US-RACING, a Japanese-based media outlet focusing on American motorsports, has created an IndyCar photo calendar to help raise money for people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last year. A sample image can be found below:

Kazuki Saito, the editor of US-RACING, sent the following plea:

Dear North American motorsports media representatives,

I am Kazuki Saito, chief editor at US-RACING in Japan. US-RACING is Japan's
only media outlet specializing solely in American motorsports. The team at US-
RACING has covered over 300 open wheel races throughout North America
and the rest of the world. I am sure that we have all crossed paths a number of
times over the past 20 years.

At US-RACING we have just released our a 2012 photo calendar -Top 12
Moments of the 2011 IndyCar Series Season, created with photos taken by
Hiroyuki Saito for the specific purpose of supporting recovery in the areas
affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan
on March 11, 2011. Both myself and my brother Hiroyuki grew up in Tagajo city,
Miyagi Prefecture, one of the areas worst affected by the disaster.

The tsunami came within a half-mile of our family home. Not only did it cause
unprecedented loss of life, it also destroyed the homes and jobs of many of the
survivors. Following the earthquake we travelled to our hometown and saw the
true destruction that had occurred. We soon realized just how long the road to
recovery would be for the region, and that long-term support will be required to
move forward. We learned that no one is immune to natural disasters and felt
more people around the world could learn from this.

As our way of contributing to the recovery, we decided to launch the 'US-
RACING 311● Photo Aid Appeal', making a selection of our photos available for
purchase and download, in the hope that the people affected in this disaster will
not be forgotten. All proceeds will be donated to support recovery in the areas
affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Proceeds will be donated to charity organizations which support families in
the affected areas who have children suffering from disabilities. As a father of
a young son with autism, Kazuki felt a strong connection with these families
struggling in unfamiliar surroundings.

For queries, please contact us directly at the following email address:
webmaster@us-racing.net

Thank you for your continued support.

Best Regards,

Kazuki Saito
President/Publisher/Editor

You can purchase the calendar here: http://www.dlmarket.jp/product_info.php/products_id/182153/language/en