In last month’s Indianapolis 500, Takuma Sato showcased his skill by leading a significant number of laps before finishing ninth, narrowly missing out on a third victory due to a pitlane mistake.
Sato, at 48 years old, is nearing the end of his racing career, despite his impressive performance in a one-off Honda-powered car at the Speedway, leading the field for 51 laps.
After his debut in 2010 following the collapse of the Super Aguri team in F1, Sato has been a prominent Japanese figure in the Indy 500, with Honda ensuring representation from Japan since 2002.
Kakunoshin Ohta, a rising star in Super Formula with five victories in the series, has emerged as a potential successor to Sato, showing promise to carry the Japanese legacy at Indy.
With strong performances in Super GT and now in IMSA SportsCar Championship races with Honda’s backing, Ohta aims to race internationally and follow in Sato’s footsteps from 15 years ago.
