A few years ago i received an email from team ikuzawa in japan. The eccentric and intriguing first japanese family of. Comments off on tetsu ikuzawa, porsche factory driver, wins at 70. Second, 1968 grand prix of japan, tetsu ikuzawa, taki. The modified nissan r380a2s would finish 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the 1967 japan grand prix at fuji, as tetsu ikuzawa, now driving a porsche 906, won the race. It touched me before entering the first corner, shooting jochen rindt, who at that time was one of the best drivers in the world and who six months later became the only postmortem champion of formula 1. Exoto 196674 exoto porsche 910 second, 1968 grand prix. Satoru nakajima arrived in formula 1 thanks to the support of his longtime partners honda. Shes the founder of the londonbased creative agency bow wow international. Test ikuzawa was born on august 21, 1942, he is the son of a renowned japenese painter rou ikuzawa. Alan cathcart recently gave it the ultimate test along with his leathers before he becase the first japanese driver to reach the big time on car racing s world stage, tetsu ikuzawa s racing career was on two wheels as part. Guy edwards born 30 dec 1942 macclesfield, cheshire.
Twinspark ceo leonard stolk hosted a small dinner in amsterdam last week. Twinspark racings japanese porsche connection twinspark racing. Retracing tyre tracks with racing legend richard attwood. Championship points standings for the formula 2 europe 1970. He unsuccessfully entered two formula one grands prix with maki, the first in the netherlands in 1975 where a blown engine prevented him from starting, and the second at the british gp the same year, where he failed to qualify. Son of a painter, tetsu studied art before turning to racing, where he had a huge amount success. Team profile for tetsu ikuzawa, including a comprehensive list of race entries for team ikuzawa, tetsu ikuzawa, tetsu ikuzawa racing partnership. Second, 1968 grand prix of japan, tetsu ikuzawa, taki exoto inc. Exoto motorbox 196674 exoto porsche 910 mtb00064b v1 details. Tetsu ikuzawa, brabham bt21b mike hayward collection. The eccentric and intriguing first japanese family of european racing tetsu ikuzawa and his daughter mai share a passion for style, originality and the twist that makes the difference racing cars. Tetsu ikuzawa and his daughter mai share a passion for style, originality and the. Lightweight eb porsche doors just had these pics through from our mate and japanese historic racing champion, tetsu ikuzawa, of his immaculate short wheelbase 911 fitted with lightweight porsche doors made by yorkshires eb motorsport. A pictorial and video celebration of historys coolest kids, everything from.
If the championship is more important, the driver gets more points. If the skyline gtb didnt exist, i would have chosen another path in life. Tetsu ikuzawa motor sport magazine database our new database page will launch shortly. A playstation racing game featuring driver tetsu ikuzawa and vehicles from his career in the 1960s1970s. Jun, 2017 the daughter of japanese cult motorsport hero tetsu ikuzawa, mai ikuzawa grew up, quite literally, at the racetracks of japan and europe, and while she was resistant to the automotive bug at first, a deep appreciation and passion for car culture soon became engrained in her. Despite the princes relative heft and crude engineering, ikuzawa overtook the porsche to lead the race for a spell, bringing the crowd to its. Tetsu ikuzawa seems to have inherited some of the artistic talents of his father, and joins art school. Why is he so important to racing history, porsche history, and the history of cars in japan.
Tetsu subsequently ran a japanese f2 team, fostered the first japanese f1 driver satoru nakajima and was director of the nissan europe racing team. Jun 05, 2017 in 1968, tetsu ikuzawa became the first porsche factory racing team driver. The driver gets points if he finishes in the first six positions of every race 2. Races, wins, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps. Awarded a queens gallantry medal for his attempts to save niki lauda after laudas crash at the nurburgring in 1976, guy later became a hugely successful sponsorship consultant, a role he took up straight after racing retirement, and in that particular field of the sport, he was a hugely significant and influential person.
