Ukyo Sasahara
Sasahara | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Professional racing driver |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Known for | Racing in Super GT and Super Formula championships |
is a professional Japanese race car driver representing Toyota Gazoo Racing. He currently participates in both the Super GT series and the Super Formula championship, driving for TOM'S. Previously affiliated as a factory driver with Honda, he has demonstrated versatility and success across various motorsport categories.
Karting
Sasahara's motorsport journey began in 2003 at the age of seven with karting, where he accumulated several national titles, including becoming the JAF All Japan Championship Junior Champion in 2009. That same year, he triumphed at the Rotax Max Challenge Junior Grand Final, besting competitors such as Matt Parry, a title he successfully defended in 2011. Additionally, he claimed the Rotax Max Euro Challenge Junior crown in 2011 and secured the Central Eastern European Rotax Max Challenge Senior championship in 2012, concluding his karting career.
European racing career
In 2013, Sasahara transitioned to single-seater racing by joining Vincenzo Sospiri's Euronova Racing team to compete in the 2013 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps season. Over the course of the season, he earned points on seven occasions, with his highest finish being sixth place at Misano, ultimately ranking 13th in the championship standings. He also appeared as a guest driver for Euronova Racing during select rounds of the 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season at Spa-Francorchamps and Barcelona.
Continuing with Euronova Racing in 2014, Sasahara moved to the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC season, where he achieved a podium finish by placing second behind Louis Delétraz at Monza. He consistently scored points throughout the season and concluded sixth overall.
For the 2015 season, Sasahara signed with ART Junior Team to compete simultaneously in both the 2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season and 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC season. Although he did not score points during the Eurocup opening round at Motorland Aragón, he secured his maiden Eurocup victory at Spa-Francorchamps, becoming only the second Japanese driver after Kamui Kobayashi to win a race in that series. In the NEC championship, he claimed victory in the opening race at Monza ahead of Ignazio D'Agosto from Manor MP Motorsport.
In June 2014, Sasahara also took part in the first round of the 2014 Italian F4 Championship season at Adria International Raceway with Euronova Racing as a substitute for Andrea Fontana. He finished fifth in the initial race and won the reversed-grid second race, outperforming eventual champion Lance Stroll.
During 2016, without a full-time contract, Sasahara competed selectively in two rounds at Spa-Francorchamps and Imola representing Threebond T-Sport.
Japanese F4 and Japanese F3
Sasahara returned to Japan in 2017 to contest the F4 Japanese Championship under Honda’s support through their Honda Formula Dream Project program. Partnered with teammates Yuki Tsunoda and Toshiki Oyu, he secured second place overall, outperforming his teammates but finishing behind champion Ritomo Miyata. The following year, he progressed to compete in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship with ThreeBond Racing. There, Sasahara achieved several podium finishes and ended third in the championship behind TOM'S drivers Sho Tsuboi (champion) and Ritomo Miyata (runner-up).
F3 Asia and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan
After Honda ceased backing Sasahara for 2019, opportunities in Japanese F3 or Super GT were limited. That year, he participated in both the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan and the F3 Asian Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, capturing titles in both championships. Sasahara also made guest appearances during the 2019–20 F3 Asian Championship season with Hitech Grand Prix.
Super GT
Sasahara made his GT500 class debut in Super GT with Honda's Team Mugen, where he teamed up with Hideki Mutoh and secured his inaugural podium finish at Motegi. He remained with Team Mugen in 2021, this time alongside new teammate Toshiki Oyu; together, they achieved their first GT500 pole position at Sportsland SUGO.
In 2023, Sasahara transitioned from Honda to Toyota Gazoo Racing, competing for Deloitte Team TOM'S with Giuliano Alesi as his co-driver.
Super Formula
Sasahara entered the Super Formula series with Team Mugen, stepping in for Juri Vips, who was unable to participate due to COVID-19 travel restrictions affecting entry into Japan. Although not originally planned for the 2021 season, Sasahara raced the opening two rounds for Dandelion Racing, substituting for Tadasuke Makino after he was diagnosed with meningitis. During the second round, Sasahara achieved his first podium finish. Returning to Team Mugen in 2022, he claimed his first victory in Super Formula at Fuji and concluded the season ranked sixth overall.
