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Takamitsu Matsui (松井孝允, Matsui Takamitsu, born 15 December 1987) is a Japanese racing driver affiliated with Toyota Gazoo Racing who currently competes in Super GT for Hoppy Team Tsuchiya. A longtime competitor in the series, he is best known for winning the 2016 championship in the GT300 class, driving alongside Takeshi Tsuchiya. He is also a four-time class champion in the Super Taikyū endurance racing series, winning the title in 2009, 2017, 2018, and 2022, as well as a two-time class winner at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.[1]
| Takamitsu Matsui | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Born | 15 December 1987 Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan |
| Super GT - GT300 career | |
| Debut season | Super GT |
| Current team | Hoppy Team Tsuchiya |
| Car number | 25 |
| Former teams | Team Mach |
| Starts | 69 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Poles | 12 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2016 |
| Previous series | |
| 2014–16 2007–08 2007 | Asian Le Mans Series Formula Challenge Japan Formula Toyota |
| Championship titles | |
| 2009, 2017, 2018, 2022 2016 | Super Taikyū - ST-4 Super GT - GT300 |
Career
editEarly career
editMatsui began his racing career in kart racing in 2001, and competed primarily in regional championships in Okayama until his move up to single-seaters in 2006. He made his debut in the Okayama FJ1600 series in 2006, taking four wins and the championship, and made cameos in the national FJ1600 series at Motegi and Formula Toyota at Fuji Speedway. After catching the attention of Naohiro Fujita, a retired racing driver and director of Okayama International Circuit, Matsui joined the Toyota Young Driver Program (TDP) the following year and moved to the Formula Challenge Japan series with Toyota support, but was released from the programme after the 2008 season.[2]
In 2009, Matsui switched to endurance racing following his departure from Toyota, competing in the Super Taikyū Series in a Honda Civic Type R for Tatsuya Tanigawa's BOLD Motor Sports and winning the class title despite claiming only one victory. He returned to Formula Challenge Japan for 2010, this time with manufacturer support from Nissan, and finished runner-up to the dominant Yūichi Nakayama. Despite this, he left Nissan at the end of the year and would not drive full-time for the next two years, instead getting a job in the shipping industry. However, after being contacted by Takeshi Tsuchiya, who had previously worked with him during his time as a Toyota junior, Matsui returned to his full-time racing career in 2014, competing for Tsuchiya's teams in the Asian Le Mans Series and the newly introduced Japan Formula 4.[2][3] With the exception of a one-round cameo in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship in 2016, where he won both races in the somewhat poorly contested National class, Matsui has competed exclusively in sports car racing since 2014.
Super GT
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Matsui made his debut in the top-flight Super GT series' GT300 category in 2015, driving a Dome-developed Toyota 86 MC alongside Takeshi Tsuchiya for Tsuchiya's VivaC Team Tsuchiya, which returned to the series for the first time since 2008.[4] Matsui would rejoin Toyota in 2015 alongside his Super GT commitments after being recommended by Naoya Gamou, returning to Super Taikyū for the TOM'S-run Toyota Gazoo Racing team and making his international debut with TGR at the 2015 Nürburgring 24 Hours.[2][5]
After claiming one race victory at Sugo during his 2015 campaign, Matsui remained with the team for 2016 to contest what would be his most successful season in the category, taking a dominant victory at Chang (now Buriram) and charging from the midfield at Motegi to emerge as series champion alongside his teammate Tsuchiya, who retired from full-time driving duties at the end of the year to focus on team management.
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Despite his performances, Matsui did not move up to GT500, and instead remained with Tsuchiya's team in the GT300 class for 2017, partnered by Super Formula driver Kenta Yamashita. Alongside Yamashita and fellow Toyota-supported formula racers Sho Tsuboi and Kimiya Sato, Matsui would spend 2017, 2018, and 2019 in inconsistent form, demonstrating exceptional qualifying pace and taking pole positions but more frequently finishing towards the end of the field. Results would dip further after the team's switch to the Porsche 911 GT3 R for the 2020 season, and remained unremarkable until Matsui's departure at the end of the 2022 season.
Matsui joined Team Mach alongside professional sim racer Yusuke Tomibayashi for the 2023 season, driving the familiar Toyota 86 MC.[6] However, the team would ultimately fail to score a single point over the course of the year.
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit* Season still in progress.
Complete Super GT 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 | 8 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | VivaC Team Tsuchiya | Toyota 86 MC | GT300 | OKA 6 |
FUJ Ret |
CHA 7 |
FUJ 5 |
SUZ 23 |
SUG 1 |
AUT | MOT | 10th | 35 |
| 2016 | GT300 | OKA 6 |
FUJ 3 |
SUG 2 |
FUJ 13 |
SUZ 22 |
CHA 1 |
MOT 7 |
MOT 1 |
1st | 78 | ||
| 2017 | GT300 | OKA 4 |
FUJ 15 |
AUT 1 |
SUG 3 |
FUJ 29 |
SUZ 18 |
CHA 15 |
MOT 5 |
5th | 48 | ||
| 2018 | Tsuchiya Engineering | GT300 | OKA 3 |
FUJ Ret |
SUZ 2 |
CHA 19 |
FUJ 5 |
SUG 24 |
AUT 24 |
MOT 8 |
7th | 39 | |
| 2019 | GT300 | OKA Ret |
FUJ 18 |
SUZ 5 |
CHA 4 |
FUJ 26 |
AUT 16 |
SUG 27 |
MOT 18 |
19th | 17 | ||
| 2020 | Hoppy Team Tsuchiya | Porsche 911 GT3 R | GT300 | FUJ 19 |
FUJ 20 |
SUZ 14 |
MOT 8 |
FUJ 11 |
SUZ 9 |
MOT 6 |
FUJ 14 |
20th | 10 |
| 2021 | GT300 | OKA 7 |
FUJ 13 |
MOT 6 |
SUZ 23 |
SUG 19 |
AUT 10 |
MOT 5 |
FUJ 6 |
14th | 21 | ||
| 2022 | GT300 | OKA 22 |
FUJ1 11 |
SUZ1 Ret |
FUJ2 WD |
SUZ2 15 |
SUG 10 |
AUT 16 |
MOT Ret |
34th | 1 | ||
| 2023 | Team Mach | Toyota 86 MC | GT300 | OKA 15 |
FUJ1 22 |
SUZ1 19 |
FUJ2 18 |
SUZ2 21 |
SUG 22 |
MOT 18 |
MOT 18 |
NC | 0 |
References
edit- ^ "松井 孝允 | 2022年 | ドライバー情報 | モータースポーツ活動 | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing". Toyota Gazoo Racing (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "松井 孝允「胸を張って自分はプロだと言えた日」" [The day I could proudly say "I am a pro driver"]. Toyota Gazoo Racing (in Japanese). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "VivaC team TSUCHIYA スーパーGT第4戦SUGO レースレポート". auto sport web (in Japanese). 15 August 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "つちやエンジニアリングのドライバーは土屋＆松井に" [Tsuchiya Engineering's drivers will be Tsuchiya and Matsui]. auto sport web (in Japanese). 26 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Toyota Presents Its Motorsport Programme For 2015 And Announces Return To The World Rally Championship In 2017". Toyota UK. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "TEAM MACH、2023年のスーパーGT参戦体制を発表。冨林勇佑と松井孝允のコンビで車両は別個体に" [TEAM MACH announces team structure for 2023 season, defined by combination of Yusuke Tomibayashi and Takamitsu Matsui]. auto sport web (in Japanese). 25 December 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Takamitsu Matsui career summary at DriverDB.com