Some Japanese Open Wheel Drivers You’ve Probably Never Heard of

Thus, should we just consider them as One Hit Wonders?

 

Like many story ideas here at No Fenders, this one’s been simmerin’ a long, long time on Ye Isle ‘O Nofendersville. But I finally thought I’d take it off the Stove so to speak since after all we’re All supposed to be in a Tizzy over the Delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, who are doing their Bestest impersonation of Mother Speedway and Circuit de la Sarthe racing without any Fans last year…

 

Presumably there’s many more Japanese Open Wheel Racing Drivers currently competing around the Globe, but I no longer have the energy, or more suscintly the time to try ferreting All of them out, especially since Japan runs a Derth of Open Wheel Racing series, most notably Super Formula, where current IndyCar Points leader Alex Palou came from.

 

Thus I’ll just focus on this Trio of presumably Forgotten aspiring Open Wheel Racers, whom I’m Arse-suming it was one of Grizzled F1 Journo’ Joe Saward’s blog posts several years ago where I gleamed Thar names from.

 

As these three virtual Unknowns, who raced in the former World Series Formula V-8 3.5 series and FIA Formula 2 championship never quite made it to Formula 1.

 

And I’ll let Y’all ponder in this veritable exercise of Nation building, as the world watches the Tokyo Olympics with Baited Breath. Does it matter if Japan, and more specifically Honda has a future Japanese driver in IndyCar’s after Takuma Sato finally retires?

 

Thars’ the Gun, And there Off!

 

Yu Kanamaru

Series: World Series Formula V-8 3.5

Years: 2015-2017

 

As ‘Ol Sargent Schultz would say, “I Know Nothing” about Yu Kanamaru, whom somehow I discovered Wayback in the languishing days of the once prolific World Series by Renault 3.5 series, after it had lost it’s Renault Funding and has since ceased operations in 2017. As I’m guessing this was because I was very interested in Pietro Fittipaldi’s title challenge when the young Brazilian won the final Formula V-8 3.5 Championship that year.

 

Kanamaru graduated to Single Seaters in 2012 from Karting and took a surprise victory at Spa francorchamps in that year’s Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series before bouncing around in several other lower tier Open Wheel Feeder series.

 

Kanamaru then made his Formula Renault 3.5 series debut in 2015 with a finish of 18^th Overall as a replacement driver for Meindert Van Buuren. As Yu continued in the World Series Formula V-8 3.5 Championship for the next two years with finishes of 8^th and 7^th Overall respectively.

 

Next, Yu moved onto the Japanese Formula 3 series, Touring Cars, the F3 Asian and Formula Regional Japanese Championship  Open Wheel Racing Feeder series the past few years.

 

Nirei Fukuzumi

Series: FIA Formula 2 Championship

Years: 2018

 

Like the majority of today’s aspiring Open Wheel Racers, Nirei began Go Kart racing in 2010 before graduating to Single Seaters in 2014, contesting various Japanese F4 Championships.

 

In 2015 Fukuzumi contested the Japanese Formula 3 series, where he won two races during his Rookie campaign en route to fourth in the championship.

 

For 2016 Nirei moved to the then GP3 Championship, joining ART Grand Prix where he collected three podiums  and  finished in 7^th place during his Rookie season. Staying with ART Grand Prix another year, Fukuzumi claimed two Feature Race wins, finishing an impressive third overall behind team-mates George Russell and Jack Aitken, with Russell winning the title.  

 

For 2018 Fukuzumi moved up to Formula 2, driving for BWT Arden for one season, finishing a modest 17^th overall, ironically scoring 17 points.

 

For the past three years, Nirei has split his time between racing “Saloons” for Autobacs Racing Team Aguri along with racing in the Super Formula series for Dandelion Racing.

 

And Yeah, that Tintops team is run by Aguri Suzuki, a former Formula 1 Driver. As Fukuzumi won the Japanese GT300 Series title in 2019 behind the wheel of an Acura NSX.  

