Dickens-Okada Win 500-Miler in Japan

Stanley Dickens of Sweden and Hideki Okada of Japan, driving a Porsche 962C, took the lead at the midway point and kept it to win the GP Fuji 500-mile auto race Sunday.

The Dickens-Okada team covered 179 laps on the 2.7-mile Fuji International Speedway in four hours, 27 minutes and 03.850 seconds, at an average speed of 111.45 m.p.h.

The winning team received $19,230.

More than 55,000 spectators watched the race at the foot of Mount Fuji, about 54 miles west of Tokyo.

Kenneth Acheson of Britain and American Price Cobb, also driving a Porsche 962C, came in second in 4:28:36.686.

The Japanese team of Agri Suzuki and Masahiro drove a Nissan R88C from the pole position and finished third, two laps behind.

A field of 20 cars started and 12 completed the race, in which two or three drivers alternated at the wheel of each machine.