Twinspark racings japanese porsche connection twinspark. Mai ikuzawa is a racer, graphic designer, style icon, and entrepreneur. Full details of racing driver tetsu ikuzawa s record. That was the first time such a title was claimed by a japanese driver in the european racing circuit. The origins of stewart go way back to 1994 when japanese driver tetsu ikuzawa started his own formula one project, in which he planned to. Alec mildren was an alfa romeo importer and dealer from australia who ran his own racing team during the 1960s and 70s. A legendary race that has been named the skyline legend among japanese race fans. Sale now on shop now show promotion message hide promotion message. Biography of the japanese racer tetsu ikuzawa who drove the porsche 908 as a factory driver in the 1968 watkins glenn 6h.
Tecno racing team driver clay regazzoni clinched the championship title. The writer introduced himself as tetsu ikuzawa and announced that he wanted to visit twinspark central. When i first got the invite to visit tetsu ikuzawa at his warehouse i will admit i had to do a bit of research. Throughout the 70s, tetsu and his signal yellow 911 targa s were. After graduating tetsu ikuzawa cant resist to follow his passion and start a career as a motor cycle rider. The origins of stewart go way back to 1994 when japanese driver tetsu ikuzawa started his own formula one project, in which he planned to enter the championship by 1998. In early 1994 tetsu ikuzawa, a former japanese formula 2 and formula 3 driver from the 1970s, and successful businessman, started his own formula one project with the intention to enter the sport during the period of 199698. Beuttler, ikuzawa, walker, miles and morgan mike beuttler, brabham bt21. Throughout the 70s, tetsu and his signal yellow 911 targa s were well know through the pit lanes in europe.
Later a team boss, who now lives in both tokyo and london, involved in promotion and management, as is his daughter, who also races. What was the feeling of the team and drivers when tetsu ikuzawa passed the porsche. Mai ikuzawa london, greater london, united kingdom. Throughout the 70s, tetsu and his signal yellow 911 targa s were well know. From tokyo to battersea with creative mastermind mai ikuzawa. Hiroshi fushida is a former racing driver from japan.
Race 1971 jochen rindt trophy was part of the 1971 european f2 trophy and was won by graham hill on 19710412 00. Sunako finished third in his white number 12 r380a2, behind his teammate another driver whod made the switch from motorcycles to car racing, kunimitsu takahashi. Whatever it was, these fantastic sets of results got nakajima noticed by tetsu ikuzawa, back then one of the few, if not the only japanese driver to have any notable results in european racing, not to mention he was ridiculously stylish. Aug 14, 2017 when i first got the invite to visit tetsu ikuzawa at his warehouse i will admit i had to do a bit of research. Driver profile with all the results,graphs,team mates and stats. Tetsu ikuzawa unlocked the door to the honda parts bin to build the ultimate project cb seven fifty. After graduating from the school of art, nihon university, he began his career as a motor cycle rider. A selection of photos of formula 3 racing cars and drivers. Mar 28, 20 the skyline would not defeat the porsche, a more purposefully built racing with a top speed of over 250 kilometers per hour, but sunakos driver colleague, tetsu ikuzawa, would edge his way. Profile for racing driver satoru nakajima from japan. Race 1, 4 and 6 was won by a graded driver, all graded drivers are shown in italics. My father tetsu ikuzawa on pole position tetsu, f1 racing, trans am, indy. His formula 1 career never really started but geoff lees is the only man to have won formula 2 titles in both europe and japan. Early racing career interested in cars from an early age, his passion was.
Dec 20, 2012 comments off on tetsu ikuzawa, porsche factory driver, wins at 70. A cursory search opened my eyes, and made me insanely excited. Race 2, 5, 6 and 7 were held in two heats, with results shown in aggregate. Tetsu ikuzawa, brabham bt21b tetsu ikuzawa, frank williams racing brabham bt21b, before retiring with engine trouble on lap 12, f3 clearways trophy, british grand prix, brands hatch, 1968. It was a great feeling when ikuzawa passed the 904. The eccentric and intriguing first japanese family of european racing. Looking good in yellow tetsu ikuzawa and his 911 s targa. Race 1 and 4 were held with two semifinal heats and the final run, with time only shown for the final. His was a successful 30year career in singleseaters and sports cars although his talent was ultimately unfulfilled at the very highest level. However, his opportunity on the international stage came too late in his career. In his debut race, the first japan grand prix in 1963, tetsu ikuzawa. Full details of racing driver tetsu ikuzawas record. Said former racing driver and nissan executive kazuyoshi hoshino.