 

Tadasuke Makino

Series: FIA Formula 2 championship

Years: 2018

 

Tadasuke is another “Mystery” driver to Mwah, and any in depth background on his racing career seems hard to find. Presumably he began Go Karting at an early age, with the 2015 Japanese F4 Series as his Single Seater Debut, where he claimed six Wins, four Poles and 11 Podiums en route to runner-up in the Championship.

 

For 2016 Tadasuke graduated to the Japanese Formula 3 series where he recorded one Pole position and four Podiums en route to finishing fifth overall. Next, Makino moved up to the FIA F3 European Championship in 2017 with modest results, recording just one Podium and finishing 15^th overall.

 

Tadasuke then joined the reigning FIA Formula 2 Team Champions Russian Time Racing for 2018 and claimed his maiden F2 win at Monza’s Feature race, finishing P13 Overall before leaving the series.

 

Like Fukuzumi above, Makino has since focused upon splitting his time between Domestic Saloon racing and the Super Formula series. He’s the reigning Super GT Champion,

Albeit making his series debut in 2016 when he contested three events. Whilst Tadasuke has just won the latest (2021) Super GT round at Motegi with Co-Driver Naomi Yamamoto… 

INDYCAR: 2018 Rookie Class - Full Season Contendahs'

As it's almost time to light this candle!

This year's influx of rookie IndyCar drivers has to be the largest in many years, or at least that I can remember. With a total of 9 - if I've done my ryth-Muh-tickin' correctly? Number Nine? No. 9, Numeral Nein?

Yet as Yuhs know, two are waiting in the Wings, and will take Thar Curtain Calls at Phoenix, albeit they're part of a rotating cast 'O seven...

But only three are currently set to contest the full season, and hence most likely one of these three will become the 2018 Rookie Of the year. (ROY)

AJ Foyt Enterprises
Engine: Chevrolet

#4) R-Matheus Leist, Brazil

Age: 19

Career  Highlights

Matheus, albeit I wanna call him Maverick, presumably since I think of Maverick "top Gun" Vinales when Lucy', my ARSE-Steamed Screen Reader reads his name, faux-netically sounding very similar; but I digress...

As the young Brazilian began Go Karting at age 11 in 2009 before finishing runner-up in the 2013 Petrobras Karting Championship.

. He made his Single Seater debut in 2014 and in only his third season won the BRDC Formula 3 title with Double R Racing, who were originally formed by Kimi Raikkonen and Steve Robertson.

Leist tested for multiple GP3 teams in the fall of 2016 before signing with Carlin to contest the 2017 Indy Lights series. As his biggest accomplishment was winning the coveted Freedom 100.

While the Brazilian teenager notched a total of three Lights victories en route to fourth overall, one place ahead of Zachery Claman DeMelo.

Matheus takes over the seat previously held by Conor Daly for A.J. Foyt's team this year, where he'll partner the series "elder Statesman," his countryman TK' Follow-your-Schnoz! Kanaan.

Andretti Autosport

Engine: Honda

#26) R-Zach Veach; USA

Age: 23

Career  Highlights

Zach began Go Karting with his father before reportedly being discovered by Sarah Fisher's father Dave in '09, making the transition to Single Seaters when testing a Formula BMW racecar.

Veach latched onto Andretti Autosport beginning in 2010, where he contested the majority of that season's U.S. F2000 series, before winning the 2011 U.S. F2000 Winterfest title ahead of then Andretti team-mate Spencer Pigot.

After a second season in U.S. F2000, he moved up to the then Star Mazda series, where he finished 10th overall. Next he moved up to Indy Lights in 2013, and finished seventh overall.

Veach contested a second Lights season with Andretti in 2014, where he finished third overall,

while winning three races.

Next he sat out the 2015 season after having surgery on his hand before returning to Lights with Balardi Auto Racing. And once again he mirrored his 2014 season results, scoring another three W's' en route to third overall.

In 2017 Veach was summoned to deputize for the injured J.R. Hildebrand at Ed Carpenter Racing at thee Oh, So Booty-full Barber's Grand Prix of Alabama, finishing 19th before contesting his maiden Indy 500 for A.J. Foyt enterprises in their third entry, finishing P26 after retiring on Lap-155.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Engine: Honda

#6) R-Robert Wickens, Canada

Age: 28

Career Highlights

As I've prattled on here on No Fenders from time-to-time, Robert will forever be known as "thee Young Wicky" to Mwah, which ironically his SPM B-I-G BOYZ' teammate thou Mayor 'O Hinchtown nicknamed him way back during their Champ Car Atlantic days.

