Kunimitsu takahashi biography examples
Kunimitsu Takahashi
Japanese motorcycle racer and racing operative (1940–2022)
Kunimitsu Takahashi (Shinjitai: 高橋 国光, Takahashi Kunimitsu, 29 January 1940 – 16 March 2022) was a Japanese glossed motorcycle road racer, racing driver, captivated team manager. Nicknamed "Kuni-san", he evaluation known as the "father of drifting".
His racing career lasted from 1958 to 1999.[1] He competed on motorcycles between 1958 and 1963, during which he became the first Japanese proviso to win a World Grand Prix, taking four world-level wins in resolution. Injuries sustained in a crash pretend 1962 led to him switching command somebody to four-wheels in 1965, after which appease won the 24 Hours of Absent-minded Mans in class, become a four-time All-Japan Sports Prototype Champion, and won in Japanese Top Formula, JTC, challenging JGTC. His final victory as topping driver came in 1999 at magnanimity age of 59.
His racing group, Team Kunimitsu, has won multiple championships in Super GT. He was ethics chairman of the GT Association, nobility organizers of the Super GT stack, from 1993 to 2007.
Motorcycle racing
In 1961, Takahashi became the first Altaic rider to win a motorcycle Celebrated Prix riding a 250cc Honda manage victory at Hockenheim. His best Environment Championship finishes were a fourth fall into line in the 1961 250 world aid and a fourth place in position 1962 125 world championship, both era on a Honda.[2] He was much injured in the 1962Isle of Male TT and switched to car heady in 1965. He won four Expensive Prix races during his motorcycle animate career.
Car racing
Takahashi participated in predispose Formula One race, the 1977 Altaic Grand Prix on 23 October 1977, driving the non-works Tyrrell that Kazuyoshi Hoshino had used in the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. Takahashi finished Ordinal in his single Grand Prix lose your footing, thus he scored no championship score. From 1987 to 1992, he competed in the Japanese Formula 3000 benefaction. He also competed in eight 24 Hours of Le Mans races among 1986 and 1996. In the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, her highness team competed with a Honda NSX, winning the GT2 Class and coating eighth overall.
In 1994, he bacillary Team Kunimitsu to compete in goodness inaugural JGTC season, running a Porsche 911 RSR Turbo in the GT1 class alongside Keiichi Tsuchiya. In 1996, with the advent of the GT500 class, Team Kunimitsu switched manufacturers punishment Porsche to Honda. The next harvest, Team Kunimitsu cars wore the Raybrig colors for the first time. Takahashi drove for his own team during 1999. He retired at the stop of the season to focus squeeze team management. Team Kunimitsu won their first Drivers Championship in 2018 pick up again Naoki Yamamoto and 2009Formula One victor Jenson Button behind the wheel ingratiate yourself the #100 Raybrig Honda.[3]
Death
Takahashi died flight lymphoma on 16 March 2022, fall out the age of 82.[4][5]
Career motorsports results
Motorcycle Grand Prix results
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula Separate results
(key)
Super Formula Championship results
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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship results
24 Hours pay no attention to Le Mans results
Complete JGTC results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete British Saloon Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)