was a Japanese racing driver who competed at the top level of Japanese Formula racing, currently known as
Super Formula
The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series. It is considered as being the top level of single-seater racing in Japan and regional motorsports in Asia. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) an ...
, between 1976 and 1992. Under the Japanese Formula 2 moniker, he won the championship in 1979
[ and was runner-up to future ]Formula 1
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
driver Satoru Nakajima
is a Japanese former racing driver. He is a five-time Japanese Top Formula champion, and was the first full-time Japanese Formula One driver. Accordingly, he is responsible for several firsts for Japanese drivers in Formula One, including bei ...
in 1982 and 1985.
Motorsport career
Matsumoto scored 11 wins and 29 podium finishes, seventh all-time in both accounts, over a 129-race career, which put him third in all-time Super Formula career starts behind generational peers Kazuyoshi Hoshino
is a Japanese former racing driver and businessman.
Motorsport career
Hoshino's nickname was . He won the Japanese motocross national championships in the 90cc and 125cc classes for Kawasaki in 1968 before switching to cars as a Nissan facto ...
and Kunimitsu Takahashi
was a Japanese professional motorcycle road racer, racing driver, and team manager. Nicknamed "Kuni-san", he is known as the "father of drifting".
His racing career lasted from 1958 to 1999. He competed on motorcycles between 1958 and 1963, ...
. In a rare overseas foray in 1981, he also took part in the Donington "50.000", a race of the European Formula Two championship, crossing the finish line in 15th place.
Until 1989, he also dabbled in Japanese sports car racing, winning the Fuji Grand Champion Series
The ran from 1971 to 1989. It was a drivers' championship in Japan and was originally for 2 litre Group B6 cars. The series was started in 1971, and all races were held at the Fuji Speedway circuit.
History
In its formative years, cars eligi ...
in 1983,[ and the Fuji 1000 km in 1985 and 1989. In the 1985 win, Matsumoto, Hoshino, and ]Akira Hagiwara
was a Japanese racing driver.
Career
Born in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Hagiwara was a graduate of the Tokai University in Tokyo. He started his racing career at age 21, driving a Nissan Sunny, and eventually progressed to the Jap ...
became the first Japanese drivers to ever win a race in the World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and No ...
; Hoshino was actually the only one who got to drive the car before the race was stopped early due to heavy rain. Matsumoto also competed in the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 55th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 13 and 14 June 1987. It was also the fifth round of the 1987 World Sports-Prototype Championship.
Track alterations
A chicane was installed in the middle of th ...
alongside Hoshino and Kenji Takahashi as an official Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
driver.
Matsumoto was the first public face of Cabin Racing, begun by Japan Tobacco
Hepburn: ''Nippon Senbai Kōsha''
, type = 1985-: Public (''kabushiki gaisha'') 1949-1985: Statutory corporation
, traded_as =
, industry = FoodTobacco
, foundation = 1898 (as Imperial Japanese Tobacco Company)1 June 1949 (as Japan Tobacco ...
in 1986, and his appearance in TV commercials brought him wide public attention.[ After retiring, he remained active in the Japanese motorsports scene and was a driver coach for Shintaro Kawabata, ]Ryo Michigami
is a Japanese racing driver. Currently he is driving a Honda NSX GT3 Evo for Modulo Drago Corse in Super GT. He won the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship in 2000.
He competed in the GT500 category of the Super GT series in 1995 and t ...
, Shinji Nakano
Shinji Nakano (中野 信治, born 1 April 1971) is a Japanese professional racing driver.
His father, Tsuneharu, was also a racing driver. He competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship.
Racing career
Pre Formula One Career
Formu ...
, and Juichi Wakisaka
is a former Japanese racing driver who was a 2002, 2006 and 2009 champion in Japan's Super GT series in the Super GT#GT500, GT500 category. Prior to the 1998 Formula One World Championship , 1998 Formula One season he tested for the Jordan Grand ...
among others.
Personal life and death
Matsumoto was born in Kyoto Prefecture.[ He died in ]Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
on May 17, 2015 after several years with cirrhosis
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...
.[
]
Racing record
Japanese Top Formula Championship results
(key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
References
1949 births
2015 deaths
Sportspeople from Kyoto Prefecture
Japanese racing drivers
Japanese Formula Two Championship drivers
Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
{{Japan-autoracing-bio-stub
Grand Champion Series drivers
Team LeMans drivers
Long Distance Series drivers
Japanese Sportscar Championship drivers
Nismo drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
TOM'S drivers