The 24 hours of le mans postponed to 1920 september 2020 read more. He was essentially a hero in japanese racing, so being ikuzawa s protege was a big deal. He raced against other european racing legends including. The 1970 european formula two season was contested over 8 rounds. The austrian was surprised when an argentine who debuted. The daughter of japanese cult motorsport hero tetsu ikuzawa, mai ikuzawa grew up, quite literally, at the racetracks of japan and europe, and while she was resistant to the automotive bug at first, a deep appreciation and passion for car culture soon became engrained in her. I thought prince had a real chance to win the race. The skyline would not defeat the porsche, a more purposefully built racing with a top speed of over 250 kilometers per hour, but sunakos driver colleague, tetsu ikuzawa, would edge his.
Raced in europe, america and japan, but his f1 hopes failed when he tried to run his own team, which never really succeeded. Born on august 21, 1942, he is the son of a renowned painter rou ikuzawa. Now in his seventies, tetsu did his first classic racing last year, using a 911 in the sideways trophy championship, and beat younger drivers in lighter cars to the flag. The driver gets points if he finishes in the first. Classic driver paid her a visit the daughter of japanese cult motorsport hero tetsu ikuzawa, mai ikuzawa grew up, quite literally, at the racetracks of japan and europe, and while she was resistant to the automotive bug at first, a deep. Click on the race name to see the results of that race. Because porsche wanted drivers of different nationalities to promote its cars around the world, i was teamed up with tetsu ikuzawa from japan for a race at watkins glen in 1968. Read about tetsu izukawa and the history of driving shoes on the journal on the official bally website. My father tetsu ikuzawa with legend and porsche works teammate jochen rindt who died so young at monza 1970 ikuzawa tetsu ikuzawa. Mai ikuzawa was born in tokyo as the only child to japans most celebrated grand prix racing driver, tetsu ikuzawa, and was raised within the world of international motor racing where she.
As it happens, the prince was driven by tetsu ikuzawa, who would later become porsches only japanese factory driver. Jun 05, 2016 said former racing driver and nissan executive kazuyoshi hoshino. Classic driver paid her a visit the daughter of japanese cult motorsport hero tetsu ikuzawa, mai ikuzawa grew up, quite literally, at the racetracks of japan and europe, and while she was resistant to the automotive bug at first, a deep appreciation and passion for car culture soon became engrained in her. Profile for racing driver tetsu ikuzawa from japan. Invited along were two of the most wellknown porsche works racing drivers of the factorys late 60s and early 70s heyday. Her father, tetsu ikuzawa, is a renowned international racing legend. But as time went by, the team would become stewart grand prix, now better known as red bull racing. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was only one racing driver from japan tetsu ikuzawa.
Tetsu ikuzawa france patrick dal bo, sigma mc73mazda, s. Porsche centre willoughby tetsu ikuzawa and his 911. But far from easy gains, he is, to say the least, a man forged in. Tetsu ikuzawa racing career profile driver database. Tetsu ikuzawa profile with all the results,graphs,team mates and stats. That said, i think racing drivers in general are quite selfish by nature. The daughter of japanese cult motorsport hero tetsu ikuzawa, mai. Half a century ago, carlos reutemann was 28 years old. In 1968, tetsu ikuzawa became the first porsche factory racing team driver. The hakosuka nissan skyline gtr was a legend well before. Japans bestknown racing driver and its first fulltime grand prix star, he was a fivetime champion in his countrys competitive formula 2 series.