Although the global outbreak of the new coronavirus has put Takuma Sato in the pits for now, it hasn't slowed his desire to be the IndyCar Series champion for the first time in his career.

In a recent interview, Sato, 43, spoke of his 10-year struggle in IndyCar racing, the fierce criticism over an accident in a race last year and his victory in 2017 in the prestigious Indy 500.

Sato is a former Formula One racer who has taken the checkered flag in many racing competitions all over the world.

At an appearance at the Descente Tokyo outlet in the capital’s Shibuya Ward late last year, he expressed his gratitude to his fans.

“It is really fortuitous for me to have been able to receive support from you all for 15 to 20 years," he told them.

INCREASINGLY REFINED PERFORMANCE

In 2019, Sato celebrated his first two-race victory season in the IndyCar Series.

“The last season was special,” Sato said. “I could compete as a top contender and fulfill my goal of winning on multiple occasions in a single season. The results in the season gave me great confidence.”

Given that drivers race at speeds approaching 400 kph in the events, held mainly in the United States, Sato’s performances still continue improving even turning 40.

“My current performance is inferior to when I was younger in some respects in physical terms,” he said. “But I feel my total capabilities, including experience, skill and planning, continue improving. If I did not, I would terminate my career.”

When five cars were involved in an accident in a race in August last year, Sato was lambasted on social media sites and elsewhere for causing the crash based on a video taken with a camera mounted on another vehicle.

“I realized how difficult it is to take on a challenge outside my home country again after so long, though I had been competing overseas for more than 20 years,” Sato said.

In those difficult days, he said his teammates were hugely supportive.

“Examining videos showed that I did nothing wrong, but the non-fact story quickly went viral on social media, resulting in strong condemnation,” Sato recalled. “It was impossible for me to fight that alone. My team released a statement supporting me, making me feel that I should respond by producing the best result in the next race with my team.”

Sato said he also became aware at the time that there were many people sympathetic to him at racing sites.

“A fan of mine ran up to tell me to remember that many people were rooting for me, and many fans showed up for autograph sessions and on other occasions,” he said. “Such things allowed me to believe all those people were on my side.”

WINNING THE PRESTIGIOUS INDY 500

Sato became the first Asian in 2017 to win the Indy 500, one of the three most prestigious motor races around the world.

Asked about the victory, Sato stated “fans started viewing me in a different way then, leading to an increased number of fans.”

“I have since always been introduced as an Indy 500 champion everywhere I go,” he said. “That will not change throughout my life. I feel the situation surrounding me dramatically changed.”

Sato was in hot water when his car spun and crashed after trying to overtake the top vehicle in the final lap in the 2012 Indy 500, because some deemed his maneuver as “reckless.” But he said he has never regretted his attempt.

“I believed I could potentially win and had sufficient resources for victory,” Sato said. “I failed as things turned out, but I learned many lessons from that. I was able to win the 2017 race owing to my failure in 2012.”

To add more details on how that happened, Sato said: “I could not produce good results at the time but my attempt grabbed the heart of racing legend A. J. Foyt, offering me an opportunity to compete as a member of his team for four years.

STAYING AGGRESSIVE LEADS TO OPPORTUNITY

Sato has said his motto is “no attack, no chance.”

“I never think of the likelihood of failure when making an attack,” he said. “I had competed in bicycle racing and my philosophy is grounded in my experiences from back then.

“Not making an attack will put me in a situation where I have no choice but to leave matters to others, but that will merely give me a very poor chance. I can seize the initiative by attacking aggressively.”

GOAL FOR 2020 SEASON

The organizer of the IndyCar Series has canceled four competitions, including the opener scheduled for March 15, during the global coronavirus outbreak.

Sato, who is expected to compete in the 2020 season with the same team as last year, said his goal is winning first place overall.

“Of course, I aim (to be the series champion),” Sato said. "I have won on all types of circuit courses. So what is needed is simply raising the level of all my techniques and achieving stable driving at a high level. With that in mind, all my teammates have the same goal as I do for 2020.”

When asked to offer advice to young people in Japan toward the end of the interview, Sato prefaced his message that he has “nothing new” to speak of but offered some tips on life.

“Viewing and touching real things have significance,” he said. “Everything in the world is available through a smartphone, and one can know and watch anything on the device these days, but touching things sometimes reveal they differ greatly than expected.”

He added, “Visiting actual sites is really important. For example, something may turn out to be much more difficult than anticipated when giving it a try. That means there is a new challenge out there, offering you a golden opportunity to approach and realize your dream.”