Masanori Sekiya

































Masanori Sekiya
Nationality
Japan Japanese
Born
(1949-11-27) 27 November 1949 (age 69)
Ikawa, Shizuoka, Japan

24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years
1985–1990, 1992–1993, 1995–1997
Teams
Tom's, Porsche Kremer Racing, Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing, SARD, Gulf Team Davidoff
Best finish 1st (1995)
Class wins 1 (1995)

Masanori Sekiya (関谷 正徳, Sekiya Masanori, born 27 November 1949) is a racing car driver, most famous for being the first Japanese driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1995.


Sekiya drove in single-seaters in his early career, contesting the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship and Formula Nippon from 1987 to 1993, mostly for the Leyton House team. He never achieved any victories, but finished 4th in the standings in 1988 and 1989, scoring three and four podiums, respectively.


A long-time works Toyota driver, Sekiya drove in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, All Japan Grand Touring Championship and Japanese Touring Car Championship, a series which he won in 1994, driving a Toyota Chaser for the Tom's team. He was also runner-up the following year.


As Sekiya is rather fond of Le Mans, in 1987, he got married in the town prior to the race. His best result in international sports car racing was winning the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the wheel of a McLaren F1 GTR for Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing. He became the first Japanese-born driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was also fourth in the 1993 edition. He competed in the JGTC until the 2000 season and now works as team manager for the Super GT division of the Toyota Team TOM'S and also runs a racing school at Fuji Speedway. In 1998, Sekiya also appeared in a TV commercial in Japan driving a JZA80 Supra promoting its handling package.



24 Hours of Le Mans results



























































































































Year
Team
Co-Drivers
Car
Class
Laps

Pos.

Class
Pos.


1985

Japan Tom's Team

Japan Satoru Nakajima
Japan Kaoru Hoshino

Tom's 85C-L-Toyota
C1
330
12th
12th

1986

Japan Tom's Co. Ltd.

Japan Satoru Nakajima
United Kingdom Geoff Lees

Tom's (Dome) 86C-L-Toyota
C1
105
DNF
DNF

1987

Japan Toyota Team Tom's

United Kingdom Tiff Needell
Japan Kaoru Hoshino

Toyota 87C-L
C1
39
DNF
DNF

1988

Japan Toyota Team Tom's

United Kingdom Geoff Lees
Japan Kaoru Hoshino

Toyota 88C
C1
351
12th
12th

1989

Germany Porsche Kremer Racing

Japan Hideki Okada
South Africa George Fouché

Porsche 962CK6
C1
42
DNF
DNF

1990

Japan Toyota Team Tom's

United Kingdom Geoff Lees
Japan Hitoshi Ogawa

Toyota 90C-V
C1
347
6th
6th

1992

Japan Toyota Team Tom's

France Pierre-Henri Raphanel
United Kingdom Kenny Acheson

Toyota TS010
C1
346

2nd

2nd

1993

Japan Toyota Team Tom's

United Kingdom Eddie Irvine
Japan Toshio Suzuki

Toyota TS010
C1
364
4th
4th

1995

United Kingdom Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing

France Yannick Dalmas
Finland JJ Lehto

McLaren F1 GTR
GT1
298

1st

1st

1996

Japan Team SARD Toyota

Japan Hidetoshi Mitsusada
Japan Masami Kageyama

Toyota Supra LM
GT1
205
DNF
DNF

1997

United Kingdom Gulf Team Davidoff
United Kingdom GTC Racing

United Kingdom Ray Bellm
United Kingdom Andrew Gilbert-Scott

McLaren F1 GTR
GT1
326
DNF
DNF


Sources



  • Masanori Sekiya at Driver Database

  • Japanese Sports Prototype Championship tables

  • Toyota Team TOM'S profile
















Sporting positions
Preceded by
Masahiko Kageyama

Japanese Touring Car Championship
Champion

1994
Succeeded by
Steve Soper
Preceded by
Yannick Dalmas
Hurley Haywood
Mauro Baldi


Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1995 with:
Yannick Dalmas
JJ Lehto
Succeeded by
Manuel Reuter
Davy Jones
Alexander Wurz











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