1. Kunimitsu Takahashi was a Japanese professional motorcycle road racer, racing driver, and team manager.
15 Facts About Kunimitsu Takahashi
1. 2.
Kunimitsu Takahashi 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.
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Kunimitsu Takahashi's racing team, Team Kunimitsu, has won multiple championships in Super GT.
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Kunimitsu Takahashi was the chairman of the GT Association, the organizers of the Super GT series, from 1993 to 2007.
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In 1961, Takahashi became the first Japanese rider to win a motorcycle Grand Prix riding a 250cc Honda to victory at Hockenheim.
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Kunimitsu Takahashi was seriously injured in the 1962 Isle of Man TT and switched to car racing in 1965.
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Kunimitsu Takahashi won four Grand Prix races during his motorcycle racing career.
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Kunimitsu 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.
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Kunimitsu Takahashi finished 9th in his single Grand Prix outing, thus he scored no championship points.
10.
Kunimitsu Takahashi competed in eight 24 Hours of Le Mans races between 1986 and 1996.
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In 1994, he formed Team Kunimitsu Takahashi to compete in the inaugural JGTC season, running a Porsche 911 RSR Turbo in the GT1 class alongside Keiichi Tsuchiya.
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In 1996, with the advent of the GT500 class, Team Kunimitsu Takahashi switched manufacturers from Porsche to Honda.
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The next year, Team Kunimitsu Takahashi cars wore the Raybrig colors for the first time.
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Kunimitsu Takahashi retired at the end of the season to focus on team management.
15.
Kunimitsu Takahashi died from lymphoma on 16 March 2022, at the age of 82.