Double Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen will return to competitive race action at the Suzuka 10 Hours later this year.
Hakkinen, World Champion in 1998 and 1999, has not raced competitively since the Intercontinental Cup finale at Zhuhai in 2011.
Hakkinen, 50, will link up with Katsuaki Kubota and Hiroaki Ishiura to race a McLaren 720S GT3 as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge series event, which runs from August 23 to 25.
“I visited Suzuka Circuit for the first time in 16 years in March 2017 and was able to meet Japan’s enthusiastic fans once again,” he said.
“Then, last year, I drove the MP4/13 and enjoyed Suzuka's unique figure-of-eight track layout.
“So, this year, I decided to return to racing for the first time since the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup round at Zhuhai in November 2011, and I chose Suzuka Circuit as the place for my comeback.
“Suzuka was also the place where I won the Formula 1 World Championship for the first time and where I have so many enthusiastic Japanese friends.
“I am very grateful to Katsu [Kubota]-san and [promoter] Mobilityland for making this wonderful project possible. And I hope to see the Japanese fans again in August.”
