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Thursday, May 17 Driver appreciates fans, country By Christian Fittipaldi Special to ESPN.com Every time I come to race in Japan, I become more confident that we should have more races around the world. Of course it's a direction CART is taking and the 2001 season has three new international courses on the schedule. One nice thing about international races is that I notice the fans are really happy to have a CART race in their home countries, and it's always nice to go to a foreign country and feel more than welcome. Mexico was probably the biggest crowd I have ever seen at a race not on a Memorial Day (Indy 500), and I'm sure that the Europeans are looking forward to the opportunity of having our car racing in their backyards. Back to Japan, though. I have always enjoyed racing here, because I not only love the country, but also interacting with these fans that manage to be fanatical and respectful at the same time. The facility is second to none and it's a typical example of how the Japanese do things. Toyota and Honda have an incredible amount of rivalry and racing in Japan gives you an even closer look at that. Talking to the high executives of Toyota at a reception for us on Tuesday night in Tokyo, I had the impression that winning the Motegi race is as important to them as the championship itself, which is fine with me, especially if I win both! The team won the race last year with Michael and I and my best finish here is 3rd place a couple of years ago so we are confident that we will be competitive. The track is not exactly in Tokyo, mind you, and they have sold every ticket available since the very first race. This year will be even better, because they moved the race to a time of the year where the weather is much nicer, clear skies and warm, which is better for the fans and for race. But I particularly enjoyed taking the time to show my wife around Tokyo. This is her first visit to Japan and I tried to make sure she understands why I like Japan and the Japanese so much. Actually I enjoy traveling and going to new places is the best way, in my opinion, to learn new things. And that's what life should be all about. Make sure to watch the race this Sunday on ABC at 1 p.m. ET. Also check out my photos of Tokyo on fittipaldiONLINE.com. Kmart Toyota driver Christian Fittipaldi provides a diary for ESPN.com throughout the CART season. You can check out Christian's web site at http://Fittipaldionline.com.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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