Shinji Nakano

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Not to be confused with Japanese MotoGP rider Shinya Nakano.
Shinji Nakano
Shinji Nakano 2009 Japan.jpg
Born (1971-04-01) 1 April 1971 (age 53)
Osaka, Japan
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Japan Japanese
Active years 19971998
Teams Prost, Minardi, Jordan (Test Driver)
Entries 33
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 2
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1997 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry 1998 Japanese Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years 20052008, 20112014
Teams Courage Compétition, Creation Autosportif, Epsilon Euskadi, OAK Racing
Best finish 14th (2011)
Class wins 0

Shinji Nakano (中野 信治, born April 1, 1971[1]) is a professional racing driver from Japan.

His father, Tsuneharu, was also a racing driver, who competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship.

Racing career

Pre Formula One Career

1984-'88: Karting, several Japanese titles.
1989: 7th in Japanese Formula 3 championship
1990: European Formula Opel Lotus Championship, 1 victory
1991: Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries
1992: Japanese Formula 3 and Formula 3000 championship
1993-'94: Japanese Formula 3 championship
1995-'96: Japanese Formula 3000 championship

Formula One Career

Nakano in the 1998 Spanish Grand Prix, driving a Minardi.

Nakano made his debut at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne for the Prost Grand Prix team, owned by legendary four times Formula One World Champion Alain Prost. The 1997 season saw him score two world championship points with a pair of sixth places.

With his place at Prost heavily reliant on their engine partners Mugen-Honda it came as no surprise when a switch to Peugeot power saw the French outfit drop Nakano in favour of the young Jarno Trulli and the fit again Olivier Panis. However Nakano was able to pick up a ride at perennial backmarkers Minardi for the 1998 season.

Unsurprisingly, Nakano struggled in the under-powered, under-financed Italian team. He failed to score any points in 1998 and bowed out of Formula One racing for good at his home Grand Prix at Suzuka, Japan, having contested a total of 33 Grands Prix. He spent 1999 as an occasional test driver for the Jordan team, which also used Mugen-Honda engines.[2]

After Formula One

After Formula One, Nakano went to race in Champ Car for Walker Racing and Fernandez Racing. He made 56 starts from 2000 to 2002 with a best points finish of 17th in 2002 and a best race result of 4th at the 2002 Molson Indy Toronto. He also started 15th in the 2003 Indianapolis 500 for Beck Motorsports, finishing 14th. He competed in the 2006 and 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans races and returned to the event in 2011 with OAK Racing and 2012 with the Boutsen Ginon squad.

Helmet

Nakano's helmet was black with a black circle on the top surrounded by a white halo, with a red and silver flame design surrounding the visor and a black and silver checkered flag behind of it, in CART he changed the black for white, the halo became blue, the black circle became red, the checkered flag disappeared and the flame became red with blue outline. in LeMans, he added more flames in the point where the checkered flag was.

Racing career

Complete Japanese Formula 3000/Formula Nippon results

(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 DC Points
1992 Nakajima Racing SUZ
DNQ
FUJ
12
MIN
Ret
SUZ
DNQ
AUT
Ret
SUG
Ret
FUJ
12
FUJ
13
SUZ
14
FUJ
16
SUZ
9
NC 0
1994 Team Nova SUZ FUJ MIN SUZ SUG FUJ SUZ
Ret
FUJ FUJ NC 0
Nakajima Racing SUZ
Ret
1995 Speed Star Wheel Racing SUZ
Ret
FUJ
C
MIN
7
SUZ
Ret
SUG
3
FUJ
Ret
TOK
5
FUJ
9
SUZ
8
11th 6
1996 Team Dome with Mugen SUZ
2
MIN
13
FUJ
Ret
TOK
9
SUZ
6
SUG
7
FUJ
3
MIN
2
SUZ
9
FUJ
4
6th 20

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points
1997 Prost Gauloises Blondes Prost JS45 Mugen-Honda MF-301HB 3.0 V10 AUS
7
BRA
14
ARG
Ret
SMR
Ret
MON
Ret
ESP
Ret
CAN
6
FRA
Ret
GBR
11
GER
7
HUN
6
BEL
Ret
ITA
11
AUT
Ret
LUX
Ret
JPN
Ret
EUR
10
18th 2
1998 Fondmetal Minardi Team SpA Minardi M198 Ford JD Zetec-R 3.0 V10 AUS
Ret
BRA
Ret
ARG
13
SMR
Ret
ESP
14
MON
9
CAN
7
FRA
17
GBR
8
AUT
11
GER
Ret
HUN
15
BEL
8
ITA
Ret
LUX
15
JPN
Ret
NC 0

Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the race distance.

