Nationality Japanese Name Kunimitsu Takahashi | Role Racing driver Active years 1977 | |
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Born 29 January 1940 (age 84) ( 1940-01-29 ) Similar People Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Noritake Takahara, Gunnar Nilsson | ||
1995 - Le Mans - A Team Kunimitsu Honda NSX nearly went into the gravel trap
Kunimitsu Takahashi (Shinjitai: 高橋 国光, Takahashi Kunimitsu, born Tokyo, January 29, 1940) is a Japanese former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racing driver. He is considered as the "father of drifting". He was the chairman of the GT-Association, the organizers of the Super GT series, from 1993 to 2007.
Contents
- 1995 Le Mans A Team Kunimitsu Honda NSX nearly went into the gravel trap
- Motorcycle racing
- Car racing
- Motorcycle Grand Prix results
- Complete Formula One results
- References
Motorcycle racing
In 1961, Takahashi became the first Japanese rider to win a motorcycle Grand Prix riding a 250cc Honda to victory at Hockenheim. His best finishes were a fourth place in the 1961 250 world championship and a fourth place in the 1962 125 world championship, both times on a Honda. He was seriously injured in the 1962 Isle of Man TT and switched to car racing in 1965. He won four Grands Prix in his motorcycle racing career.
Car racing
He participated in one Formula One race, the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix on October 23, 1977, driving a non-works Tyrrell. This was in fact the same car that Kazuyoshi Hoshino used in the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. Takahashi finished 9th in his single Grand Prix outing, thus he scored no championship points. From 1987 to 1992, he competed in the Japanese Formula 3000 championship. He also competed in eight 24 Hours of Le Mans races between 1986 and 1996. In the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, his team competed with a Honda NSX, winning the GT2 Class and finishing eighth overall.
Motorcycle Grand Prix results
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One results
(key)