Yuhi Sekiguchi
Sekiguchi | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Known for | 2011 Japanese Formula 3 Champion, 2021 Super GT GT500 Champion |
Sekiguchi is a professional Japanese racing driver currently active in the GT500 category of the Super GT Series, representing TGR Team SARD.
He earned the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 Championship title and later secured the 2021 Super GT GT500 championship.
Career
Sekiguchi launched his single-seater racing journey in 2004 after receiving a Toyota scholarship to compete in the Japanese Formula Toyota series. Concurrently, he participated part-time in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge. By 2006, he had captured the Formula Toyota championship during his third season and also claimed the inaugural Formula Challenge Japan crown.
All-Japan Formula Three
In 2007, Sekiguchi stepped up to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship with Now Motor Sports, concluding the season seventh in the overall standings.
International Formula Master
The following year, 2008, saw Sekiguchi compete in Europe’s International Formula Master series, where he finished sixteenth overall, highlighted by two fourth-place results at Imola and Monza circuits.
GP2 Series
Towards the end of 2008, Sekiguchi joined David Price Racing for the opening round of the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season, racing alongside teammate Michael Herck. As the fourth Japanese competitor in GP2 Asia, his stint was brief, as he was replaced by Giacomo Ricci after the initial round.
Return to All-Japan Formula Three
Sekiguchi returned to All-Japan Formula Three in 2009 with AIM Sports, finishing fifth in the National class. In 2010, driving for ThreeBond Racing, he secured three victories and finished second overall while making his debut at the Macau Grand Prix. The subsequent year, 2011, saw him claim the championship with B-Max Engineering by winning six races and achieving fourth place at Macau representing Mücke Motorsport. He continued to make selective appearances for B-Max in All-Japan F3 during 2013 and 2015 and competed at Macau in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018.
GT300 (2007-2012)
Sekiguchi made his Super GT debut in 2007 with Racing Project Bandoh alongside 2002 GT500 champion Akira Iida. At Sportsland Sugo, he became the youngest winner in GT300 history at just 19 years and seven months old. After a single outing at the 2008 Suzuka 1000km for Bandoh, he joined SHIFT mid-2009 and later drove for JLOC during 2010-2011, achieving a best result of third place at Motegi.
Following his success in All-Japan F3 in 2011 and a strong performance at Macau, Sekiguchi signed with NDDP (Nissan Driver Development Programme) Racing for 2012. Partnering Katsumasa Chiyo in the new Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, they earned the GT-R’s maiden GT300 victory at Sugo. Later that year, Sekiguchi received a one-race suspension at Fuji due to accumulating ten penalty points under the Driving Moral Hazard Prevention System.
GT500 (2013-)
Sekiguchi advanced to the GT500 class in Super GT’s 2013 season with defending champions MOLA, co-driving with three-time GT500 champion Satoshi Motoyama. Despite leading early during round four at Sugo, a tire puncture dropped them to seventh place; their best finish that season was fourth at Autopolis.
In 2014, Sekiguchi transitioned from Nissan to Lexus by rejoining Racing Project Bandoh, which had moved up to GT500 in 2011. He partnered with three-time champion Juichi Wakisaka. Throughout 2015, Sekiguchi and Wakisaka consistently scored points in every race. Upon Wakisaka’s retirement, Yuji Kunimoto became Sekiguchi’s teammate in 2016.
At Thailand’s Buriram International Circuit, Sekiguchi and Kunimoto achieved Sekiguchi’s inaugural GT500 victory as well as Bandoh’s first win in six years—starting from pole position. The team would not secure another win until June 2023 at Suzuka. Sekiguchi maintained a points finish streak for every race over two consecutive seasons and concluded fourth overall alongside Kunimoto.
Sekiguchi joined TOM'S Racing in 2018, capturing victories at both the Fuji GT 500 Mile Race that year and the Suzuka round in 2019 with co-driver Kazuki Nakajima. In 2020, he teamed up with rookie Sacha Fenestraz to finish fourth in the drivers’ championship driving the Toyota GR Supra GT500.
