A party inaugurating the “Gold Star Drivers Club of Japan” was held on June 4th at a hotel in Tokyo, with 31 famous drivers who ushered in a new era in Japanese motorsport in attendance.

Japanese motorsport has a history of only about 50 years, yet in that time there have been a great number of drivers who have enlivened domestic races as well as earned results and set records in races overseas. The club's purpose is to give these drivers who have contributed to the development of motorsport a chance to meet with each other, to leave a record of their accomplishments, and to pass the torch to the next generation. The club's members include works' drivers from 1973 and before who were active in the main categories of the sport, as well as major series' champions. Former works' drivers Yoshimi Katayama, Yojiro Terada, and Takashi Yorino, who were affiliated with Mazda, were recommended for and received the right to join the club. Mr. Terada was present at the party and said, “I think it's wonderful that a club like this has been formed. We want to do our best to make our group a source of encouragement for young people and to see that it helps proper motorsport to continue on.”

Yasuhiro Okamoto, who appeared with Mazda Auto Tokyo in contests such as the Fuji Grand Champion (GC) Race during the 1970s, commented, “If I think about it, I have been involved with automobiles from a time when there was no JAF (Japan Automobile Federation), and I was also approached when the JAF was founded with the goal of improving this industry. This Gold Star Drivers Club has wonderful sponsors and aims, too. I want to contribute however I can.” Masanori Sekiya, who was active as a manager for Toyota TEAM TOM'S, had formerly raced with Shizuoka Mazda in the Fuji GC as well as in touring car races. He said, “It seems strange that there has been no club like this until now, but they finally made it for us. I want to make it a group that our successors, the young generation of drivers, can look up to.”