Hi to all my friends at Interush and I hope you are doing well. It's been a while since I last posted my blog but I have been real busy flying all over the country and to Brazil attending the IZOD Indy Car Series tests and races. During this season, I will be going to all of the Indy Car Series races and reporting about the teams and drivers. My mission will be to focus on two Japanese drivers, which are 3rd year veteran Hideki Mutoh, and ex-Formula One driver Takuma Sato. Obviously Takuma joining the Indy Car Series has raised the awareness of the series in Japan, and it is going to be a real exciting season for racing fans in Japan to have two fast drivers in a competitive seat.

IZOD Indy Car Series is definitely growing especially after the series has merged with Champ Car two years ago. We now have variety of drivers from all over the world including US, South America, Europe, and Asia. We are scheduled to have 17 races this year mainly in US but also in Brazil, Canada, and Japan. They are also talking about having a race in China in the future, which certainly would expand the fan demographic of the Indy Car Series, and I'm sure the team and drivers would be excited to go there. The league is turning in to an International series, which certainly is great thing for all of the teams, and sponsors that are involved in the IZOD Indy Car Series.

The season opener for the Indy Car Series was hosted in Sao Paolo, Brazil. I have never been to Brazil so I was really looking forward to this race. The people there were really nice and I definitely would go back there again as I had a pleasant stay during my trip.

It was the first time for Brazil to host an Indy Car Series race and the promoter had lots of obstacle to overcome, such as the track pavement as well as heavy rain during the race, which forced the race steward to red flag and halt the race for a moment. An Australian driver, Will Power ended up winning the exciting race battling his way past an American driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay who finished second. The local favorite, Vitor Meira rounded up the podium in third place. There were 24 driver from 10 different countries that participated in the race and the talent pool of this field is as deep as it has ever been in Indy Car Series history.

The second race of the year was in St.Petersburg, Florida. I really like going to St.Petersburg every year as the city and the fans treat us well every time we go there. The race was just as crazy as what we saw in Brazil especially after the torrential rain that postponed the race till next day. The city was generous enough to keep the streets shut down for extra day to get the race on Monday morning and the race itself turned out to be real exciting with lots of overtaking and lead changes.

I have been involved with Indy Car Series for 8 years now, and I can honestly say that this year is the most competitive and exciting years for the IZOD Indy Car Series. It really makes me eager to get back in to the car and race with the best drivers from all of over the world! I am working extremely hard and I hope to be able to land a ride with one of the Indy Car Series teams in the very near future!

Roger Yasukawa

Just after making the announcement on our participation of Rolex 24hr race couple of days ago, it is hard to believe that the race is already coming up this week end. The team has been flat out getting the car prepared for the race, and are doing all the necessary changes to the rule, as well as double checking every parts of the car to make sure it would run smoothly during the long 24hr race. The car has been wrapped with the Interush graphics, and I will say that it will probably be one of the most attractive cars on the track at Daytona. The race car is all done and it is on the way to Florida as we speak.

As for my side as a racing driver, there are also lots of preparation that I need to undergo. The most important thing is fitness training. Since the race being so long, you will need to be very fit to keep your concentration level high through out the race. I actually went out for training camp last week in Santa Barbara so I can just concentrate on training for two straight days.

Mental preparation is just as important as physical training. A lot of driver uses a race simulation program like iRacing.com now days. I also like to watch the past race and in-car camera tapes so you can also learn from other drivers/teams tactics and mistakes. Besides from the racing concerns, since The Rolex 24 at Daytona is the first race of the year, I needed to get my medical exam done and apply for my FIA International Grade A license.

I will be heading to Florida tomorrow and will need to start packing tonight. I am going to bring a helmet, two racing suits, and lots of nomex underwear since I will probably have to do at least 6 stints of driving during the race! I am looking forward to driving the Interush Ferrari F-430 car in couple of days and hope to have a good smooth race!!

Live Free & Fast
Roger Yasukawa

Roger Yasukawa - Driver Update: 01.21.2010
Hello to all my friends and fans at Interush Racing. I am glad to be back as part of Interush Racing family and looking forward to the race at Rolex Daytona 24hr coming up in two weeks. I will be racing in the Ferrari F-430 car in the GT category of the Grand Am series, and am delighted to be part of the Sigal Sport driver line up.
Since it's a very long race(24hr), I will be sharing the car with three other drivers, and will be relaying the car to one another through out the race. My teammates will be Gene Sigal (team owner), Rusty West, and Fred Poordad. I am glad that I will be working with experienced drivers because the biggest challenge of endurance racing is to get the car to the end in order to see the checkered flag. You really need a lot of patience not to crash, but also to take good care of the equipment through out the race. Unlike the Formula Car races like Indy Car Series where you get your own car, endurance racing is really a team sport because you have to work with other drivers to share the seat but also to sometime sacrifice the car set up to make everyone comfortable.
Sigal Sport is a well established sports car team based in Los Angeles, and they have participated in the Rolex 24hr many times in the Daytona Prototype class. It will be the first time for them to participate in the GT class with a Ferrari F-430 race car but I am very confident that the team will have a strong car during the race. The team is currently upgrading the car to increase the durability of the car as well as making necessary modification to meet the series rule.
The race is coming up real quick but I will keep you guys posted as much as I can with all the progress. The last time I raced in the Daytona 24hr was in 2007 and I finished 6th for my first attempt. This time, it will be in the GT class and there will be a lot of competitive cars out on the field but will give our best shot to hopefully win the prestigious Rolex Daytona Winner's Watch..!

Live Free & Fast,
Roger