Hideki Mutoh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hideki Mutoh
Hideki Mutoh at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010.
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1982-10-06) October 6, 1982 (age 42) Tokyo, Japan
Super GT career
Debut season	2006
Car no.	55
Former teams	Nakajima Racing, Team Mugen, Team Kunimitsu, Real Racing, Autobacs Racing Team Aguri
Starts	83
Wins	3
Poles	3
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	1st in 2013
Previous series
2003–2004 2006, 2011 2007 2008-2011 2012-2013 2013-2014	Japan Formula 3 Formula Nippon Indy Pro Series IndyCar Series Super GT GT300 Super Formula
Championship titles
2013 2002	Super GT - GT300 Formula Dream
Awards
2008	IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year

Hideki Mutoh (born October 6, 1982) is a Japanese race car driver from Tokyo, Japan. He is known for racing in different series, including the IndyCar Series in the United States and Super GT in Japan. He last raced in the 2022 Super GT Season for Autobacs Racing Team Aguri.

Hideki Mutoh's Racing Journey

Early Life and Start in Racing

Hideki Mutoh is 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) tall. He has two older sisters. His family owned a seafood business in Tsukiji, and he was expected to take it over. However, Hideki chose a different path: becoming a race car driver.

He started karting (a type of racing with small, open-wheel vehicles) when he was 12 years old in 1995. In 1997, he won a championship in karting. After finishing junior high school in 1998, he moved to England to study and continue his racing dream.

Racing in Europe and Asia

Hideki began his professional racing career in 1999 in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Series. In 2000 and 2001, he competed in British Formula Ford races. He also finished third in the Formula Ford European Championship in 2001.

In 2002, Hideki returned to Asia. He raced in Asian Formula 2000 and Formula Dream. He finished second in the Formula Dream series in his first year. The next year, in 2003, he won the Formula Dream championship!

In 2004, Hideki moved to the Japan Formula 3 series. He finished third in this championship in 2005.

Super GT and Formula Nippon

In 2006, Hideki raced in two major Japanese series: Formula Nippon and Super GT. He drove for Nakajima Racing. He earned his first Super GT victory at Fuji Speedway, starting from the very front (pole position). He also set the fastest lap in a Formula Nippon race that year.

Moving to America: Indy Pro Series

In 2007, Hideki joined Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) to race in the Indy Pro Series in the United States. This series is a step below the main IndyCar Series. He quickly showed his talent.

He won his first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, starting from pole position. He won another race at Kentucky Speedway. Hideki finished second overall in the championship and was named the Rookie of the Year.

IndyCar Series Debut

On September 9, 2007, Hideki made his debut in the top-level Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. He raced for Panther Racing at Chicagoland Speedway. Even though it was his first IndyCar race, he finished an impressive 8th place and set the fastest lap of the race!

Because of his great performance, Hideki was chosen to replace the 2007 IndyCar Series champion, Dario Franchitti, at Andretti Green Racing for the 2008 season.

2008 Season Highlights

Mutoh practicing for the 2008 Indianapolis 500.

Hideki started his first full IndyCar season in March 2008. In May, he was the fastest rookie to qualify for the famous 2008 Indianapolis 500 race, starting 9th. He finished 7th in the race, which was the second-best finish ever for a Japanese driver at the Indy 500. He was also the highest-finishing rookie in the race.

His best result of the 2008 season was finishing second at the Iowa Speedway. This was the best finish for any Japanese driver in IndyCar history at that time. He ended the season in 10th place overall and won the "Rookie of the Year" award.

2009 Season

Mutoh at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2009.

Hideki continued racing with Andretti Green Racing in 2009. He qualified 16th for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. He drove well during the race, moving up positions, and finished 10th.

His best finish of 2009 was third place at Iowa Speedway, making it his second time on the podium at that track. He also led 74 laps at Richmond International Raceway, which was his first time leading laps in an IndyCar race, and finished fourth. He ended the season 11th in the points standings.

2010 Season

In 2010, Hideki joined Newman/Haas Racing. He showed good speed at times but struggled to get consistent top results. At the Kansas Speedway race, he qualified fourth, his best starting spot of the season. He was in a good position to finish on the podium but had a crash near the end of the race.

At the Indianapolis 500, he qualified 9th, just like in 2008. However, he had to leave the race early due to car problems. He finished the season 18th in the points standings.

2011 Season

In 2011, Hideki returned to Japan to race in the Super GT series for Aguri Suzuki's Honda team. He also came back to the IndyCar Series for one last race in Japan. He competed in the 2011 Indy Japan: The Final race at Motegi, finishing 19th.

Motorsports Career Results

American Open–Wheel Racing Results

(Key: Races in bold indicate pole position)

Indy Lights

IndyCar Series

¹ Run on same day.

² Non-points race.

** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.

*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

Indianapolis 500