NEWS
Drivers & Staff Q+A: Noritoshi Arai – Director Technical Co–ordination Interviewed by TMG Public Relations04.02.2006
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Can you tell us what your job duties involve this year?
Until last year, I was only involved with chassis development, but this year I am taking over as Director of Technical Coordination from Keizo Takahashi. Now, I’ll be in a position to see the big picture of our work with Japan, including both engine and chassis development. Takahashi had been performing in this capacity for the past five years, and he built a solid foundation for the position. I feel a quite a bit of pressure following him, like I need to work even harder and try to do more. As far as I can see from the test data, the results lead me to believe that our car is ready to go. We started bench tests and on–course testing of our engine much earlier than the other teams. And last week, we took two cars to Jerez, running about 1000km in all. I really think everything is progressing according to plan.
What do you see as the most important races, or as the circuits where Panasonic Toyota Racing can shoot for a top finish?
Well, first of all, we go into every race intending to win. I think our chances are particularly strong at the opening race in Bahrain. We finished in the top two there last year, and I would really like to see us start off the season with a lot of momentum.
We want to achieve loftier goals than last year. In other words, we finished as high as second in a few races, so naturally, our goal this year is to capture a victory. To do that, our car needs to be faster than last year. When I look back over the entire course of the season last year, I can see certain areas where we were lacking compared to the other cars overall. This year, the team is completely united, and entirely focused on car development.
Lastly, can we have a message for the fans visiting the official Panasonic Toyota Racing website?
By all means, we want to make a good showing for ourselves. I hope that all of the fans that have cheered for Panasonic Toyota Racing continue to support us, and track our progress through the official Panasonic Toyota Racing website.