And perhaps Messer Wickens, who'll celebrate his 29th birthday two days after his maiden IndyCar race will score a Top-10 finish as a present to himself? Although I'm not trying to place too much pressure on him.

Wickens CV is simply amazing, and out of this trio of IndyCar Drivers has the most impressive results, and simply is a total BAD ARSE!

Robert, or robby as James Hinchcliffe seems to be calling him these days, began as a multi-times Go Karting champion Up North Eh! Since he also resides from Toronto.

Then he began a stellar Single Seater career in Formula BMW USA in '05, finishing third overall and best Rookie finisher. He returned for a second season, now as a Red Bull Junior member and won the Formula BMW USA title at "Sweet 16!"

Then, when I learned of him Wayback in '07 during his move up to Champ Car Atlantic, where I witnessed him win at Portland, he finished third overall, one place ahead of his buddy Hinch', before moving to Europe.

Wickens finished third overall for Carlin in the then World Series by Renault, before finishing runner-up in the short lived three-year iteration of FIA Formula 2, run by Dr. Jonathan Palmer.

He continued his Bridesmaid routine next during his GP3 campaign, behind Esteban Gutierrez, who'd become a Sauber and Haas F1 driver in the future.

In 2011 he returned to the Formula Renault 3.5 series, where he took the title ahead of his team-Mate Jean-Eric Vergne and somebody named Alexander Rossi! As the latter Duo would also graduate to Formula 1.

Wickens became a reserve  driver for Virgin F1, and somewheres along the way I believe he also became a Mercedes Junior Driver, ultimately leading to his racing in the Deutshce Tourenwagen Masters, (DTM) winning six times.

Yet with Mercedes pulling the plug upon its involvement in DTM at the end of this year, he began looking around for new opportunities, being allowed to fill-in for another past Formula Renault 3.5 series champion named Mikhail Aleshin.

As Aleshin, driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports last year, was apparently having Visa issues difficulty over the road America weekend, where Wickens stood by, yet only got to drive in Friday practice, before Mikhail arrived from Le Mans to race that weekend at Elkhart Lake.

As Wickens & Hinchcliffe will unofficially form Team Canada 2.0, after the Team Players Days, and with fellow Hoser Zachary Claman DeMelo lining up at St Pete, the grid will swell to three Hosers for the first time in years!

F1: Where Have The Brazilians Gone?

And are the Doors upon the Country's Gran Primo Drivers Factory about to Close?

Ah, once again, Felipe Massa has contested his Final-Final Home Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, better known to many simply as Interlagos - this past weekend in Sao Paolo.

Felipe Massa Announces F1 Retirement

Thus, it appears the once unthinkable possibility of No Brazilians being on the Formula 1 Grid next year will occur, albeit we got a taste of this in Budapest, when Massa became ill and an unexpecting Paul di Resta raced for Team Willy' at the Hungaroring this summer.

As we all know that Brazil's most famous driver is the late Ayrton Senna, one of the country's three world champions. As Senna and his Bosom Buddy Nelson Piquet both won three titles respectively. With Ayrton leading the wins tally with 41 W's, while Piquet collected 23 first place trophies.

But it was a youthful Mutton Chop EMMO', nee Emerson Fittipaldi becoming the country's debutante world champion in 1972 and won his second title two years later, also notching the first Grand Prix victory by a Brazilian Wayback in 1970 at Watkins Glen, before amassing 14 career wins.

As Massa and 'Rubino, aka Rubens Barrichello, the driver to start the most Grands Prix currently, are both tied with 11 Grands Prix victories apiece.

Massa makes emotional Farewell in Brazil

While the racetrack's namesake, Carlos Pace was a one-time winner, being victorious on home soil when triumphing aboard his Brabham BT44/Ford Cosworth at Interlagos in 1975, before his sudden death in an Aeroplane accident in '77.

