Kunimitsu Takahashi

was a Japanese professional motorcycle road racer, racing driver, and team manager. Nicknamed "Kuni-san", he is known as the "father of drifting".

Takahashi's racing career lasted from 1958 to 1999. He competed on motorcycles between 1958 and 1963, during which he became the first Japanese rider to win a World Grand Prix, taking four world-level wins in total. Injuries sustained in a crash in 1962 led to him switching to four-wheels in 1965, after which he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in class, become a four-time All-Japan Sports Prototype Champion, and won in Japanese Top Formula, JTC, and JGTC. His final victory as a driver came in 1999 at the age of 59.

Takahashi's racing team, Team Kunimitsu, has won multiple championships in Super GT. He was the chairman of the GT Association, the organizers of the Super GT series, from 1993 to 2007.

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 World Championship 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 Grand Prix races during his motorcycle racing career.

Car racing Takahashi participated in one Formula One race, the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix on 23 October 1977, driving the non-works Tyrrell that Kazuyoshi Hoshino had used in the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. Takahashi finished ninth 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.

In 1994, Takahashi formed Team Kunimitsu to compete in the 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 from Porsche to Honda. The next year, Team Kunimitsu cars wore the Raybrig colors for the first time. Takahashi drove for his own team until 1999. He retired at the end of the season to focus on team management. Team Kunimitsu won their first Drivers Championship in 2018 with Naoki Yamamoto and 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button behind the wheel of the #100 Raybrig Honda.

Death Takahashi died from lymphoma on 16 March 2022, at the age of 82.

Career motorsports results

Motorcycle Grand Prix results (key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Points Rank Wins 1960 125cc Honda IOM NED BEL ULS NAT 1 10th 0 250cc Honda IOM NED BEL GER ULS NAT 6 7th 01961 125cc Honda ESP GER FRA IOM NED BEL DDR ULS NAT SWE ARG 24 5th 1 250cc Honda ESP GER FRA IOM NED BEL DDR ULS NAT SWE ARG 29 4th 11962 50cc Honda ESP FRA IOM NED BEL GER DDR NAT FIN ARG 7 9th 0 125cc Honda ESP FRA IOM NED BEL GER ULS DDR NAT FIN ARG 16 4th 21963 50cc Honda ESP GER FRA IOM NED BEL FIN ARG JPN 0 - 0 125cc Honda ESP GER FRA IOM NED BEL ULS DDR FIN NAT ARG JPN 14 7th 0 250cc Honda ESP GER IOM NED BEL ULS DDR NAT ARG JPN 7 9th 01964 50cc Honda USA ESP FRA IOM NED BEL GER FIN JPN 0 - 0 125cc Honda USA ESP FRA IOM NED GER DDR ULS FIN NAT JPN 3 14th 0

Complete Formula One results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points 1977 Meiritsu Racing Team Tyrrell 007 Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW ESP MON BEL SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN JPN NC 0

Super Formula Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship results

24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1986 Kremer Racing Jo Gartner Sarel van der Merwe Porsche 962C C1 169 NC NC 1987 Kris Nissen Volker Weidler C1 6 DNF DNF 1988 Hideki Okada Bruno Giacomelli C1 370 9th 9th 1989 Bruno Giacomelli Giovanni Lavaggi C1 303 DNF DNF 1990 Sarel van der Merwe Hideki Okada C1 279 24th 21st 1994 Kremer Honda Racing Keiichi Tsuchiya Akira Iida Honda NSX GT2 GT2 222 18th 9th 1995 Team Kunimitsu Keiichi Tsuchiya Akira Iida GT2 275 8th 1st 1996 Keiichi Tsuchiya Akira Iida GT2 305 16th 3rd

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.) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Pts Class 1985 Mitsubishi Colt Racing Mitsubishi Starion Turbo SIL OUL THR DON THR SIL DON SIL SNE BRH BRH SILovr:9cls:8 NC 0 NC

Complete Japanese Touring Car Championship results Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Pts 1986 STP Ralliart Mitsubishi Starion Turbo Div.3NISSUGTSUSENFUJSUZ ? ? 1987 STP Ralliart Mitsubishi Starion Turbo Div.3NISSENTSUSUGFUJSUZ ? ? 1988 STP Ralliart Mitsubishi Starion Turbo JTC-1SUZNISSENTSUSUGFUJ ? ? 1992 Team Taisan Nissan Skyline GT-R JTC-1AIDAUTSUGSUZMINTSUSENFUJ 9th 74 1993 Team Taisan Nissan Skyline GT-R JTC-1MINAUTSUGSUZAIDTSUTOKSENFUJ 11th 59