Sato hopes win opens door for Japanese drivers

Takuma Sato isn't just the elder statesman among Japanese IndyCar drivers, he's the only Asian driver left in the field. The 40-year-old, now an Indy 500 winner, would love to see his victory serve as an inspiration for more of his countrymen to choose the American open-wheel scene in the years ahead.

"I certainly hope so," he said Monday morning, coming off four hours of sleep. "I want to see the new generation. I mean, as long as I can drive, I want to teach them, of course, but beat me and come up and then get even better. I think that there is a lot of potential young Japanese drivers out there, and there is a few of them in Europe.

Unfortunately we haven't really seen the up-and-coming young Japanese drivers in the States. But after this result, I'm sure there's many, many drivers who wanted to achieve [an Indy 500 win]."

Using the financial support of Honda or Toyota, it was commonplace to have a few Japanese drivers racing in CART, Champ Car or the IndyCar Series in the 2000s, but that practice has come to an end in its widescale form. Although Honda plays a key role in Sato's ongoing place within IndyCar, the Tokyo native hopes a renewed effort to groom Japanese talent – starting with the Mazda Road To Indy ladder system – will come from his Indy 500 achievement.

"Here in the States, there is a great pyramid and scholarship system from Indy Lights [to] IndyCar," he said. "There's always great opportunity, and Honda is committed for this series, and I'm here to help anything."