Japanese Grand Prix - Preview
PREVIEW Japanese Grand Prix, 12-14 October 2001 For the final race of the 2001 Formula One World Championship, Honda and its partner teams, Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda and Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda, head to the manufacturer’s home race at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuka Circuit was built by Honda 40 years ago and was the first full-scale race track in Japan. It exists thanks largely to the enthusiasm for motor sports of the company’s founder Soichiro Honda, who always maintained that racing is indispensable for automobile development. Both Honda’s partner teams will be hoping to score crucial world championship points at Suzuka this weekend, in order to secure their positions in the 2001 Constructors’ World Championship. The fight for fourth place will be intensely fought between the two Honda-powered teams and Sauber, the three teams having been closely matched all season. For some of the drivers the race will hold a personal significance. This will be Jarno Trulli’s last race for Jordan Honda after two years with the team, and the Italian will be particularly keen to build upon his performance at the US Grand Prix, where he finished fourth on the road, before he joins Renault in 2002. Trulli’s compatriot, Giancarlo Fisichella, will drive for Jordan Honda next season, renewing his relationship with the team from 1997. B.A.R Honda confirmed in July that Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis will continue to drive for the team in 2002. It will be Jacques Villeneuve's fourth consecutive season with British American Racing and Olivier Panis’ second. Like all other teams, B.A.R Honda will be aiming for a strong result at the Japanese Grand Prix to springboard the team into a winter of intensive testing and a solid start to the new season. As part of the build up to the Japanese Grand Prix, B.A.R Honda’s Jacques Villeneuve and test driver Takuma Sato will drive their F1 cars through the streets of Tokyo as the highlight of Fuji Television’s F1 Super Run on Monday 8th October. They will be joined by former Japanese Formula One stars Satoru Nakajima and Aguri Suzuki, who will be behind the wheel of a Honda RA300 1967 F1 and a Reynard 308 Formula Nippon car. Hi-resolution photography and a full news report will be available on www.honda-gp.com, user name: honda, password: ginther. Honda is also staging the Civic Challenge Cup at Suzuka, the last ever round of the 2001 Honda Civic One-make race series after 21 years of the championship, which will be held before the Grand Prix on Sunday. The top eight drivers from each of the five regional races held in Japan during the year have been invited to compete. 40 Honda Civic Type-Rs will line up on the grid for the final Civic One-make race, as next year it will be replaced by a similar series for the Honda Integra Type-R. Note to all accredited F1 media attending the Japanese Grand Prix: To mark the end of the 2001 FIA World Championship, Honda has invited all accredited F1 media to a Welcome Party in Motopia, the amusement park at Suzuka Circuit Land, from 18:30 to 21:00 on Thursday 11 October 2001. The reception has been organised in co-operation with Suzuka Circuit and food and drink refreshment will be provided together with the chance for you to ride the renowned roller-coasters in Motopia next to the circuit. A location map will be provided in the Media Centre at Suzuka. A media or FOM pass will be required to gain admittance. For further information please contact Tim Bampton, Honda F1 Press Office. Japanese Grand Prix, 12-14 October 2001 Circuit Details Circuit Name Suzuka Circuit Address 7992 Ino-cho, Suzuka-shi, Mie-ken 510-02, Japan Circuit Length 5.864km/3.644miles Timetable (all times are local, BST is 8 hours behind) Friday Free Practice: 11.00-12.00 & 13.00-14.00 Saturday Free Practice: 09.00-09.45 & 10.15-11.00 Qualifying: 13.00-14.00 Sunday Warm-up: 09.30-10.00 Race: 14.00 2000 Results Winner M Schumacher (Ferrari) 1h29m53.435s Fastest race lap M Hakkinen (McLaren) 1m39.189s Pole position M Schumacher (Ferrari) 1m35.825s Lap record H-H Frentzen (Williams) 1m.38.942s Honda in Japan 2000 Villeneuve 6th / Zonta 9th Honda in Japan Grands Prix: 7 Wins: 3 (Berger 1991, Senna 1989 / 1988) Podiums: 7 Honda F1 winners Senna 32, Mansell 13, Prost 11, Piquet 7, Berger & Rosberg 3, Ginther & Surtees 1 Team wins powered by Honda McLaren-Honda 44, Williams-Honda 23, Honda 2, Lotus-Honda 2 -------------------------------------------------------------- Honda Formula 1 Press Office, 19 Heathmans Road, London, SW6 4TJ, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7384 2133 Fax: +44 (0)20 7384 1238