Toshio Suzuki (racing driver)
![]() The Toyota GT-One driven by Suzuki at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. | |||||||
Born | 10 March 1955 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
Nationality | ![]() | ||||||
Active years | 1993 | ||||||
Teams | Larrousse | ||||||
Entries | 2 | ||||||
Championships | 0 | ||||||
Wins | 0 | ||||||
Podiums | 0 | ||||||
Career points | 0 | ||||||
Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
First entry | 1993 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||
Last entry | 1993 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
Years | 1985–1986, 1988–1990, 1993, 1995–1996, 1998–2000, 2008 | ||||||
Teams | Dome, Team LeMans, Tom's, NISMO, TV Asahi Team Dragon, Tōkai University YGK | ||||||
Best finish | 2nd (1999) | ||||||
Class wins | 1 (1999) | ||||||
NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 96th (1996) | ||||||
First race | 1996 Meridian Advantage 200 (Nazareth Speedway) | ||||||
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Toshio Suzuki (鈴木 利男, Suzuki Toshio, born 10 March 1955) is a former racing driver from Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Racing career
[edit]As a youth, Suzuki won the All-Japan Kart Championships in 1975 and 1976. In 1979, he took the title of the first All-Japan Formula Three Championship.
In 1992, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona with Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Masahiro Hasemi. In the same year, he was runner-up in the Japanese F3000 championship.
Formula One
[edit]In 1993, he participated in two Formula One Grands Prix, standing in for Philippe Alliot at the Larrousse team. Though he scored no championship points, Suzuki finished both races.
After Formula One
[edit]Suzuki competed mainly in national championships, including the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship (later Formula Nippon), Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC) and All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC). He also participated into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1996, he made a single start in the NASCAR Busch Series, driving for Joe Bessey at Nazareth Speedway; an accident during the race left him with a concussion.[1]
In 2006, he became director of the R&D SPORT in Super GT to continue the team that Direxiv abandoned.
GT-R
[edit]Most recently,[when?] he worked for Nissan as a test driver to help in the development of the R35 Nissan GT-R.
Motorsports career results
[edit]24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]Japanese Formula Two/Formula 3000/Formula Nippon results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Heroes Racing Corporation | SUZ | MIN | SUZ | SUZ | SUZ Ret |
SUZ | NC | 0 | |||||
1982 | Heroes Racing Corporation | SUZ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ | SUZ 9 |
SUZ 12 |
21st | 2 | |||||
1983 | Kondou Racing | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ Ret |
SUZ 6 |
FUJ Ret |
SUZ 9 |
SUZ 10 |
14th | 9 | |||
1984 | Team Le Mans | SUZ 5 |
FUJ 8 |
MIN 3 |
SUZ 7 |
SUZ 9 |
FUJ Ret |
SUZ 10 |
SUZ Ret |
8th | 30 | |||
1987 | Heroes Racing Corporation | SUZ 3 |
FUJ Ret |
MIN 1 |
SUZ 5 |
SUZ 6 |
SUG 8 |
FUJ 2 |
SUZ Ret |
SUZ 5 |
5th | 72 | ||
1989 | Cabin Racing Heroes | SUZ 7 |
FUJ Ret |
MIN 12 |
SUZ 13 |
SUG 8 |
FUJ 20 |
SUZ 17 |
SUZ 6 |
19th | 1 | |||
1990 | Super Evolution Racing | SUZ 20 |
FUJ | MIN 14 |
SUZ 11 |
SUG 8 |
FUJ 11 |
FUJ Ret |
SUZ 22 |
FUJ 11 |
SUZ 12 |
NC | 0 | |
1991 | Universal Racing | SUZ 11 |
AUT DNS |
FUJ 8 |
MIN 5 |
SUZ 5 |
SUG 9 |
FUJ DNQ |
SUZ 11 |
FUJ C |
SUZ 12 |
FUJ 11 |
15th | 4 |
1992 | Universal Racing | SUZ Ret |
FUJ Ret |
MIN Ret |
SUZ 7 |
AUT Ret |
SUG 2 |
FUJ 2 |
FUJ 1 |
SUZ 17 |
FUJ 1 |
SUZ Ret |
2nd | 30 |
1993 | Universal Racing | SUZ 6 |
FUJ 4 |
MIN Ret |
SUZ Ret |
AUT C |
SUG 4 |
FUJ C |
FUJ 1 |
SUZ 3 |
FUJ 5 |
SUZ Ret |
