Tom Kristensen was the first and Loïc Duval is the latest, and in between, Romain Dumas, via Porsche, Benoit Treluyer and Andre Lotterer have joined Audi. Their common factor? The five drivers exercised their talent in Japan, either in single-seater championship or touring cars.

Japanese championships attract crowds, but also non-Japanese drivers. From 1992, the Dane Tom Kristensen was in Japan with Toyota in the JSPC (All Japan Sports Prototype Championship) before becoming Japan F3000 champion (predecessor of Formula Nippon) the following year. He continued in 1994 with the JTCC (All Japan Touring Car Championship), the ancestor of the Super GT, but also in F3000.

A few years later, Benoit Treluyer and Romain Dumas would follow the same path in a touring car championship in what had by that time become the JGTC (Japan Grand Touring Championship). Tréluyer joined Honda Dome, and Dumas Toyota Sard in 2001. Romain Dumas returned to Europe the following year, while Benoit Treluyer remained in Japan where he became a Nissan driver. He  in 2006 won the title in Formula Nippon followed by the Super GT 500 title in 2008. A real star in the rising sun, Benoit Treluyer settled several years in Tokyo with his wife and child where he was joined by French speaking German Andre Lotterer, who arrived in Japan in 2003.

The German still resides in Tokyo and won the title in Formula Nippon in 2011, five years after his first victory in Super GT 500 with Lexus. He achieved the feat of winning a second crown in 2009, becoming the third non-Japanese driver, after Michael Krumm and Erik Comas, to be win twice. A performance that Loic Duval, newest member of the Audi squad, could soon match. He won the Super GT 500 title with Honda in 2010, he joined the ranks of Toyota in 2012 for a new challenge, both in Super GT and Formula Nippon, where he became champion in 2009.

These five drivers participated in the 12 Hours of Sebring, opening round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship and will race again at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the Championship.

Cécile Bonardel

Photo : SEBRING (FLORIDA, USA), SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, SEBRING 12 HOURS, FRIDAY 16th MARCH 2012, AUTOGRAPH SESSION. Five Audi drivers, Loïc Duval, Benoît Tréluyer and André Lotterer, in the foreground, have raced or still run in Japanese championships.