Aguri Suzuki


Aguri Suzuki is a Japanese former racing driver. He participated in 88 Formula One Grands Prix, and his most notable achievement in racing was 3rd place at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuki then became involved in team ownership, with interests firstly in the Japanese Formula Nippon Championship and the IRL in partnership with Mexican racer Adrian Fernandez. Most notably however, he was the owner of the Super Aguri F1 team, which participated in Formula One from to. He then went on to form Team Aguri, which raced in Formula E from 2014 to 2016.

Career

Early career

Suzuki began racing karts in 1972, at the age of 12. In 1978 he won the Japanese kart championship and in 1979 made his debut in the Japanese Formula Three championship. He continued in karting and in 1981 was again Japanese Kart Champion. In 1983 he finished second in the All-Japan F3 series, driving a Hayashi-Toyota. He then turned to touring car racing and, driving for the Nissan factory team won the Japanese title in 1986. The same year he made his debut in Japanese F2 and drove in the Le Mans 24 Hours. In 1987 he finished runner-up in the Japanese F3000 series, winning one race. In 1988, driving a March-Yamaha he won the title with three wins.

Formula One career

In 1988, Suzuki raced in European F3000 with Footwork, before he debuted in Formula One on October 30 at his home race, replacing the ill Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse-Lola. Zakspeed, who were using Yamaha engines, hired Suzuki for 1989, when he gained the unenviable record of failing to pre-qualify in all 16 races.
-Lola 90 at Suzuka in 2012 - the scene of his podium finish 22 years earlier.
For 1990 and 1991, he drove again for Larrousse. Three sixth-places were dwarfed by 3rd place at Suzuka – the first ever podium for an Asian driver in F1 – which turned him into a local hero. He also set the second fastest lap, and observers began to think seriously about a Japanese contender in the series. The 1990 season would prove the pinnacle of Suzuki's racing career.
In 1992 and 1993, he was at Footwork alongside Michele Alboreto and then Derek Warwick, but both usually outperformed him. He shared a Ligier with Martin Brundle in 1995, but only scored one point in his races, and was criticised by Mika Salo after the two collided in Buenos Aires. Suzuka had been inextricably linked to Suzuki's F1 career and irony played its part in ensuring that was where it ended. A massive crash in practice caused a neck injury which saw him miss the race, and he immediately announced his retirement.
In F1, Suzuki achieved one podium and scored a total of eight championship points. At the time he retired, he was the second most successful Japanese driver ever in F1 after Satoru Nakajima, but Takuma Sato and Kamui Kobayashi has since passed them both.

After Formula One

He later moved on to JGTC and remained involved in Japanese driver development. In 2000, with long term sponsor Autobacs, he would run the ARTA who despite winning the GT300 title in 2002, would expand to DTM a season later and launched Super Aguri Fernandez Racing with Adrian Fernandez, running cars in the IRL. Aguri still competes in both categories in Super GT, with team director/former driver Keiichi Tsuchiya managing the GT300 class, running the ASL Garaiya, a car his main sponsor helped to fund and develop. They race a Honda NSX-GT in the GT500 class, as well as a BMW M6 GT3 in the GT300 class.
driving for Super Aguri F1 at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix.
From 2006 Suzuki ran the Super Aguri F1 Formula One team with the backing of Honda. He managed to put together his new team in just four and half months from his initial announcement on 1 November 2005. The team overcame the hurdle of its initial entry being rejected by the FIA after not securing financial guarantees before the entry deadline, and their acceptance was not formally confirmed until 26 January 2006. The team made its debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix on 12 March 2006. On 6 May 2008, after competing in the opening four races of the season, the team withdrew from Formula One due to financial problems.

Helmet

Suzuki's helmet is white with a red line with black sides surrounding the top, a red and black line going from the Rear down the chin and a black circle on the top.

Racing record

Japanese Top Formula Championship results

YearEntrant123456789DCPoints
1985?SUZFUJMINSUZSUZFUJ
DNS		SUZ
8		SUZ
10		16th4
1986MooncraftSUZFUJMINSUZSUZFUJSUZSUZ
6		13th6
1987Footwork Sports Racing TeamSUZ
2		FUJ
2		MIN
4		SUZ
3		SUZ
2		SUG
Ret		FUJ
Ret		SUZ
1		SUZ
1		2nd107
1988Footwork Sports Racing TeamSUZ
2		FUJ
1		MIN
1		SUZ
1		SUG
Ret		FUJ
2		SUZ
2		SUZ
Ret		1st45

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete International Formula 3000 results

YearEntrant1234567891011DCPoints
1988FootworkJERVALPAU
11		SIL
DNQ		MNZPERBRH
Ret		BIRBUGZOLDIJNC0

Complete Formula One results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617WDCPoints
1988Larrousse CalmelsLola LC88Cosworth V8BRASMRMONMEXCANDETFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPORESPJPN
16		AUSNC0
1989West Zakspeed RacingZakspeed 891Yamaha V8BRA
DNPQ		SMR
DNPQ		MON
DNPQ		MEX
DNPQ		USA
DNPQ		CAN
DNPQ		FRA
DNPQ		GBR
DNPQ		GER
DNPQ		HUN
DNPQ		BEL
DNPQ		ITA
DNPQ		POR
DNPQ		ESP
DNPQ		JPN
DNPQ		AUS
DNPQ		NC0
1990Espo Larrousse F1Lola LC89Lamborghini V12USA
Ret		BRA
Ret		12th6
1990Espo Larrousse F1Lola LC90Lamborghini V12SMR
Ret		MON
Ret		CAN
12		MEX
Ret		FRA
7		GBR
6		GER
Ret		HUN
Ret		BEL
Ret		ITA
Ret		POR
14		ESP
6		JPN
3		AUS
Ret		12th6
1991Larrousse F1Larrousse Lola LC91Cosworth V8USA
6		BRA
Ret		SMR
Ret		MON
Ret		CAN
Ret		MEX
Ret		FRA
Ret		GBR
Ret		GER
Ret		HUN
Ret		BEL
DNQ		ITA
DNQ		POR
Ret		ESP
DNQ		JPN
Ret		AUS
DNQ		22nd1
1992Footwork Mugen HondaFootwork FA13Mugen Honda V10RSA
8		MEX
DNQ		BRA
Ret		ESP
7		SMR
10		MON
11		CAN
DNQ		FRA
Ret		GBR
12		GER
Ret		HUN
Ret		BEL
9		ITA
Ret		POR
10		JPN
8		AUS
8		NC0
1993Footwork Mugen HondaFootwork FA13BMugen Honda V10RSA
Ret		BRA
Ret		NC0
1993Footwork Mugen HondaFootwork FA14Mugen Honda V10EUR
Ret		SMR
9		ESP
10		MON
Ret		CAN
13		FRA
12		GBR
Ret		GER
Ret		HUN
Ret		BEL
Ret		ITA
Ret		POR
Ret		JPN
Ret		AUS
7		NC0
1994Sasol JordanJordan 194Hart V10BRAPAC
Ret		SMRMONESPCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPOREURJPNAUSNC0
1995Ligier Gitanes BlondesLigier JS41Mugen Honda V10BRA
8		ARG
Ret		SMR
11		ESPMONCANFRAGBRGER
6		HUNBELITAPOREURPAC
Ret		JPN
DNS		AUS17th1