Pacific Grand Prix
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| TI Circuit | |
.png/200px-Circuit_TI_(Aida).png) |
|
| Race information | |
| Laps | 83 |
|---|---|
| Circuit length | 3.703 km ( mi) |
| Race length | 307.349 km ( mi) |
| Most wins (drivers) |  Michael Schumacher (2) |
| Most wins (constructors) |  Benetton (2) |
| Last race (1995): | |
| Pole position | David Coulthard Williams-Renault 1:14.013 |
| Podium | 1. Michael Schumacher Benetton-Renault 1:48:49.972 |
| Fastest lap | Michael Schumacher Benetton-Renault 1:16.374 |
The Pacific Grand Prix was a round of the Formula One World Championship twice in the mid-1990s. Both races were held at the Tanaka International Aida circuit, a slow, twisty 2.3-mile track deep in the countryside in Aida (near Kobe), Japan. Following the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the Pacific Grand Prix was moved from early in the calendar to the end.
The inaugural race in 1994 saw Michael Schumacher take an easy victory after Ayrton Senna was involved in a first corner accident with Mika Häkkinen and Nicola Larini. The more recent Pacific Grand Prix in 1995 was a more eventful affair, with some close racing throughout the field. The race culminated in a tactical victory for Michael Schumacher, securing his second World Championship, and making him the youngest double World Champion at the time. Fernando Alonso surpassed Schumacher's record by winning his second World Championship in 2006.
This race made Japan one of only six countries (the others being Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy and the USA) to ever host more than one Formula One event in the same year. It was discontinued primarily due to the TI Circuit's location in a remote area of Japan.
With the announcement that the Japanese Grand Prix will switch from the Suzuka Circuit to the Fuji Speedway from 2007, there had been media speculation that Suzuka may retain a race under a resurrection of the Pacific Grand Prix title.[1] However, it has recently been decided that the Japanese Grand Prix will alternate between Fuji and Suzuka from 2009 onward.[2]
[edit] Winners of the Pacific Grand Prix
| Year | Driver | Constructor | Location | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Renault | TI Circuit | Report |
| 1994 | Michael Schumacher |
Benetton-Ford | TI Circuit | Report |
[edit] References
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