“No Attack, No Chance”: Takuma Sato’s Servant-Led Race Against the Trope of “Bad Asian Drivers”

The purpose of this chapter is threefold: (1) to familiarize readers with Takuma Sato and his racing accomplishments; (2) to identify media representations of Sato’s competence as an IndyCar racer; and (3) to examine how he has responded to racist social media remarks [Sipple, G., IndyCar drivers rally behind Takuma Sato after Denver Post sports writer’s racist tweet. Detroit Free Press. https://www.freep.com/story/sports/motor/2017/06/01/takuma-sato-indy-500-racist-tweet/363041001/ (2017, June 17)] and redefined the “bad Asian driver” [Chow, K., Dueling stereotypes: Bad Asian drivers, good at everything. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/09/200500744/dueling-stereotypes-bad-asian-drivers-good-at-everything-asiana (2013, July 13), para. 1] trope through the lens of servant leadership [Greenleaf, R. K., Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press (1977); Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. (25th Anniversary ed.). Paulist Press (2002). (Original work published 1977)] within the context of (motor)sports. Guided by Larry Spears’ [Reflections on leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf’s theory of servant leadership influenced today’s top management thinkers. John Wiley & Sons (1995)] influential rubric of servant-leadership characteristics, which “are generally quoted as the essential elements of servant leadership” [van Dierendonck, D., Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1228–1261 (2011), p. 1231], this inquiry explores how Sato has concretized servant-leadership characteristics of empathy, conceptualization, and building community by channeling his anger in a manner that positively fuels his public rhetoric and redemptive racing performances. Particular attention is paid to Sato’s responses following his 2017 Indianapolis 500 win and to the criticism he received for his role in a massive opening lap accident at the 2019 Pocono 500.