5th | 22 |
1994 | Mirai Corporation | SUZ 7 |
FUJ 6 |
MIN | SUZ | SUG | FUJ | SUZ | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | 16th | 1 | |
1995 | Hoshino Racing | SUZ 5 |
FUJ C |
MIN 2 |
SUZ 1 |
SUG Ret |
FUJ 3 |
TOK 6 |
FUJ 3 |
SUZ 1 |
1st | 34 | ||
1996 | Team Impul | SUZ 18 |
MIN Ret |
FUJ 12 |
TOK 11 |
SUZ 9 |
SUG 10 |
FUJ 7 |
MIN 4 |
SUZ 3 |
FUJ Ret |
12th | 7 | |
1997 | Mirai | SUZ 8 |
MIN 5 |
FUJ 7 |
SUZ Ret |
SUG 4 |
FUJ 16 |
MIN 9 |
MOT 8 |
FUJ Ret |
SUZ 9 |
13th | 5 |
Complete Japanese Touring Car Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Impul | Nissan Skyline GT-R | JTC-1 | NIS 1 |
SUG 1 |
SUZ 2 |
TSU 1 |
SEN 1 |
FUJ 1 |
1st | 230 | ||||||||||
1991 | Impul | Nissan Skyline GT-R | JTC-1 | SUG 1 |
SUZ Ret |
TSU 3 |
SEN 1 |
AUT 2 |
FUJ 1 |
3rd | 174 | ||||||||||
1993 | Nismo | Nissan Skyline GT-R | JTC-1 | MIN 14 |
AUT 5 |
SUG 3 |
SUZ 5 |
AID 2 |
TSU 1 |
TOK 2 |
SEN 18 |
FUJ 3 |
3rd | 106 | |||||||
1995 | Nismo | Nissan Sunny | FUJ 1 |
FUJ 2 |
SUG 1 23 |
SUG 2 Ret |
TOK 1 11 |
TOK 2 6 |
SUZ 1 7 |
SUZ 2 21 |
MIN 1 Ret |
MIN 2 Ret |
AID 1 21 |
AID 2 14 |
SEN 1 8 |
SEN 2 7 |
FUJ 1 NC |
FUJ 2 Ret |
17th | 16 |
Complete JGTC results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | DC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Team Zexel | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT1 | FUJ Ret |
SEN 6 |
FUJ 6 |
SUG 2 |
MIN Ret |
10th | 27 | ||
1995 | Nismo | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT1 | SUZ 2 |
FUJ 4 |
SEN 6 |
FUJ 2 |
SUG 5 |
MIN 7 |
3th | 58 | |
1996 | Nismo | Nissan Skyline GT-R | GT500 | SUZ 6 |
FUJ Ret |
SEN 17 |
FUJ 5 |
SUG 3 |
MIN 10 |
11th | 27 | |
1997 | TOYOTA Castrol TEAM | Toyota Supra | GT500 | SUZ 3 |
FUJ 6 |
SEN 3 |
FUJ 3 |
MIN 3 |
SUG 4 |
3th | 64 | |
1998 | Toyota Castrol Team TOM'S | Toyota Supra | GT500 | SUZ 7 |
FUJ* C |
SEN 6 |
FUJ 11 |
MOT Ret |
MIN 10 |
SUG 2 |
9th | 26 |
1999 | Toyota Castrol Team TOM'S | Toyota Supra | GT500 | SUZ 3 |
FUJ 4 |
SUG 11 |
MIN 2 |
FUJ 15 |
TAI 15 |
MOT 10 |
9th | 38 |
2000 | Toyota Castrol Team TOM'S | Toyota Supra | GT500 | MOT 9 |
FUJ Ret |
SUG 8 |
FUJ 14 |
TAI 12 |
MIN 9 |
SUZ 12 |
21st | 7 |
*The race at Fuji Speedway was cancelled due to a large crash on the first lap and heavy fog afterwards.
Complete Formula One results
[edit](key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Larrousse F1 | Larrousse LH93 | Lamborghini V12 | RSA | BRA | EUR | SMR | ESP | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | JPN 12 |
AUS 14 |
NC | 0 |
NASCAR
[edit](key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
[edit]NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | NBGNC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||
1996 | Joe Bessey Motorsports | 9 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | NSV | DAR | BRI | HCY | NZH 33 |
CLT | DOV | SBO | MYB | GLN | MLW | NHA | TAL | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | HOM | 96th | 64 | [2] |
References
[edit]- ^ Erzar, John (20 March 1996). "Veteran Trickle earns fourth-place finish". Times Leader. Wikes-Barre, PA. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ "Toshio Suzuki – 1996 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Toshio Suzuki driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Profile at grandprix.com
- Living people
- 1955 births
- Sportspeople from Saitama Prefecture
- Japanese racing drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
- Japanese Formula One drivers
- Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivers
- Formula Nippon drivers
- Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
- NASCAR drivers
- Super GT drivers
- Japanese Touring Car Championship drivers
- World Sportscar Championship drivers
- Larrousse Formula One drivers
- Long Distance Series drivers
- TOM'S drivers
- Team LeMans drivers
- Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers
- Nismo drivers