Japan’s Indy 200: Remembering the first time IndyCars raced at Fuji Speedway

Jim Clark, the world’s most famous racing car driver and reigning F1 champion at the time, gazes into the distance as he pushes his Lotus car through the paddock.

A determined Jim Clark, the world’s most famous racing car driver and reigning Formula One world champion at the time, gazes into the distance as he pushes his Lotus car through the paddock. In another scene, IndyCars are lined up like dominoes on a newly built track, with sacred Mt. Fuji – a symbol of Japan, which is revered for its beauty – towering in the background. These images, captured by Japanese photographer Joe Honda and on display at the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum in Scotland, highlight a forgotten but pioneering moment in motorsport history. It’s October 1966, the first time an international American IndyCar-style race, featuring several British racing legends, came to Asia. At that time, professional auto racing was still in its infancy in Japan. However, Akira Jin – the promoter of the Indianapolis International Champion Race or Indy 200 – said he wanted to showcase an international IndyCar race in Japan to “spur technological innovations in the nation’s automobile industry,” according to Shingo Shiozawa, the race’s co-organizer.