Less contentious, if not entirely so, after “all sorts of remarkable goodies had been added to the homologation certificate just weeks before”, was a Datsun Fairlady’s win over Triumphs and MGs in the 1300-2500cc GT contest.
The day ended “shambolically” with the 1300-1600cc touring car race. Vauxhall Victor driver Soichi Sakai started swerving down the main straight, more severely lap after lap, to the point that the Toyota Corona driver behind, “leaning on his horn in desperation”, “came very close to collecting a pit signalling man”.
The crowd howled in protest and at the finish “nearly lynched” the “rather crestfallen” Sakai, while his fellow podium finishers walked off in disgust. The stewards then disqualified him, but why hadn’t they done so during the race? It turned out they had been “otherwise engaged” – not that they had a black flag to wave anyway.
Amazingly, even stranger things happened on the second day. Jaguar E-Type driver Arthur Owen was so fast in the over-2500cc GT race that rivals requested his disqualification or retirement, as he’d been “invited only to race, not to win”! He refused, but Jasa gave the trophy to second-placed Tatsu Yokoyama anyway.
“It is doubtful if [the Brit’s] feelings were made any less bitter on being handed a trophy inscribed in Japanese ‘Best Performance by Guest’,” we quipped.
All’s well that ends well, though, and returning to Suzuka in 1964, we were delighted by “a tremendous improvement in the standard of driving and sportsmanship”.
