However, his impact on Ind圜ar and the Indy 500 would continue to be felt after he retired from active competition in 1998, by purchasing the California-based Swift Engineering aerospace company in 1991 while an active driver, becoming its CEO, and setting the company towards building its own Ind圜ar chassis which would debut in 1997. Masahiro007, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
#THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING DRIVER#
No longer was he considered one to watch for podium finishes and victories, and his reputation as a driver suffered, despite a string of decent results acquired through strategy and attrition over the years.
#THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING SERIES#
Unfortunately, Matsushita’s attempts to win the Indy 500 and races in the Ind圜ar series were fraught with problems, as the speed and talent that he showed in the junior categories seemingly disappeared. ShyujiTanaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hiro’s career began in the junior racing categories in 1987 after spending years in Japan racing, winning multiple races in the former Atlantic series in 1989 en route to a championship, before moving up to the major Ind圜ar series in 1990.Īll eyes were on him to succeed, as he showed flashes of natural talent and raw speed along with having the substantial financial backing needed to compete long-term in what was then known colloquially as Ind圜ar, and considered the National Championship for auto racing in the United States, with the Indianapolis 500 the crown jewel event.
In 1992, I watched the first Japanese driver ever to participate in the Indianapolis 500 in Hiroyuki “Hiro” Matsushita, grandson of the founder of the electronics company known to the West as Panasonic.
Without further ado, my feature on how Japan has made an impact on The Greatest Spectacle In Racing. While I normally deliver the news and have mostly kept feature writing to a minimum, having my bosses approve this feature brings together two of my biggest interests: auto racing, and contemporary Japanese business history which means quite a bit to me personally, as it shines a light on how Japan has impacted a very American event in the Indianapolis 500, one of the oldest active motorsports events in the world.
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