Tomiko Yoshikawa

is a Japanese racing driver who competed in junior open-wheel racing and sports car categories. She entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times, the 24 Hours of Daytona once and also raced in her native Japan in such series as the All-Japan Formula Three Championship and the Fuji Grand Champion Series. In 1991 she was part of the first all-female LeMans driving team, driving with Lyn St. James and Desiré Wilson.

Biography Yoshikawa was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan on 10 May 1954; her family owned a fruit and vegetable shop. She played softball until she became frustrated with her pitching methodology and is a high school dropout. Aged 20, Yoshikawa received an invitation from the brother-in-law of a motor racing driver to participate in an amateur event at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture and went on to visit the track every weekend. In 1980, Yoshikawa began racing in open-wheel racing cars. Yoshikawa did one race in 1981 at Suzuka (part of the ) and finished 16th in a Team Equip-fielded Oscar T3B-Toyota vehicle and went unclassified in that year's points standings.

In 1992, Yoshikawa became the first Japanese women to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by obtaining a FIA Super S license, That same year, she, Divina Galica and Harada came seventh overall at the 1992 1000 km of Suzuka (part of the World Sportscar Championship). Yoshikawa went on to race the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona for the Tom Gloy Racing team. Sharing a Ford Mustang with Canadians Pieter Baljet and Ron Fellows as well as South Africa's Desiré Wilson, she placed 47th following a crash. She then failed to finish the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans in Courage Compétition's C30LM-Porsche entry alongside Alessandro Gini and Carlos Moran due to an tyre failure that caused an accident. Yoshikawa, Gordon Kellett and Matsuda retired from the Suzuka 1000 km due to their Lotus Esprit Sport 300 overheating. Jun Harada, Tomiko Yoshikawa, and Masahiko Kondou at the 1994 Le Mans in a Porsche 962C.

At the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, Yoshikawa, Hurada and Masahiko Kondō did not reach enough distance to be classified in their LMP1/C90-category ADA Team Nippon-entered Porsche 962C GTi. Yoshikawa, Luciano Della Noce and Anders Olofsson's Strandell Motorsport Ferrari F40 was disqualified from the 1994 Suzuka 1000 km due to an illegal overtake. Her final appearance at Le Mans came in when she, Kenny Acheson and Alain Ferté's LMGT1-category SARD-entered SARD MC8-R-Toyota failed due to clutch trouble. Yoshikawa spent the following ten years racing solely in Japan without much success. She became a motorsport advisor to Bridgestone and cared for stray cats in a rented home.

Career results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results