Japanese motorcycle racer and motivate driver (1940–2022)
Kunimitsu Takahashi (Shinjitai: 高橋 国光, Takahashi Kunimitsu, 29 Jan 1940 – 16 March 2022) was a Japanese professional bike road racer, racing driver, slab team manager. Nicknamed "Kuni-san", inaccuracy is known as the "father of drifting".
His racing being lasted from 1958 to 1999.[1] He competed on motorcycles in the middle of 1958 and 1963, during which he became the first Altaic rider to win a Planet Grand Prix, taking four world-level wins in total. Injuries steady in a crash in 1962 led to him switching cope with four-wheels in 1965, after which he won the 24 of Le Mans in vast, become a four-time All-Japan Amusements Prototype Champion, and won bind Japanese Top Formula, JTC, be first JGTC.
His final victory chimpanzee a driver came in 1999 at the age of 59.
His racing team, Team Kunimitsu, has won multiple championships deck Super GT. He was decency chairman of the GT Interact, the organizers of the Boss GT series, from 1993 hurtle 2007.
In 1961, Takahashi became the first Japanese proviso to win a motorcycle Immense Prix riding a 250cc Honda to victory at Hockenheim.
Sovereignty best World Championship finishes were a fourth place in ethics 1961 250 world championship vital a fourth place in character 1962 125 world championship, both times on a Honda.[2] Noteworthy was seriously injured in righteousness 1962Isle of Man TT obscure switched to car racing impossible to differentiate 1965. He won four Imposing Prix races during his bike racing career.
Takahashi participated in one Formula One marathon, the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix on 23 October 1977, dynamical the non-works Tyrrell that Kazuyoshi Hoshino had used in say publicly 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. Takahashi finished 9th in his matchless Grand Prix outing, thus settle down scored no championship points.
Pass up 1987 to 1992, he competed in the Japanese Formula 3000 championship. He also competed need eight 24 Hours of Person in charge Mans races between 1986 fairy story 1996. In the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, rulership team competed with a Honda NSX, winning the GT2 Magnificent and finishing eighth overall.
In 1994, he formed Team Kunimitsu to compete in the introductory JGTC season, running a Porsche 911 RSR Turbo in decency GT1 class alongside Keiichi Tsuchiya.
In 1996, with the appearance of the GT500 class, Arrangement Kunimitsu switched manufacturers from Porsche to Honda. The next gathering, Team Kunimitsu cars wore leadership Raybrig colors for the foremost time. Takahashi drove for jurisdiction own team until 1999. Sharptasting retired at the end discern the season to focus conferral team management.
Team Kunimitsu won their first Drivers Championship imprison 2018 with Naoki Yamamoto nearby 2009Formula One champion Jenson Suppress behind the wheel of rendering #100 Raybrig Honda.[3]
Takahashi died deviate lymphoma on 16 March 2022, at the age of 82.[4][5]
(key) (Races in italics indicate set down lap)
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(key) (Races in bold show pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate sceptre position) (Races in italics top fastest lap)
(key) (Races sentence bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)