Assetto Corsa: 1967 Honda S800 at Nürburgring 67

After starting his career on motorcycles in 1957, Tetsu Ikuzawa made a name for himself as a factory driver for the Prince Motor Company in the early 60s. His star making moment was the 1964 Japan Grand Prix at Suzuka, where he briefly passed and led a Porsche 904 with his Skyline S54. For that single lap, the home crowd saw a Japanese driver in a Japanese car leading the pinnacle of German engineering at the time. Ikuzawa would end up 3rd, but the legend of the Skyline was born, and sales skyrocketed. This got the attention of Nissan, who soon purchased the Prince brand. After a gearbox failure in the 1966 Japan Grand Prix, Ikuzawa left Nissan (and Japan altogether) to drive in British Formula 3, becoming the first Japanese driver to race in F3. Initially driving for Stirling Moss, Ikuzawa saw middling results for 2 seasons before moving to Frank Williams team, driving a Brabham BT21. The 1968 season would end up being his best, with 4 wins and 4th place in the final standings. A deal was initially made to drive for John Surtees in Formula 2 in 1969, but negotiations fell through, forcing Ikuzawa to run as an independent. Purchasing a Lotus 69, Ikuzawa nearly won the Deutschland Trophy at Hockenheim, finishing just .3 seconds behind Clay Regazzoni, in what would turn out to be his only highlight in Formula 2. Ikuzawa would return to Japan every year for the Japan Grand Prix at Fuji, winning the event in 1967 with a privately entered Porsche 906, beating his former team Nissan, with their new 380-2. To raise funds, Ikuzawa became one of the first drivers anywhere to cover his car in sponsors. For 1968, he joined Taki Racing Organisation and drove a new Porsche 910, driving heroically against a field of Group 7 Nissans and Toyotas, eventually finishing 2nd. These performances would lead to a meeting with Huschke von Hanstein, the director of Porsche motorsport. Ikuzawa was given the opportunity to drive a 908 with Jo Siffert and Hans Hermann at Watkins Glenn in August, finishing 6th overall, but was never offered another factory ride. In between these events, Honda sent a fleet of S800's to the Nürburgring in 1967. Ikuzawa would finish 11th overall, 1st in the 1 liter class, making him the first Japanese driver to win an FIA event. Ikuzawa would score one more "first" for Japan, when he drove the Mazda powered Sigma at Le Mans in 1973. The car lasted 10 hours before the clutch failed. With the exception of the odd start at Le Mans, Tetsu Ikuzawa would spend the rest of his career in Japan, racing in the Fuji Grand Champion series and winning the title in 1977, before retiring in 1978 to run his own team full time.   / nurburgring-1967-126849525   https://www.overtake.gg/downloads/nur...