http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/indycar/32320/

When Akihira Okamoto tested an Indy Pro Series car at Chicagoland
Speedway earlier this summer, he was quicker than some more established
series drivers at the track that day. On Sept. 9, he’ll get the
opportunity to test his mettle in race conditions in the Chicagoland 100
at Chicagoland Speedway. Okamoto will drive the No. 77 OAM/Sam Schmidt
Motorsports entry in the season finale.

Okamoto, who began competing in formula cars in Japan in 1998 before
coming to the United States in 2000, won’t be completely on his own in
his debut. He has found a friend and a mentor in IndyCar Series veteran
Roger Yasukawa.

“I have been friends with Roger since I first came to the U.S. in 2000,”
Okamoto said. “We raced together in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2001.
We are now under the same management, Speed of Japan, so I have always
seen his races in the IndyCar Series.

“Roger’s abilities to speak both fluent English and Japanese is
certainly a big help for me, and his advice from a driver’s point of
view will be very valuable to me. There are things that only drivers can
tell, and his advice will play a big role in my confidence during the
race. I plan to mix the advice I get from him and the team during race
week.”

Yasukawa, who has made 36 IndyCar Series starts in his career, sees a
lot of potential in Okamoto.

“I have known Aki since the Barber Dodge Pro Series, and I know he is a
capable driver to be running up front in Indy Pro Series,” Yasukawa
said. “His rookie test went really well and I am looking forward to
helping him establish a good result at Chicago. It will be his first
high-speed, banked oval race, and he certainly will have to learn how to
race in the draft with a pack of cars, but I’m sure he will get a grip
of it right away.”

Practice and qualifying for the 100-mile sprint on the 1.5-mile oval are
Sept. 8.

--
Forty

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and
mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” - Ernest Hemingway

"forty" <cforteNO (AT) SPAMgmail (DOT) com> wrote


Great, just what the IRL needs - some moving chicane to take out one of
the guys going for the championship.

Von Fourche wrote:
One of the All-American dirt track heroes. Share the vision.