Toshio Suzuki

In 1993 Toshio Suzuki took part in a Grand Prix for the first time at the age of 38, having arranged a two-race deal with Larrousse in place of Philippe Alliot. His aim was to finish, and in that he succeeded, but just to compete at this level must have been a source of great satisfaction for this very popular driver, who had been Japanese Formula 3 champion as far back as 1979. He raced in Europe during 1980-81, and was a leading contender in the Japanese F2 and F3000 series for more than a decade but enjoyed little luck until the 1995 season when at last things went his way, Suzuki winning the All-Japan F3000 series at the last gasp for Hoshino Racing.

It was in sports car racing that Toshio found his greatest success. After driving Toyotas, he joined Nissan to team up with Kazuyoshi Hoshino, the pair becoming a formidable combination not only at home but also on the international stage, their proudest triumph coming in the 1992 Daytona 24 Hours when, with Masahiro Hasemi, they became the first all-Japanese crew to win a major race.

The veteran has recently been a regular in the All-Japan GT championship, racing a Toyota Supra, and a member of the driver line-up for the Japanese giant’s Le Mans assault. After finishing ninth in the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours with the Toyota GT-One, Toshio teamed up again with Ukyo Katayama and Keiichi Tsuchiya to finish a fine second a year later.