Terada Named Grand Marshal for 6H Fuji

One of Japan’s most legendary sports car figures of all time, Yojiro Terada, will be the guest of honor at this weekend’s Six of Fuji, the sixth round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship.

As Grand Marshal for the event, Terada will be on the grid to provide the ceremonial start of the race as well as performing other ceremonial duties over the weekend.

Terada holds the record for the most participations at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a Japanese driver, and his 29 times competing at the French classic not only endeared him to all followers of endurance racing but also helped to bring Le Mans to the attention of Japanese motorsport fans.

“This is going to be a really exciting race for race fans here, with the speed of Porsche, stability of Audi, and Toyota aiming to be the winner at Fuji,” Terada said.

“I’ve seen the start flag 29 times as a driver at Le Mans 24 Hours, but I’ll wave the flag as Grand Marshal myself this time, hoping for the wonderful sportsmanship of each driver.

“I’d also like to express my heartfelt gratitude and respect to Mr. Fillon, president of ACO, and Mr. Neveu, CEO of WEC, for making this honorary function possible for me.”

In his long and distinguished career, much of which was as a Mazda factory driver, Terada enjoyed three class wins and eight further podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as successes in the World Sports Prototype Championship and at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“Terada san’s loyalty and unwavering passion for the 24 Hours of Le Mans stand out over many decades,” said ACO President Pierre Fillon.

“His presence there helped to not only increase the visibility in Japan of the world’s most famous sports car race, but he has also spread his enthusiasm and delight for endurance racing throughout the Asian continent.

“We applaud his many successful years in the world of motorsport, and we look forward to sharing many more with him in the future.”

Added WEC CEO Gerard Neveu: “We are very honored to have Terada san as our Grand Marshal for the 6 Hours of Fuji. He has been a passionate supporter of endurance racing for so many years, and has closely followed the progress of the WEC in Japan since we began.

“To be competing for 50 years is incredible, and he has set an example that many young drivers would do very well to imitate. We are sure that the 6 Hours of Fuji will be a great celebration of motorsport at the highest level, and one that he will greatly enjoy being involved with.”