In 2023, Sasahara replaced his Super GT teammate Giuliano Alesi at Vantelin Team TOM'S for the closing four rounds of the Super Formula championship.
Karting career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals - Junior Max | Team Global | 1st |
| 2010 | Rotax Max Euro Trophy - Junior Max | 6th | |
| Rotax Max Wintercup - Junior Max | Intrepid Force Rotax | 1st | |
| 2011 | Kartmasters British GP - Rotax Junior | 18th | |
| Rotax Max Euro Trophy - Junior Max | Paul Carr Racing | 1st | |
| Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals - Junior Max | 1st | ||
| 2012 | Rotax Euro Challenge - Rotax Senior | 9th | |
| Rotax International Open - Senior | 10th | ||
| Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals - Senior Max | 9th | ||
| Rotax Max Challenge Central-Eastern Europe - Senior | 1st |
Racing career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Formula Renault 2.0 Alps | Euronova Racing | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 13th |
| Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | ||
| 2014 | Formula Renault 2.0 NEC | Euronova Racing | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 191 | 6th |
| Italian F4 Championship | Euronova Racing by Fortec | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 17th |
|- !rowspan=2 |2015
|align=left |2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 |align=left rowspan=2 |ART Junior Team |17 |1 |1 |0 |4 |116 |7th |- |align=left |2015 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup |16 |2 |1 |1 |8 |296 |style="background:#FFDF9F;" | 3rd
|}
† Sasahara participated as a guest driver and thus was not eligible to earn championship points.
* Season currently ongoing.
Full Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series Results
(legend) (Races shown in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics represent the fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final Position | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Euronova Racing | VLL 1 8 |
VLL 2 8 |
IMO1 1 21 |
IMO1 2 18 |
SPA 1 7 |
SPA 2 16 |
MNZ 1 15 |
MNZ 2 15 |
MIS 1 8 |
MIS 2 6 |
MUG 1 9 |
MUG 2 8 |
IMO2 1 23 |
IMO2 2 21 |
13th | 32 |
Full Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Results
(legend) (Bold font indicates pole position) (Italic font signifies fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final Classification | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Euronova Racing | ALC 1 |
ALC 2 |
SPA 1 21 |
SPA 2 16 |
MSC 1 |
MSC 2 |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 |
HUN 1 |
HUN 2 |
LEC 1 |
LEC 2 |
CAT 1 'Ret' |
CAT 2 '10' | |||||
| NC† | 0 |
| Year | Entrant | Rounds Participated | Final Standing | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
style="font-size:90%" | Various events including Spa, Silverstone, Nürburgring, and Jerez |
7th |
116 |
† As Sasahara competed as a guest driver, he was not eligible to score points
Full Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup Results
(legend) (Entries in bold signify pole position; entries in italics denote fastest lap)
| Season | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final Position | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Euronova Racing | MNZ 1 2 |
MNZ 2 Ret |
SIL 1 10 |
SIL 2 7 |
HOC 1 8 |
HOC 2 18 |
HOC 3 5 |
SPA 1 7 |
SPA 2 4 |
ASS 1 9 |
ASS 2 4 |
MST 1 8 |
MST 2 9 |
MST 3 C |
NÜR 1 5 |
NÜR 2 12 |
NÜR 3 C |
6th | 191 |
| 2015 | ART Junior Team | MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 2 |
SIL 1 2 |
SIL 2 4 |
RBR 1 10 |
RBR 2 18 |
RBR 3 6 |
SPA 1 5 |
SPA 2 5 |
ASS 1 2 |
ASS 2 3 |
NÜR 1 1 |
NÜR 2 8 |
HOC 1 2 |
HOC 2 {{small}|4} | |
3rd | 296 |
Full Italian F4 Championship results
(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position; events in italics represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Euronova Racing in collaboration with Fortec | ADR 1 5th |
