Hideki Mutoh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hideki Mutoh |
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Hideki Mutoh at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010.
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| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | October 6, 1982 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 (武藤 英紀, Mutō Hideki) is a Japanese race car driver. He was born on October 6, 1982, in Tokyo, Japan. He last raced in the 2022 Super GT Series for Autobacs Racing Team Aguri.
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Hideki Mutoh: A Racing Star
About Hideki Mutoh
Hideki Mutoh is 172 centimeters (5 feet 8 inches) tall. He weighs 64 kilograms (141 pounds). His blood type is AB Rh-positive. He enjoys playing tennis, driving, and darts in his free time. He drives a Honda CR-V. Hideki has two older sisters.
His family owned a seafood business in Tsukiji. He was expected to take over the business. However, Hideki chose to follow his dream of becoming a race car driver instead.
Early Racing Days
Hideki started karting 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.
He began his professional racing career in 1999. He competed in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Series. In 2000 and 2001, he raced in British Formula Ford. He also finished third in the Formula Ford European Championship in 2001.
Racing in Asia
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. He then won the Formula Dream championship in 2003.
In 2004, Mutoh moved to the Japan Formula 3. He finished third in this championship in 2005. In 2006, he drove in Formula Nippon and Super GT 500-class for Nakajima Racing. He won his first Super GT race at Fuji Speedway.
IndyCar Series Journey
In 2007, Hideki joined the Indy Pro Series with Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA). He won his first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He won another race at Kentucky Speedway. He finished second in the championship and was named Rookie of the Year.
On September 9, 2007, Mutoh made his Indy Racing League IndyCar Series debut. He raced for Panther Racing at Chicagoland Speedway. He finished 8th and even set the fastest lap. In October 2007, it was announced he would join Andretti Green Racing for the 2008 IndyCar Series season.
2008 IndyCar Season
Hideki started his first full IndyCar season in March 2008. He was the fastest rookie qualifier for the 2008 Indianapolis 500, starting 9th. He finished 7th in the race. This was the second-best finish for a Japanese driver in the Indy 500's history. He was also the highest-finishing rookie in the race.
His best IndyCar finish was second place at the Iowa Speedway in June. This was the best finish ever for a Japanese driver in IndyCar. He won the Rookie of the Year title for the season. He also finished 10th overall in the series.
2009 IndyCar Season
Mutoh continued racing with Andretti Green Racing in 2009. He faced some bad luck and car problems early in the season. For the 2009 Indianapolis 500, he qualified 16th and finished 10th.
His best result of 2009 was third place at Iowa Speedway. He led 74 laps at Richmond International Raceway, finishing fourth. He also had two fifth-place finishes on road courses. He ended the season 11th in the points standings.
2010 IndyCar Season
In 2010, Mutoh raced for Newman/Haas Racing. He showed good speed but struggled to get consistent results. At the Kansas Speedway race, he qualified fourth. He was in a good position near the end but had a crash and had to stop racing.
At the Indianapolis 500, he qualified ninth, just like in 2008. However, he had to retire from the race due to car issues. He finished 18th in the final points standings. His best finish that year was 12th.
2011 IndyCar and Super GT
In 2011, Hideki Mutoh returned to Japan to race in the Super GT series. He drove for Aguri Suzuki's Honda team. He also participated in the 2011 Indy Japan: The Final race at Motegi. He finished 19th in that race.
Later Super GT Career
Hideki Mutoh continued to race in the Super GT series. In 2013, he won the Super GT - GT300 championship with Team Mugen. He had a very strong season, with one win and several second-place finishes.
He continued racing in the GT500 class for various teams, including Team Kunimitsu and Keihin Real Racing. He achieved podium finishes (top three) in 2015 and 2016. In 2022, he raced for Autobacs Racing Team Aguri in the GT300 class and secured a win at Twin Ring Motegi.
Images for kids
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Hideki Mutoh at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010.
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Mutoh practicing for the 2008 Indianapolis 500.
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Mutoh at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2009.
