Kenji Takahashi (racing driver)

Kenji Takahashi
NationalityJapanese
Born(1946-05-18)18 May 1946
Tokyo, Japan
Died1 January 2005(2005-01-01) (aged 58)
Previous series
19741976
19761986
19841990
19861991
19961997
FJ1300 Championship
All-Japan Formula Two Championship
All Japan Endurance Championship
Japanese Touring Car Championship
All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship
Championship titles
19851986
1990
All Japan Endurance Championship
Japanese Touring Car Championship
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1987
TeamsNISMO
Best finishDNF (1987)
Class wins0

Kenji Takahashi (高橋 健二, Takahashi Kenji, 18 May 1946 – 1 January 2005) was a Japanese racing driver.

Racing career

Takahashi began his racing career in 1969, driving a Datsun Sports in Minor Touring, a companion championship to the Fuji Grand Champion Series; he also raced a Nissan Fairlady Z and Sunny Coupe in these championships and winning a championship in the Sunny.[1]

Takahashi was most commonly associated with the ADVAN brand of tires;[2] he would most often be found racing a Porsche 956 or 962 alongside compatriot Kunimitsu Takahashi (no relation), usually with ADVAN branding. Takahashi won the 1985 and 1986 All Japan Endurance Championships as well as the 1990 Japanese Touring Car Championship; he is a two-time winner of the Suzuka 1000 km. Takahashi retired from racing in 1997.[citation needed]

Takahashi died of liver cirrhosis on 1 January 2005; he was 58 years old. Kunimitsu Takahashi, a close friend, eulogized him at his funeral.[3]

Racing record

Complete FJ1300 results

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

Year Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
1974 March 733 SUZ FUJ
1
SUZ
6
SUZ
SUZ
SUZ
? ?
1975 March 733 SUZ SUZ
3
SUZ
2
FUJ FUJ ? ?
Alpine A364 MIN
3
SUZ
Ret
SUZ
1976 March 733 SUZ FUJ SUZ
2
SUZ SUZ ? ?

Complete All-Japan Formula 2000/Formula Two results

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

Year Team Chassis Engine Tire 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
1976 Murakami & Co. Tomei Jidosha March 742 BMW M12/7 2.0 I4 D FUJ
Ret
SUZ
3
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
Ret
SUZ
4
5th 28
1977 March 742 D SUZ
12
SUZ
8
MIN
Ret
SUZ
15
FUJ
6
FUJ
6
SUZ
2
SUZ
5
7th 36
1978 Murakami Shokai RS Watanabe Tomei March 742 Kai D SUZ
8
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
2
SUZ
2
SUZ MIN
3
SUZ
3
4th 55
1979 March 782 SUZ
5
MIN
3
SUZ
1
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
8
SUZ
2
SUZ
5
3rd 63 (66)
1980 Murakami & Co. Tomei Jidosha March 782 SUZ
5
MIN
DNS
SUZ SUZ C 12th 7
Team ADVAN March 802 Y SUZ
10
SUZ
Ret
1981 ADVAN Tomei Jidosha March 802
March 812
Y SUZ
8
SUZ
9
SUZ
8
SUZ
2
SUZ
6
6th 29
1982 March 822 SUZ
4
FUJ
1
SUZ
3
SUZ
5
SUZ
6
SUZ
9
4th 50 (58)
1983 ADVAN PIAA Tomei March 822
March 832
SUZ
8
FUJ
1
MIN
6
SUZ
5
SUZ
3
FUJ
2
SUZ
3
SUZ
14
3rd 71 (74)
1984 ADVAN PIAA Nova Tomei March 842 SUZ
Ret
FUJ
9
MIN
10
SUZ
6
SUZ
12
FUJ
7
SUZ
12
SUZ
9
11th 15
1985 Team ADVAN March 85J SUZ
6
FUJ
5
MIN SUZ
Ret
SUZ
8
FUJ
3
SUZ
9
SUZ
6
9th 37
1986 Team ADVAN March 86J Yamaha OX66 2.0 V6 SUZ
Ret
FUJ
6
MIN
7
SUZ
10
SUZ
10
FUJ
8
SUZ
Ret
SUZ
10
12th 16