ADR 2 1st |
ADR 3 Retired |
IMO1 1 |
IMO1 2 |
IMO1 3 |
MUG 1 |
MUG 2 |
MUG 3 |
MAG 1 |
MAG 2 |
MAG 3 |
VLL 1 |
VLL 2 |
VLL 3 |
MNZ 1 |
MNZ 2 |
MNZ 3 |
IMO2 1 |
IMO2 2 |
IMO2 3 |
17th place | 25 points |
Full FIA Formula 3 European Championship results
(key) (Bold font indicates pole position; italic font signifies fastest lap)
| Year | Team/Entrant | Engine Manufacturer | 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 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | Final Standing | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Threebond fielded by T-Sport | Threebond engine | LEC 1 |
LEC 2 |
LEC 3 |
HUN 1 |
HUN 2 |
HUN 3 |
PAU 1 |
PAU 2 |
PAU 3 |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 |
RBR 3 |
NOR 1 |
NOR 2 |
NOR 3 |
ZAN 1 |
ZAN 2 |
ZAN 3 |
SPA 1 13th |
SPA 2 Retired |
SPA 3 19th |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
NÜR 3 |
IMO 1 Retired |
IMO 2 13th |
IMO 3 Retired |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
HOC 3 |
26th overall | 0 points |
Full F4 Japanese Championship outcomes
(legend) (Entries in bold denote pole positions; entries in italics represent fastest laps)
| Season | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final Standing | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Honda Formula Dream Project | OKA 1 1 |
OKA 2 2 |
FUJ1 1 3 |
FUJ1 2 3 |
AUT 1 1 |
AUT 2 3 |
SUG 1 1 |
SUG 2 Ret |
FUJ2 1 2 |
FUJ2 2 2 |
SUZ 1 4 |
SUZ 2 2 |
MOT 1 5 |
MOT 2 5 |
2nd place | 224 points |
Full Japanese Formula 3 Championship outcomes
(legend) (Entries in bold signify pole position; entries in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Season | Team | Engine Manufacturer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Final Ranking | Points Accumulated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | ThreeBond Racing | Tomei engine | SUZ 1 4 |
SUZ 2 7 |
SUG 1 5 |
SUG 2 5 |
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(style="background:#FFDF9F")3rd place |
(style="background:#FFDF9F")65 points |
|-
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2019 Japanese Formula 3 Championship#2019
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B-Max Racing in collaboration with Motopark Academy
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Volkswagen
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(style="#DFFFDF")"MOT
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(style="#CFCFFF")"MOT
2"
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(style="#DFFFDF")"MOT
3"
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!
12th position
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3 points
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Full Macau Grand Prix Outcomes
| Year | Team | Vehicle | Qualifying Position | Qualifying Race Position | Final Race Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall ThreeBond Racing | Dallara F317 | 24th | 22nd | DNF |
Full F3 Asian Championship Results
(key) (Bold denotes pole position) (Italics signify fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Hitech Grand Prix | SEP 1 1 |
SEP 2 1 |
SEP 3 2 |
CHA 1 1 |
CHA 2 2 |
CHA 3 1 |
SUZ 1 2 |
SUZ 2 1 |
SUZ 3 9 |
SIC1 1 1 |
SIC1 2 1 |
SIC1 3 1 |
SIC2 1 3 |
SIC2 2 4 |
SIC2 3 2 |
1st | 301 |
| 2019–20 | Abu Dhabi Racing UAE | SEP 1 8 |
SEP 2 15† |
SEP 3 15† |
DUB 1 16† |
DUB 2 Ret |
DUB 3 2 |
ABU 1 1 |
ABU 2 2 |
ABU 3 4 |
SEP 1 9† |
SEP 2 3 |
style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " > SEP < br/> 3 < br/> 12 † | style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " > CHA < br/> 1 < br/> 13 | style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " > CHA < br/> 2 < br/> 1 | style = " background : #CFCFFF ; " > CHA < br/> 3 < br/>
1 |
NC† | 0 |
† Since Sasahara participated as a guest driver, he was not eligible to earn championship points.
