suzuka for now because the race is switching to the
Fuji International Speedway next year. I'm sensitive to the
history and legend of Suzuka, but I enjoy the challenge of
discovering new circuits so I will look forward to racing
at Fuji in 2007. Suzuka is a driver's circuit which is demanding
for high speed balance because you have a lot of medium and
high speed changes of direction. Grip is always massively
important, but in Suzuka you can compromise that to find balance.
Handling is key and the car has to be predictable and driveable.
It's one of the lightest circuits on brakes but it's tough
on tyres where we have to aim for the hard end of the range.
In normal conditions Suzuka is a circuit which suits the characteristics
of our car well so it's fair to say we are hoping for a strong
race!"
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