Kunimitsu Takahashi

Kunimitsu Takahashi
Takahashi in 1963
NationalityJapan Japanese
Born(1940-01-29)29 January 1940
Tokyo, Japan
Died16 March 2022(2022-03-16) (aged 82)
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years19601964
First race1960 250cc German Grand Prix
Last race1964 125cc French Grand Prix
First win1961 250cc German Grand Prix
Last win1962 125cc Spanish Grand Prix
Team(s)Honda
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
129 4 15 N/A 3 107
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1977
Teamsnon-works Tyrrell
Entries1
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1977 Japanese Grand Prix
Last entry1977 Japanese Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years19861990, 19941996
TeamsTeam Kunimitsu Honda, Kremer Racing
Best finish8th (1995)
Class wins1 (1995)

Kunimitsu Takahashi (Shinjitai: 高橋 国光, Takahashi Kunimitsu, 29 January 1940 – 16 March 2022) was a Japanese professional motorcycle road racer, racing driver, and team manager. Nicknamed "Kuni-san", he is 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 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.

His 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.

  1. ^ "Kunimitsu Takahashi Honoured By Japanese Government For Lifelong Sporting Achievements – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 10 December 2020.