For the 2021 season, Sekiguchi raced alongside Sho Tsuboi at TOM'S. Entering the final round at Fuji trailing championship leader Naoki Yamamoto by sixteen points, they won from fourth on the grid. Following an incident involving Yamamoto during that race, Sekiguchi, Tsuboi, and TOM'S overcame one of the largest final-round point deficits ever recorded to clinch the GT500 title.
In 2022, Sekiguchi transferred to TGR Team SARD where he reunited with former teammate turned team director Juichi Wakisaka. Alongside Yuichi Nakayama, they finished eighth overall in 2022 and ninth place in the following year.
Super Formula (2016-2023)
Sekiguchi participated in eight consecutive seasons of the Super Formula Championship representing Team Impul, making his debut in 2016 alongside GP2 titleholder Stoffel Vandoorne. He achieved third place overall in the 2016 season, securing two victories at Twin Ring Motegi and Sportsland Sugo. At Sugo, Sekiguchi led dominantly from pole position, establishing a 35-second advantage prior to his pit stop and ultimately finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of the competition.
During the 2017 campaign, he recorded consecutive wins at Sugo, narrowly edging out GP2 and Formula One hopeful Pierre Gasly by just 0.243 seconds. In the 2019 season, Sekiguchi triumphed at Autopolis after starting 16th on the grid, setting a new benchmark for the lowest grid position from which a winner has emerged in the series. His first win after a hiatus exceeding three years came in 2022, when he outpaced teammate Ryo Hirakawa at Motegi during a double-header event.
Sekiguchi secured third place in the championship twice (in 2016 and 2021), playing a key role in Impul’s Teams' Championship victory in 2021. Despite these accomplishments, he was removed from Toyota’s Super Formula roster for 2024 following a points-free 2023 season. Across more than 65 starts, Sekiguchi accumulated seven wins, six pole positions, and thirteen podium finishes.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Formula Toyota | 10 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 3rd | |||
| Asian Formula Renault Challenge | Asia Racing Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |||
| 2005 | Formula Toyota | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 68 | 5th | |||
| Asian Formula Renault Challenge | Asia Racing Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A* | N/P | |||
| 2006 | Formula Challenge Japan | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 106 | 1st | |||
| Formula Toyota | 12 | ? | 8 | 0 | ? | 155 | 1st | ||||
| 2007 | Japanese Formula 3 Championship | Now Motor Sport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 101 | 7th | ||
| Super GT - GT300 | Racing Project Bandoh | 9 | 1 | 0 | get ? | get ? | get ? | get ? | get ? | get ? | get ? |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|
- † Guest driver, not eligible for championship points.
- ‡ Refers to team classification standings.
Comprehensive Japanese Formula 3 Results
(legend) (Events shown in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|
Complete Super GT Results
(legend) (Events in bold signify pole position) (Events in italics represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Vehicle | Category | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Round 8 | Round Final Position | Points Scored | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | nowrap | Racing Project Bandoh | nowrap | Toyota Celica | GT300 | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SUZ 14 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | OKA 19 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | FUJ Ret |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SEP 9 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | SUG 1 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SUZ 12 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MOT 18 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | AUT 4 |
!10th | !32 | |
| 2009 | Shift | nowrap | Lexus IS350 | GT300 | OKA | SUZ | FUJ | SEP | SUG | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SUZ 9 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | FUJ 13 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | AUT 13 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | MOT 10 |
!22nd | !3 |
| 2010 | nowrap | JLOC | nowrap | Lamborghini Gallardo | GT300 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SUZ 7 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | OKA 4 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | FUJ 16 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SEP 15 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SUG 10 |
(continued) | !9th | 30 |
| Year | Team | Vehicle | Category | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round Final Position | Points Scored | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | (continued) | |||||||||
| (continued from above) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | JLOC | Lamborghini Gallardo | GT300 | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | OKA Ret |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" ("FUJ") Template:Small 8 |
style= " background : # DFFDFF ; color : black ; text-align:center ; vertical-align:text-top ; font-weight:bold ; text-decoration:none ; font-family:sans-serif ; font-size:x-small ; padding-left:px ; padding-right:px ; padding-top:px ; padding-bottom:px ; border-width:px ; border-style:none ; border-color:none ; border-collapse:collapse ; width:auto ; height:auto ; overflow:hidden ; white-space:nowrap ; word-wrap:none ; text-indent:none ; letter-spacing:none ; word-spacing:none ; line-height:none ;
vertical-align:text-top ; font-weight:bold ; text-decoration:none ; font-family:sans-serif ; font-size:x-small ; padding-left:px ; padding-right:px ; padding-top:px ; padding-bottom:px ; border-width:px ; border-style:none ; border-color:none ; border-collapse:collapse ; width:auto ; height:auto ; overflow:hidden ; white-space:nowrap ; word-wrap:none ; text-indent:none ; letter-spacing:none ; word-spacing:none ; line-height:none ; "> <style type='text/css'> | 4 |
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!13th | !26 |
* Season currently underway.
