FUJI, Japan, Oct 3 - Japan's Fuji circuit expects to be one of the biggest
draws of the 2007 season when it returns to Formula One after a 30-year absence.
Management at the Toyota-owned circuit, with snow-capped Mount Fuji towering
in the background on a clear day, told reporters on a tour of the facilities on
Tuesday that they expected a race day attendance of 140,000.
Fuji International Speedway president Hiroaki Kato said the total over three
days was likely to be around 300,000.
The circuit, which hosted the 1976 title-deciding race that crowned Britain's
James Hunt as champion by one point, has been absent from the calendar since
1977 when an accident involving Sweden's Ronnie Peterson and Canadian Gilles
Villeneuve killed two spectators.
Honda-owned Suzuka, which hosts this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix for
possibly the last time, has been a fixture since Formula One returned to the
country in 1987.
Toyota, who celebrate 50 years in motorsport next year, spent some 20 billion
yen ($170 million) between September 2002 and 2005 on renovating the circuit
with the help of German track designer Hermann Tilke.
With one of the longest straights in Formula One, at 1.475 km, cars are
expected to reach top speeds of around 330kph before heavy braking into a tight
first corner.
"We believe that the fastest lap at the first grand prix will be less than
one minute 20 seconds," Fuji general manager Max Suzuki said.
SAFE CIRCUIT
Toyota's Brazilian test driver Ricardo Zonta said the many wide asphalt
run-off areas also made it one of the safest circuits with plenty of overtaking
opportunities.
However, Toyota motorsport president John Howett cautioned that it was hard
to evaluate the venue's true nature until the grand prix cars accelerated out of
the pit lane for real.
"A lot of effort's gone on to make it a good track for overtaking and
challenging for the drivers," he said.
"It also has heritage and can offer something special.
"It should be a good challenge for the engine designers to make sure they can
get the power and the durability."
With 63 percent of Japan's population, equivalent to 80 million people,
living within 300km of the circuit and hundreds of thousands expected over the
race weekend, traffic congestion could be a problem.
The circuit is in a protected area of natural beauty, nestling among wooded
hillsides and with limited road access.
"I think they need to ensure and give confidence that they can get people in
and out of the track and provide adequate accomodation," said Howett.
"It's a challenge... but they (the organisers) are fairly confident that with
the support of the local authorities they can achieve a good result."
($1 = 117.7 yen)