Complete Super GT Results
(key) (Events shown in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Vehicle | Category | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Team Mugen | Honda NSX-GT | GT500 | FUJ 12 |
FUJ 10 |
SUZ Ret |
MOT 3 |
FUJ 6 |
SUZ 13 |
MOT 4 |
FUJ 12 |
15th | 25 | |
| 2021 | Team Red Bull Mugen | Honda NSX-GT | GT500 | OKA 11 |
FUJ 11 |
MOT 4 |
SUZ 9 |
SUG 9 |
AUT Ret |
MOT 5 |
FUJ 10 |
16th | 20 | |
| 2022 | Team Red Bull Mugen | Honda NSX-GT | GT500 | OKA 12 |
FUJ < br > 10‡ | SUZ < br > 13 | FUJ < br > 13 | SUZ < br > 6 | SUG < br > 3 | AUT < br > 12 | MOT < br > 11 | 14th | 16.5 | |
| 2023 | TGR Team Deloitte TOM'S | Toyota GR Supra GT500 | GT500 | OKA < br > 13 | FUJ < br > 6 | SUZ < br > 11 | FUJ < br > 8 | SUZ < br > 11 | SUG < br > 10 | AUT < br > 7 | MOT < br > 9 | 15th | 15 | |
| 2024 | TGR Team Deloitte TOM'S | Toyota Supra#Fifth generation (J29/DB; 2019) – Toyota GR Supra GT500 | GT500
|
style=“background:#DFFFDF;”
OKA |
5th | 51 | |||||||||
2025 |
TGR Team Deloitte TOM'S | Toyota GR Supra GT500 | GT500 |
style=“background:#DFFFDF;” OKA |
style=“background:#DFFFDF;” FUJ |
style=“background:#FFFFBF;” SEP |
style=“background:#FFDF9F;” FUJ |
style=“background:#DFFFDF;” FUJ |
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style=“background:#DFDFDF;”2nd* |
style=“background:#DFDFDF;”37.5* |
‡ Points halved due to race distance not reaching three-quarters completion.
(Number) Driver absent from sprint event, teammate received points.
* Current season in progress.
Comprehensive Super Formula Results
(legend) (Entries in bold denote pole positions) (Entries in italics signify fastest laps)
| Season | Team | Engine Manufacturer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Final Standing | Points | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Team Mugen | Honda | MOT 11 |
OKA 13 |
SUG Ret |
AUT 14 |
SUZ Ret |
SUZ 113 |
FUJ 7 |
18th | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Docomo Team Dandelion Racing | Honda | FUJ 53 |
SUZ 3 |
AUT | SUG | MOT | MOT | SUZ | 12th | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Team Mugen | Honda | FUJ 191 |
FUJ 103 |
SUZ 14 |
AUT 7 |
SUG 10 |
FUJ 1 |
MOT 7 |
MOT 8 |
SUZ 1 |
'style="background:#CFCFFF;"' | SUZ |
6th |
57 |
- |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
FUJ |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
MOT |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
SUZ |
style = "background : # FFFFFF ;" |
SUZ |
22nd |
0 |
- |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
SUZ |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
AUT |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
SUG |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
FUJ |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
MOT |
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FUJ |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
FUJ |
style = "background : # CFCFFF ;" |
SUZ |
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SUZ |
20th |
0 |
† Driver was classified despite not completing the race, having covered over 90% of the total distance.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1996 births
- Living people
- Individuals from Numata, Gunma
- Athletes originating from Gunma Prefecture
- Japanese motorsport competitors
- Italian F4 Championship participants
- Formula Renault Eurocup competitors
- Formula Renault 2.0 Alps participants
- Formula Renault 2.0 NEC competitors
- FIA Formula 3 European Championship participants
- F3 Asian Championship competitors
- FIA Motorsport Games participants
- Japanese Formula 3 Championship competitors
- Super Formula participants
- 21st-century Japanese athletes
- Super GT competitors
- Euronova Racing team drivers
- Fortec Motorsport team drivers
- Hitech Grand Prix team drivers
- Motopark Academy team drivers
- Mugen Motorsports team drivers
- Dandelion Racing team drivers
- T-Sport team drivers
- R-ace GP team drivers
- ART Grand Prix team drivers
- Japanese F4 Championship competitors
- B-Max Racing team drivers
- TOM'S team drivers
- Porsche Carrera Cup Japan competitors
- Formula Renault 2.0 Alps drivers