Pacific Grand Prix – Tanaka International Circuit, Aida (1994-1995)
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These days I assume taking candy from a baby is illegal or at least gets you on some sort of offenders list. In the late Eighties and early Nineties getting money out of wealthy Japanese individuals and companies was a popular sport in Formula One and was actually as easy as removing sweet treats from very young people.
Hajime Tanaka was one such person: he’d asked his dad for a set of golf clubs and instead of getting a leather bag with sticks in, he was given several chunks of prime Japanese real estate. He sold some of it to set up a private members’ racetrack, with a hotel and nice garages for people to store their cars.
He dreamed of staging a grand prix and, at vast expense, his wish was granted, not once but twice, in 1994 and 1995 when the track hosted the Pacific Grand Prix. Both times, Michael Schumacher was victorious.
The track was tight and twisty but its biggest problem was it was in the middle of nowhere – around 240 kms from Osaka. The media faced an hour’s bus ride through the mountains to get from hotel to track, leading to some enterprising hacks bedding down for the night in the media centre at the circuit.
It was no better for spectators who were not allowed to drive the final 12 kilometres to the track and had to wait for buses. In the 1994 race, Roland Ratzenberger qualified 26th in the Simtek, going on to fight his way to an 11th-place finish. Ayrton Senna took his second consecutive pole for Williams, but retired on the opening lap. A fortnight later, they would be on track in Imola…
