TOKYO -RIJ- (Nov.5, 1996) CART's PPG IndyCar World Series will be held at new Japanese oval and road course complex facility the Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi Town, Tochigi Pref., 60 miles north from Tokyo in spring of 1998, announced at press comference of Twin Ring Motegi in Tokyo. Andrew Craig, CART president and CEO, and Osamu Kobayashi, president of Twin Ring Motegi signed on agreement paper at front of over 400 journalists and media at Hotel Okura in Tokyo. It is three years contract from 1998 to 2000 and it will be Saturday's race, CART announced.

Twin Ring Motegi has been cnctructed and it will be opend in August, 1997 and All Japan Formula Nippon race will be held on 3 miles (4.8km) road course in 1997. After all faciliies' constructions, including hotel, will be completed, PPG IndyCar race will be held as Grand Opening Event on 1.5 miles oval track.

Twin Ring Motegi is owened by Honda Motor Co.Ltd., and Suzuka Circuitland Co.Ltd.. Suzuka Circuit's many experienced employees have been working as staff of Motegi. President Osamu Kobayashi is former managers of Honda PR and Motor Recreation Depertment and has been involving to motor sports long time.

"We are planning to bring new motor sports trends from North America and hope to build some grass roots racings as well as Midget racings, too," said Kobayashi at press conference. Twin Ring Motegi will introduce Midget and Midget Jr. series as grass roots series for beginners on 200 meters and 400 meters dirt oval tracks. New Honda's small size 1,300cc car Honda Logo will be used as beginners' racing cars on road course, too.

TOKYO -RIJ- After press conference of Twin Ring Motegi and CART (PPG IndyCar World Series race will be held at Twin Ring Motegi in 1998), Honda's IndyCar Three Titles celeblation ceremony was held at same banquet room of Hotel Okura in Tokyo. Six drivers (Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi, Andre Ribeiro, Adrian Fernandez, Gil de Ferran and Parker Johnstone) who drove Honda powered IndyCars in 1996 and their team owners were introduced to over 400 Japanese and American journalists.

1996 PPG IndyCar Champion car of Jimmy Vasser, his racing suit and Honda powered drivers' helmets were desplayed.

Nobuhiko Kawamoto, president of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., was dlighted to secure three titles of driver championship, rookie of the year and conctructor. After "Kanpai (toast in Japanese,)" Kawamoto sat in cockpit of Vasser's IndyCar. Then he was asked by Japanese press who hoped to know Honda's Formula One project in future. In Japan, Formula One has been the most interested motor sports and Japanese newspapers wrote that Honda will return to Formula One in 1998 as the 50th anniversary project of Honda. "If we will return to F1, it will need more than two or three years," said Kawamoto to Japanese journalists.

There was Hirotoshi Honda, Mugen's president, too. Mugen continues to supply Mugen-Honda V10 engine to Ligier in 1997 and Japanese driver Shinji Nakano has been driving Ligier Mugen-Honda as test in both Japan and Europe. Nakano is expected to drive Ligier in 1997 season.

Japanese Formula One booming started in 1987 when Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka, all Formula One races were on-aired by Fuji Television and first full time Japanese Formula One driver Satoru Nakajima was born. If IndyCar will be more popular racing in Japan, Japanese popular driver will be key point, many Japanese racing enthusiasts are thinking. Naoki Hattori, 2nd in '96 All Japan Formula Nippon Championship series with Reynard Mugen, 2nd in '96 All Japan GT Car Championship in McLaren F1 GTR with Ralf Schumacher and 1st in '96 All Japan Touring Car Championship with Honda Accord, already drove Team Kool Green's Indy Lights car as test at Sebring last month. Hattori marked unofficial new track record time, reported. He is expected to drive Team Green's Indy Lights car in 1997 to study oval racing and prepare to drive Indy Car in 1998.

While Motegi's press conference and Honda's ceremony party was held in Tokyo, four Japanese drivers drove NASCAR Winston Cup car at Suzuka as test for NASCAR Suzuka Thunder Special 100 on November 24. Twin Ring Motegi, owned by Honda and Suzuka Circuitland, hopes to bring NASCAR race at oval track of Twin Ring Motegi, too.