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main race
1979 Japan Tomei Motor Nova 53P DNS NC NC

Complete JSPC results

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

Year Team Co-driver(s) Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DC Points
1984 ADVAN Sport Nova Japan Kunimitsu Takahashi
United Kingdom Geoff Lees
Porsche 956 C1 SUZ TSU SUZ
1
FUJ 9th 20
1985 Japan Kunimitsu Takahashi Porsche 962C C1 SUZ
3
FUJ
Ret
FUJ
1
SUZ
1
FUJ
Ret
FUJ
1
1st 72
1986 Japan Kunimitsu Takahashi C1 SUZ
1
FUJ
1
FUJ
2
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
8
FUJ
2
1st 70
1987 Hoshino Racing Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
United Kingdom Dave Scott
Nissan R87E C1 SUZ
Ret
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
6
FUJ
16
SEN
C
FUJ
Ret
30th 9
Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino Nissan R86V FUJ
8
1988 Calsonic NISMO Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
Japan Toshio Suzuki
Nissan R88C C1 FUJ
Ret
SUZ
6
FUJ
7
FUJ
5
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
9
18th 20
1989 Ba-Tsu ADVAN Alpha Tomei Japan Kazuo Mogi
Italy Giovanni Lavaggi
Porsche 962C C1 FUJ
9
FUJ
10
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
10
? ?
1990 Taisan SG Alpha Racing United Kingdom Will Hoy
Sweden Stanley Dickens
Porsche 962C C1 FUJ
FUJ
C
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
2
FUJ
? ?

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1987 Japan NISMO Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino
Japan Keiji Matsumoto
Nissan R87E C1 181 DNF DNF

Complete Japanese Touring Car Championship results

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

Year Team Co-driver Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 DC Points
1986 STP/Ralliart Japan Kunimitsu Takahashi Mitsubishi Starion DIV.3 MIN SUG TSU SEN FUJ
Ret
SUZ NC 0
1987 ADVAN Sports Tomei Japan Takao Wada Nissan Skyline RS Turbo DIV.3 MIN
Ret
SEN
3
TSU
3
SUG
4
FUJ
7
SUZ
7
? ?
1988 Reebok Hasemi MS Japan Masahiro Hasemi Nissan Skyline GTS-R JTC-1 SUZ
5
MIN
Ret
SEN
Ret
TSU
8
SUG
5
FUJ
Ret
? ?
1989 Taisan ADVAN Alpha Sweden Stanley Dickens BMW M3 (E30) JTC-2 MIN
1
SEN
1
TSU
1
SUG
1
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
1
1st 126
1990 Team Taisan United Kingdom Will Hoy JTC-2 MIN
7
SUG
Ret
SUZ
2
TSU
2
SEN
1
FUJ
Ret
5th 62
1991 Team Taisan Japan Keiichi Tsuchiya Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) JTC-1 SUG
Ret
SUZ
2
TSU
2
SEN
3
AUT
4
FUJ
3
6th 128

Complete JGTC results

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

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 DC Points
1996 AI Auto Racing Porsche 911 RS GT300 SUZ
6
FUJ
Ret
SEN FUJ
4
SUG
11
MIN
9
12th 18
1997 GT300 SUZ
Ret
FUJ
Ret
SEN
11
FUJ
9
MIN
5
SUG
11
19th 10

References

  1. ^ "【素晴らしきハコの世界②】「日産 チェリー」はFFツーリングカーの代表選手となった". web.motormagazine.co.jp (in Japanese). 20 March 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  2. ^ ""不屈の魂"をもつレーサー。和田孝夫とADVANの物語。". Yokohama Rubber Company (in Japanese). 25 December 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  3. ^ "レーシングドライバー高橋健二さんが死去". nonstoplog.blog3.fc2.com (in Japanese). 22 January 2005. Retrieved 28 June 2023.