Button and Kobayashi head to Suzuka

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Jenson Button and Le Mans track record holder Kamui Kobayashi will headline the 46th Suzuka 1000km race which takes place next week.

The event will be the final running of the famous endurance race which will see Button share a Team Mugen NSX-GT with Hideki Mutok and Daisuke Nakajima.

Kobayashi, a former Sauber and Caterham driver in F1, will be racing a Lexus Team LC500 alongside Yuhi Sekiguchi and Yuji Kunimoto.

A popular figure in Japan, Jenson Button always attracts attention in the country of the rising sun and at Suzuka where the Brit even has his own fan store which stocks everything from glove puppets to iPhone covers celebrating the 37-year-old's racing career.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.