Even at an early age, Newman-Hass Racing's Hideki Mutoh(seated in the racing kart) had the racing bug in him.........
---MOTEGI, Japan -- By 3:30 a.m., Eiji Mutoh arrives at the Tsukiji Market to inspect the fresh catch – from seaweed to caviar – available for auction two hours later. He repeats the process six days a week, acquiring the freshest and most select for the family’s century-old Hotetora retail shop.
Because of his responsibilities, Eiji has never watched in person his only son, Hideki, compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series. This weekend will be a first. The Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi – about three hours north of the family’s home in Tokyo – will be held on a national holiday weekend translated "Respect for the Aged Day," which was established in 1966 as a day to respect the elderly and celebrate long life. The Hotetora shop will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday in observance of the holiday.
"I'm very happy to see him and because the race was on Saturday previous years he never had the chance to come,” said Hideki, who will drive the No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic car for Newman/Haas Racing.
Mutoh adopted his father’s appreciation of automobiles, paging through magazines at home while he should have been finishing homework, and racing. He began racing go-karts at age 12 and quickly climbed the ladder to cars in various formula series in Europe and Japan.
Mutoh, a graduate of the Honda Formula Dream Project, moved to North America in 2007 to compete in Firestone Indy Lights. He finished second in the championship and was named Rookie of the Year. Mutoh also made his IZOD IndyCar Series debut in the late-season race at Chicagoland Speedway. More awards were bestowed in ’08 – his first full season in the IZOD IndyCar Series with then-Andretti Green Racing – after seven top-10 finishes.
Back in Tokyo, his father opened and closed the doors to the Hotetora shop six days a week. Some day it will be Hideki’s responsibility, but for the past 15 years he’s received his father’s blessing to chase his dream.
“Some day I have to run the fish market because this is generational and cultural,” Hideki said. “I think my dad understands because racing was what I really wanted to do. He could have easily said 'No, you have to sell fish.' But he released me from that kind of culture and I'm sure he had a very hard time because grandpa was pushing him, 'Oh, what's your son doing?'
“I really appreciate my dad. He gave me everything. We are not rich people so at the beginning we struggled to find money to race. I have no words for my dad. He's an old style of Japanese man but he let me go racing. He doesn't watch the races when people are around him but he just watches the races on DVD quietly when he's at home with no one around. He never talks much about racing, but at the same point he never stopped me. It's understood, his support. He doesn't have to say much.”
Mutoh has been enjoying his family’s company in Japan – mixed with the obligatory media outings as being one of three Japanese drivers who will compete this weekend -- for the past week. He said he was more nervous competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series at Twin Ring Motegi for the first time in 2008, starting ninth and finishing 11th, than he’ll be with his father in attendance.
“It was definitely huge pressure because it was the first year and I drove for Andretti, which won the race the year before,” Mutoh said. “Fans had so many expectations that ‘Japanese guy can win this year.’ At the same point, I was very happy to see all the fans in the grandstands and they were cheering me. That was a good memory, but I think I could have done better.”
Last year, a crash during qualifications relegated Mutoh to the 22nd starting position. He finished 14th. “I was more comfortable, but still I had pressure because again people were expecting me to win and kept asking me, ‘Can you win?’ ’’ he said. “Every time I go there I put so much tension on myself and I need to learn how to handle and control that pressure because it’s very hard.
“You get more nervous of course and maybe try some big things to get better position-wise. Last year for example, I started 16th (after the first practice session) and people kept asking me ‘Why are you so slow?’ I thought 16th was not so bad. They were expecting me to finish top five in qualifying and I tried, which put more pressure on me for the race.
“I had a huge crash and physically it was hard for me to finish the race. At one point, I wanted to park because I was getting dizzy. But I saw a fan was waving a flag during the last (caution period from Laps 161-171 of 200). I was asking, ‘Should I pit or not?’ and at the same point I saw the fan was waving the flag and it definitely gave me extra power. I think that’s the reason I was able to finish the race.”
Mutoh, who has two sisters, says he’ll know when it will be time to stop racing competitively and take his place in the family business. It won’t be because of pressure from his father. “I'm the only one to replace my dad, so maybe in 20 years I have to,” said Mutoh, who turns 28 on Oct. 6. “Racing, I cannot do forever. But I can run a fish market until I’m 70. I think my dad understands that.”