Sakai made his debut at the "3rd National Stock Car Race" held at Kawaguchi Circuit on August 16th, 1964, and finished in 2nd place with a Nissan Cedric and also at the 1965 All Japan Automobile Club Championship Funabashi Tournament, which is also the legendary event where the late "Tojiro Ukiya" would make a name for himself, Sakai participated with the Corvette Stingray from NAC (Nippon Automobile Club) to which he belonged at that time with poor results. After that, Sakai's success after that was nothing short of remarkable.
At the 1969 Japan GP, Sakai teamed up with his friend Ginji Yasuda in a Lola T160, but broke down on the first lap. This year was also his first year in Japan Can-Am, showing up in a brand new McLaren M12 at the 2nd Japan Can Am 200 Miles event. The following years were mainly devoted to Grand Champion races, where Sakai was one of the most prominent figures on the scene. Being the first to take victory in a Fuji 500km event, part of the GC season, and even winning the entire championship in 1971. Sakai had by then long parted ways with Taki Racing Team, forming his own "Sakai Racing Team". He had imported another, brand new McLaren M12, a total monster of 700 horsepower, suited for the extreme Can Am series. In 1972, Sakai would return with the M12 to defend the GC Champion title, but unfortunately failed in doing so. After 1972 the M12 was retired in favor of the more affordable Lola, March and Chevron. 1973 would be the last year of Sakai's professional motorsports career, due to reasons unknown
he raced this Cobra Daytona Coupe in the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix
It should not be necessary to try and educate anyone on the swastika of Asia, but it has nothing to do with the German Nazi party, neither does the early 1900s good luck Coca Cola swastika.
Tadashi Sakai also drove, raced, or owned a McLaren M12, a March, a Lola T70 and T160, and a 906
The 1966 Japan Grand Prix Car Race was the first major event to be held at the brand-new Fuji International Speedway.
The Japan Grand Prix had long been established as the biggest automobile race in Japan since the first running in 1963. However, participation was dwindling with each successive year. In 1966 there were just 16 entries. In 1967, that number shrunk to 13 – and only 9 actually started the race.
2-litre prototype sports cars like the Nissan/Prince R380 and Porsche 906 were the dominant force of the first two years at Fuji, and both cars were built to the standard of the FIA’s Group 6 regulations that were introduced in 1966. But there was growing concerns that the Group 6 ruleset was prohibitive for some manufacturers and virtually any prospective privateer teams. These restrictions would be further tightened in 1968, when the FIA introduced a 3-litre displacement limit for Group 6 cars.
this post took 2 hours, because trying to find one race car, that only raced in Japan, by a non professional racer instead of some celeb like Shelby, Gurney, etc, is very unsatisfying.
there is a book about this car, shocking to me https://retro-speed.co.uk/showbooks.asp?art=27811
After only one race in Europe, CSX 2300 was shipped back to Los Angeles, where it was rebuilt and repainted Guardsman Blue with wider white stripes for '65. Allen Grant and Ed Leslie took 5th at the Daytona Continental, and a month later the same pairing pounded around the bumpy Sebring airfield to claim 13th and 3rd in the GT class. Back in Europe, CSX 2300 was repainted yet again, but this time in the white with blue center stripe and red edging of Ford France.
The 1965 season included Daytona - 6th overall (3rd in class), Sebring 12 Hours - 13th overall, and the Nurburgring 1,000kms - 12th overall. In the final event, the Reims 12 Hours, CSX2300 was entered by John Willment Racing and driven by Jack Sears/John Whitmore into 9th place overall and 2nd in class.
Sears and Whitmore, who impressed in the Reims 12 Hours, blasting around the fast road circuit through the night to take 2nd in class. The French race was the last before CSX 2300 was shipped home, where it was kept as a spare at Shelby American.
Eventually at the end of March 1966, the car was snapped up for $4,000 by Polish enthusiast Oscar Koveleski, who set up Auto World and helped to kickstart Can-Am racing. Koveleski didn't keep it long, selling swiftly to Shadow founder Don Nichols. In '66, Nichols was director of NASCAR racing in Japan, where he shipped the Daytona. Local hot shoe Tadashi Sakai couldn't resist the car and talked Nichols into parting with it.
In March 1966 it competed in the ‘66 Japanese Grand Prix.
In March 1966 it competed in the ‘66 Japanese Grand Prix.
Two years later Kazuo Myouchin entered it in the 1968 Grand Prix, where it finished in 11th position, beaten by mainly new generation Can-Am cars.
After appearing in several enduros, the engine blew and the car was bought at one point with the intention of building a single-seater. Thankfully Shin Yoshikawa, a young Cobra fan, was horrified when he heard of the plan to chop up the Daytona. He managed to scrape together the $3,000 price to rescue it. Another problem arose when the student discovered that the Daytona's temporary import time had expired and, if not re-registered, it would be crushed. Unfortunately, such red tape required the car to be a runner so, after searching Japanese scrapyards, Yoshikawa found a tired Mustang Mach 1 engine, along with its automatic transmission. Once the paperwork was complete, though, he had no option but to sell it to help pay back everyone who'd helped to finance the project.
The story might have ended there and then, except rumors of the car in a used car lot spread to the States. Pete Brock talked to Shelby fan Mike Shoen, who already owned two of the six original Daytona Coupes, he got it and then sold the car to Carroll Shelby who acquired it in 1975, and kept it for 20 years. Long overdue for restoration, the Daytona was entrusted to Cobra specialist Mike McCluskey, and finally emerged from his L.A. shop in 1983
Shelby lived beyond his means, so he handed the papers on to Jim Spiro, who in turn sold it for a $4.4 M to Larry Bowman. In 2004, CSX2300 appeared at Goodwood Revival, where Christian Glasel fell in love with it, negotiated a price and drove it home. His sister Daniela Ellerbrock, and her husband Olivier, are the current custodians of Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe chassis number CSX2300.
ISBN 978-1-907085-42-0
ISBN 978-1-907085-42-0
Those cars are now being reproduced in Poland for sale through one of the Kirkham brothers in Utah. Also Larry Bowman also did and probably still does own one of the original Grand Sport Corvettes. I believe it was the only one that ended up with a Big block engine furnished by Duntov.
ReplyDelete"Tadashi Sakai also drove, raced, or owned a McLaren M12, a March, a Lola T70 and T160, and a 906"
ReplyDeleteTalk about impeccable taste in cars!