For any racing driver, racing at home holds special significance. The fans, the proximity to family, the familiarity of it all contributes to an exciting atmosphere.
For Toyota GAZOO Racing’s Kamui Kobayashi, however, Japan isn't always the country that brings the creature comforts of home to mind. “I prefer, actually, to race in Europe because I grew up in Europe,” Kobayashi said.
After moving from Amagasaki, just outside Kobe in Japan, to Europe at the tender age of 16, Kobayashi competed in various junior formulae before making his debut in Formula 1 in 2009.
After several years in Formula 1, Kobayashi made his way to sports cars and the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2013. He now races the No.6 Toyota TS050 HYBRID on the WEC stage with teammates Stephane Sarrazin and Mike Conway.
“When I race I am based more in Europe, instead of Japan,” Kobayashi said. “I’ve spent so many years in European races that actually, for me, it’s more comfortable to race in Europe. I only had one season in my career doing Japanese races.”
That's not to say that the upcoming race at Fuji doesn’t hold special meaning for the Toyota GAZOO driver. Kobayashi believes it is the Japanese fans, who turn out in droves, which make the race so special. “I think we’ll see a lot of fans at the track. That’s a lot of the excitement, I think, of Fuji,” he said.
Coming on the back of two consecutive podium finishes, and still looking for their first win of the season, Kobayashi and his team mates head into the Fuji weekend third in the points standings.
The team has had multiple victories at the Japanese track and Fuji could well be the place they take their first victory of 2016.
“I think, with the past results at Fuji, our team is always quite good so we’ll see what we can do. I think we need a bit more stuff to be successful, just to focus on performance and we’ll see.”
Despite his time in Europe, Kobayashi is still very connected to his Japanese roots and has seen a fair share of his success in his home country.
The son of a local sushi restaurant owner, Kobayashi won the GP2 Asia championship in 2009. He also scored his only F1 podium in Japan, a third place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka for Sauber in 2012. Now in 2016 he will make his Toyota debut on home soil with the TS 050 HYBRID LMP1 car.
Kobayashi has the chance to further his success in Japan, driving for one of the country’s most successful manufacturers at the 6 Hours of Fuji on the 17th of October.
“I feel proud to be back in the race, in the WEC, with a Japanese manufacturer,” Kobayashi said of the upcoming race weekend.
Keep up with Kamui and Toyota GAZOO Racing with lap-by-lap information during the 6 Hours of Fuji on the official WEC App by CLICKING HERE
