Kaoru Hoshino (21 September 1947 – 21 November 2022)[1] was a Japanese racing driver.[2] He was active in the Toyota works team TOM'S from its inception, driving the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Starlet. He was mainly active in touring car racing, and also competed in the All Japan Touring Car Championship with the Toyota Supra and Toyota Corolla Levin. He continued to compete in the Super Taikyus and the All Japan GT Championship, and in 1995, in the GT2 class of the All Japan GT Championship, he teamed up with Yoshimi Ishibashi to win the series championship with a Nissan Skyline.[3]
Kaoru was best known for being involved in Tetsuya Ota's accident when he was rear-ended by Tomohiko Sunako's Porsche, his tire came off and he was stuck in the pit lane when Ota hit Sunako Kaoru had just touched the wall a little bit. The tire came off and also damaged his car's rear end due to the touch with Sunako.
Hoshino died on 25 November 2022, at the age of 75.[1]
Racing record edit
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Yoshimi Ishibashi | Nissan Skyline | GT2 | SUZ 1 |
FSW 1 |
SEN 2 |
FSW 3 |
SUG 3 |
MIN Ret |
1st | 79 | |
| 1996 | Porsche 911RS | GT300 | SUZ 5 |
FSW 5 |
SEN 5 |
FSW 5 |
SUG Ret |
MIN | 8th | 32 | ||
| 1997 | Sigma Tech Racing Team | Porsche 911 GT2 | GT300 | SUZ | FSW 6 |
SEN 7 |
FSW 6 |
MIN 2 |
SUG 1 |
5th | 51 | |
| 1998 | GT300 | SUZ Ret |
FSW C |
SEN 9 |
FSW 4 |
TRM | MIN | SUG 16 |
21st | 12 | ||
| 1999 | TEAM GAIKOKUYA | GT300 | SUZ | FSW 6 |
SUG | MIN | FSW | TAI 10 |
TRM | 22nd | 7 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results edit
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 |  Tom's Team
|
Satoru Nakajima Masanori Sekiya
|
Tom's 85C-L-Toyota | C1 | 330 | 12th | 12th |
| 1987 | Toyota Team Tom's
|
 Tiff Needell Masanori Sekiya
|
Toyota 87C-L | C1 | 39 | DNF | DNF |
| 1988 | Toyota Team Tom's
|
Geoff Lees Masanori Sekiya
|
Toyota 88C | C1 | 351 | 12th | 12th |
| 1989 | Toyota Team Tom's
|
Keiichi Suzuki Didier Artzet
|
Toyota 88C | C1 | 20 | DNF | DNF |
References edit
- ^ a b O'Connell, RJ (26 November 2022). "Kaoru Hoshino: 1947-2022". dailysportscar.com. dailysportcar. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Profile". driverdb.com. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
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