Comprehensive Super Formula Results
(Events highlighted in bold denote pole position)
"2021 Super Formula Championship" 2021 "Itochu Enex Team Impul" "Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota" ""Light Blue"" FUJ 17† ""Dull Green"" SUZ1 4 ""Dull Green"" AUT 10 ""Yellow"" SUG 3 ""Light Gray"" MOT1 2 ""Dull Green"" MOT2 4 ""Dull Green"" SUZ2 4 colspan=3 ""Yellow"" 3rd ""Yellow"" 55 "2022 Super Formula Championship" 2022 "Itochu Enex Team Impul" "Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota" "Dull Green" FUJ 4 "Dull Green" FUJ 6 "CFCFFF" SUZ 11 "CFCFFF" AUT 16 "CFCFFF" SUG 15 "EFCFFF Ret¹ FUJ "Dull Green MOT 9 Yellow MOT 1 Dull Green SUZ 6 CFCFFF SUZ 11 7th 43 2023 Super Formula Championship Itochu Enex Team Impul Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota CFCFFF FUJ 11 CFCFFF FUJ 13 CFCFFF SUZ 19 CFCFFF AUT 18 EFCFFF Ret SUG CFCFFF FUJ 20 EFCFFF Ret MOT CFCFFF SUZ 12 CFCFFF SUZ 16 21st 0| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Final Standing | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | SUZ 14 |
OKA 13 |
FUJ 3 |
MOT 1 |
OKA 13 |
OKA 9 |
SUG 1 |
SUZ 18 |
SUZ 8 |
3rd | 28.5 | |
| 2017 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | SUZ 12 |
OKA 2 |
OKA 1 |
FUJ 4 |
MOT 16 |
AUT 10 |
SUG 1 |
SUZ C |
SUZ C |
4th | 25 | |
| 2018 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | SUZ < br > 2 | AUT < br > C | SUG < br > 13 | FUJ < br > 6 | MOT < br > 16 | OKA < br > 1 | SUZ < br > 8 | 4th | 18 | |||
| 2019 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | SUZ < br > Ret | AUT < br > 1 | SUG < br > 10 | FUJ < br > 8 | MOT < br > 15 | OKA < br > 13 | SUZ < br > 4 | 8th | 16 | |||
| 2020 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota
| style= " background: # efcfff; " "Twin Ring Motegi" MOT Ret style= " background: # dfffdf; " "Okayama International Circuit" OKA 5 style= " background: # cfcfff; " "Sportsland SUGO" SUG 11 style= ""Autopolis"" AUT 11 style=""White"" SUZ DNS style=""Yellow"" SUZ 3 style=""White"" FUJ DNS colspan=3 14th 17 | ||||||||||||
* Current season ongoing.
External links
- Official website - Japanese
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1987 births
- Individuals from Nakano, Tokyo
- Living persons
- Japanese motorsport competitors
- Asian Formula Renault Challenge participants
- Super GT competitors
- Super Formula participants
- Japanese athletes of the 21st century
- Japanese Formula 3 Championship participants
- International Formula Master competitors
- GP2 Asia Series participants
- Formula Challenge Japan competitors
- Asia Racing Team members
- Euronova Racing members
- David Price Racing members
- Mücke Motorsport members
- TOM'S team drivers
- Toyota Gazoo Racing competitors
- Asian Le Mans Series participants
- B-Max Racing team drivers
- Racing drivers originating from Tokyo
- Asian Formula Renault Challenge drivers