Kotaro Sakurai (桜井孝太郎, Sakurai Kōtarō, born 29 June 1994 in Tokyo) is a Japanese racing driver. Sakurai raced under Filipino license in Formula BMW Pacific and in the GP3 Series.
| Kotaro Sakurai | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | 29 June 1994 Tokyo, Japan |
| Previous series | |
| 2012 2011 2011 2010 | GP3 Series British F3 Rookie Class Toyota Racing Series Formula BMW Pacific |
| Championship titles | |
| 2011 | British F3 Rookie Class |
Career edit
Karting edit
Sakurai began his racing career in karting at the age of nine and raced in Japan and Australia.[1]
Formula BMW Pacific edit
In 2010, Sakurai graduated to single–seaters into the Formula BMW Pacific series in Asia, joining Eurasia Motorsport and racing under a Filipino racing licence. He scored a podium in the second race of the opening round at Sepang and achieved seven more point-scoring finishes on his way to eighth in the championship.[2][3]
Toyota Racing Series edit
Sakurai participated in the Toyota Racing Series in early 2011 with M2 Competition, finishing fourteenth in the championship, the lowest-placed of the International Trophy drivers to contest the series.[4]
Formula Three edit
In 2011, Sakurai decided to race in Europe, taking part in the rebranded Rookie Class of the British Formula 3 Championship with Hitech Racing.[5] Bart Hylkema was his only class rival in the first half of the championship, before he graduated to the International Class, allowing Sakurai to take the championship title.[6] During the season he also appeared in the Brands Hatch round of the European F3 Open Championship.[7]
GP3 Series edit
Sakurai raced in the GP3 Series in 2012 with Status Grand Prix.[8]
Racing record edit
Career summary edit
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | FLaps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Formula BMW Pacific | Eurasia Motorsport | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 68 | 8th |
| 2011 | British Formula 3 International Series - Rookie | Hitech Racing | 28 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 378 | 1st |
| Toyota Racing Series | M2 Competition | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 325 | 14th | |
| European F3 Open Championship | Team West-Tec | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22nd | |
| 2012 | GP3 Series | Status Grand Prix | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24th |
| Auto GP World Series | Euronova Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 19th | |
| 2013-14 | MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship | MRF Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2019 | F4 Japanese Championship | Zap Speed | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 14th |
Complete GP3 Series 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 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Status Grand Prix | CAT FEA 18 |
CAT SPR 12 |
MON FEA 13 |
MON SPR 20 |
VAL FEA |
VAL SPR |
SIL FEA 15 |
SIL SPR 13 |
HOC FEA |
HOC SPR |
HUN FEA |
HUN SPR |
SPA FEA |
SPA SPR |
MNZ FEA |
MNZ SPR |
24th | 0 |
References edit
- ^ "Profile". kotaro-racing.net. Kotaro Sakurai. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "2010 Championship Standing (FBMW)". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ "Formula BMW Pacific 2010". Driver Database. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Toyota Racing Series New Zealand 2011". Driver Database. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "A diamond season in prospect for British Formula 3". Racecar. Racecar New Media Services Ltd. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
Finally – for the moment, as teams are still putting deals together with other hopefuls – are 21-year-old Dutch driver Bart Hylkema, who will be T-Sport's third driver and 16-year-old Japanese Hitech driver Kotaro Sakurai, who joins him in the Rookie class.
- ^ Carter, Nick (24 September 2011). "Sakurai clinches Rookie class title". British Formula 3 Championship. Stéphane Ratel Organisation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Brands Hatch: Free Practice 1 Results" (PDF). European F3 Open Championship. GT Sport. 22 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Kotaro Sakurai joins Status GP for 2012 GP3 Series season". GP3 Series. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 5 April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
External links edit
- Official website
- Kotaro Sakurai career summary at DriverDB.com