American Open-Wheel

(key)

CART

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Rank Points
2000 Walker Racing United States
MIA
8
United States
LBH
 
Brazil
RIO
 
Japan
MOT
14
United States
NZR
Wth
United States
MIL
Ret
United States
DET
15
United States
POR
11
United States
CLE
Ret
Canada
TOR
Ret
United States
MIS
Ret
United States
CHI
Ret
United States
MDO
Ret
United States
ROA
Ret
Canada
VAN
Ret
United States
LS
Ret
United States
STL
Ret
United States
HOU
8
Australia
SRF
Ret
United States
FON
Ret
24th 12
2001 Fernández Racing Mexico
MTY
18
United States
LBH
12
United States
TXS
NH
United States
NZR
15
Japan
MOT
8
United States
MIL
16
United States
DET
13
United States
POR
Ret
United States
CLE
Ret
Canada
TOR
9
United States
MIS
Ret
United States
CHI
16
United States
MDO
18
United States
ROA
15
Canada
VAN
14
Germany
LAU
Ret
United Kingdom
ROC
17
United States
HOU
15
United States
LS
Ret
Australia
SRF
12
United States
FON
Ret
26th 11
2002 Fernández Racing Mexico
MTY
15
United States
LBH
12
Japan
MOT
10
United States
MIL
18
United States
LS
14
United States
POR
11
United States
CHI
5
Canada
TOR
4
United States
CLE
10
Canada
VAN
11
United States
MDO
9
United States
ROA
11
Canada
MTL
9
United States
DEN
16
United Kingdom
ROC
16
United States
MIA
14
Australia
SRF
13
United States
FON
15
Mexico
MXC
14
17th 43

IndyCar

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points
2003 Beck Motorsports United States
HMS
United States
PHX
Japan
MOT
11
United States
INDY
14
United States
TXS
United States
PPIR
United States
RIR
United States
KAN
United States
NSH
United States
MIS
United States
STL
United States
KTY
United States
NZR
United States
CHI
United States
FON
United States
TX2
29th 35

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2005 France Courage Compétition France Jonathan Cochet
France Bruce Jouanny
Courage C60H-Judd LMP1 52 DNF DNF
2006 France Courage Compétition France Jean-Marc Gounon
Japan Haruki Kurosawa
Courage LC70-Mugen LMP1 35 DNF DNF
2007 United Kingdom Creation Autosportif Ltd. United Kingdom Jamie Campbell-Walter
Switzerland Felipe Ortiz
Creation CA07-Judd LMP1 55 DNF DNF
2008 Spain Epsilon Euskadi Sweden Stefan Johansson
France Jean-Marc Gounon
Epsilon Euskadi EE1-Judd LMP1 158 DNF DNF
2011 France OAK Racing Belgium Nicolas de Crem
Czech Republic Jan Charouz
OAK Pescarolo 01 Evo-Judd LMP2 313 14th 5th
2012 Belgium Boutsen Ginion Racing France Bastien Brière
Germany Jens Petersen
Oreca 03-Nissan LMP2 325 24th 10th
2013 United Kingdom Delta-ADR Thailand Tor Graves
United Kingdom Archie Hamilton
Oreca 03-Nissan LMP2 101 DNF DNF
2014 Japan Team Taisan United Kingdom Martin Rich
Germany Pierre Ehret
Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 GTE
Am
327 28th 8th

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2012 ADR-Delta LMP2 Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SEB SPA LMS SIL SÃO BHR FUJ
8
SHA 41st 4
2013 Delta-ADR LMP2 Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SIL SPA LMS
Ret
SÃO COA FUJ
4
SHA BHR 26th 6

References

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External links