But Brazil's next hope, the "Other Felipe," the forlorned ex-Sauber F1 driver Felipe Nasr has just signed to become JB's (João Barbosa) rookie team-mate in the Weathertech SportsCar Championship for 2018. Having fallen out of F1 at the end of 2016.

Whilst the Other Brazilian, Bruno Senna, who contested this year's endurance races for Scotty sharp's ESM Tequila Patron squad, along with some Kiwi' named Brendon Hartley, has left the team.

F2, GP3 Series

Hence, a perfunctory look thru the current GP3 and FIA F2 Feeder Series reveals two names I've never heard of, due to the appalling lack of media coverage here Stateside regarding European Feeder Series.

Bruno Baptista contested this year's GP3 Series for perennial title contenders DAMS, having moved up from EuroCup Formula Renault 2.0.

Yet the 20yr old Sao Paolo native's rookie GP3 campaign apparently wasn't overly mesmerizing, since I find nary a whiff upon his season's results. With Baptista's claim to fame so far being the 2014 Formula 4 Sudamericana Champion.

Sergio Sette Camara drove for MP Motorsport in this year's inaugural FIA Formula 2 Championship as the series youngest driver. And after a fairly rough first half rookie campaign, after the summer break notched his first win in the Sprint Race at the Mighty Spa Francorchamps. As the win was his first ever single seater victory.

Sergio has something in common with DK'; NO! Not Dairy King; Hya! But Daniil Kvyat - with both having been ousted from Red Bull's Driver Factory by 'der Helmet, nee Helmet Marco.

Set Camara first tasted F1 machinery when making a demonstration run at Motorland Aragon before properly debuting at the Formula 1 Young Drivers Test at Bloody Silverstone in 2016 for Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Yet the 19yr old teenager Young Gun' from Belo Horizonte was dropped from the Red Bull Junior Academy at the beginning of this year.

F3 European Championship

Wasn't aware that another Piquet was in the offing... Having discovered the name Pedro Piquet when perusing the FIA European F3 Championship Drivers roll.

Although not sure how far he'll go? As 60 races over two years with a best of 14th overall and no wins or poles in a Junior Feeder Series without any notable results isn't exactly Formula 1 material, Ci?

Joining Piquet at Van Amersfoort Racing is Felipe Drugovich, moving up from the ADAC and Italian F4 series. where the 17yr old teenager finished third overall in the ADAC Formula 4 championship this year. with a tally of seven wins, three poles and five fastest laps from 45 races over the 2016-2017 seasons. Along with notching a single win in the Italian series during six starts this year.

Future Generation...

Meanwhile, will History repeat itself once again in the future? When a second brace 'O Fittipaldi's appear in the Pinnacle of Motorsports, nee Formula 1? With the possible arrival of the Brothers Fittipaldi 2.0, i.e.; Pietro & Enzo, whom are both members of the vaunted Ferrari Drivers Academy...

Pietro, born in 1996, at age 21 is the older brother of Enzo, who's still a teenager, having been born in '01.As Emerson's Thar Gran Pappy, and their uncles are some Blokes named Christian Fittipaldi and Max Papis.

Pietro's currently contesting his second season of the mostly forgotten, now renamed World Series Formula V-8 3.5 series, having this year become a support series for the World Endurance Championship. (WEC)

Pietro tenuously leads the championship by 10-points ahead of Russian Matevos Isaakyan, (223-213) with 50-points on offer - utilizing Formula 1's current points scoring system for the Top-10 finishers.

Thus, with these two rounds remaining during the season's final weekend outing during the Six Hours of Bahrain WEC Sports Car race, Nov 17-18, the Top-5 drivers are still in the championship hunt.

As fellow Rooskie' Egor Orudzhev sits third with 198-points, Mexico's Alfonso Celis Jr. sits fourth with 192-points  and Austrian René Binder is P5 and mathematically alive with 174-points.

Meanwhile, younger brother Enzo's currently working his way up the Open Wheel Racing ladder, noted as a member of the vaunted Prima Racing's stable mates, currently competing in the Italian F4 series, having contested three races to date...

Motor racing: Massa ready to go but hopes Brazil will stay