Japan race plans unveiled

Osamu Kinoshita, executive director of the Hokkaido Otaru Grand Prix project committee plans to create a Monaco-GP style street race around the streets of Otaru, which is on the coast of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Champ Car president Steve Johnson has admitted that they are taking the project seriously and have been talking with the Japanese organisers.

Kinoshita wants the race to be held on the harbour front of the city, and will dock cruise ships for spectators to watch the racing.

"Japan is a country full of motor sports fans. However not once has a street course race like the Grand Prix of Long Beach been held," Kinoshita said.

"The planned course for this race faces out to the harbour and it will be possible to view the race from three cruise ships in the port.

"Cruise ships will also be able to anchor in the open sea, and race fans will be able to travel from the cruise ships to Otaru to watch the race.

"Imagine a number of 50,000 tonne class luxury cruise ships lining the harbour. Otaru is the only place in the world where this will be possible.

"In the evenings, parties will be held in the ships, and we will offer something that nobody has experienced before."

Kinoshita said that it has been tough to get to the current stage, but they are hoping to now apply for local police permission to close roads for the event and attract the required level of sponsorship.

"The original project committee had absolutely no experience with FIA-approved course design and figuratively hit a brick wall," he added. "Just at that time the Champ Car World Series heard about our efforts and showed support for the project.

"We are now at the stage where we can apply for permission from the police this April.

"There have been a great number of large companies who have showed a deep interest in this project, but they have been waiting to see whether the project would get to the stage of applying for police permission. Once that application is out of the way, the hunt for sponsorship can really get into gear."