Kohei Hirate Explained

Kohei Hirate
Nationality: Japan
Birth Date:24 March 1986
Birth Place:Komaki, Aichi, Japan
Racing Licence: FIA Platinum
Current Series:Super GT
First Year:2008
Current Team:HELM Motorsports
Car Number:62
Former Teams:Lexus Team Cerumo, apr, Lexus Team SARD, NDDP Racing with B-Max Racing, Kondo Racing
Starts:60
Wins:6
Fastest Laps:1
Best Finish:1st
Year:2013, 2016
Prev Series:Super Formula
GP2 Series
Formula 3 Euro Series
Asian Formula Renault
FR2000 Germany
FR2000 Italia
FR2000 Netherlands
FR2000 Masters
Formula Toyota
Prev Series Years:200813
2007
200406
2004
2003–04
2003–04
2003
2003
2002
Titles:Super GT
Title Years:2013 & 2016

is a Japanese race car driver. Hirate has won the Super GT series twice.[1]

Career

Hirate began karting in 1999 when he was 13. After winning the All Japan Junior Kart Championship, coming third and fifth in the All Japan Kart Championship and coming third in the FIA Oceania Championship, he moved on to Formula Toyota, where he raced for the Tom's Spirit team and came second with four wins to his name.

In 2003, he moved to Formula Renault, at the Prema Power team. In his two-year spell here he won 7 races and came second in the 2004 season. In 2004 he also raced for Prema Power's Formula Three Euroseries team twice, and in 2005 made the decision to race here. After coming twelfth for Team Rosberg, he was made a Toyota F1 test driver in 2006 and came third in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2007 he continued as a Toyota test driver and also drove for GP2 team Trident Racing.

Hirate returned to Japan in 2008, where he competed in both Formula Nippon and Super GT. He finished fourth in the 2008 Formula Nippon season and fifth in 2009, both times driving for Team Impul.

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2002Formula ToyotaTOM'S Spirit?42???2nd
2003Formula Renault 2000 Italiaalign=left rowspan=2Prema Powerteam1210121138th
Formula Renault 2000 Masters80000821st
Formula Renault 2000 GermanyFranken Racing400003324th
Formula Renault 2000 Netherlands??????1521st
2004Formula 3 Euro Seriesalign=left rowspan=4Prema Powerteam40000028th
Bahrain Superprix10000N/A12th
Formula Renault 2000 Italia15662102662nd
Formula Renault 2000 Germany200002525th
Asian Formula Renault ChallengeAsia Racing Team100000NC
2005Formula 3 Euro Seriesalign=left rowspan=3Team Rosberg2000011811th
Masters of Formula 310000N/A5th
Macau Grand Prix10000N/ANC
2006Formula 3 Euro Seriesalign=left rowspan=3Manor Motorsport201025613rd
Masters of Formula 310000N/A4th
Macau Grand Prix10000N/A27th
Formula OnePanasonic Toyota RacingTest driver
2007GP2 SeriesTrident Racing210001919th
Formula OnePanasonic Toyota RacingTest driver
2008Formula NipponTeam Impul81003424th
Super GT - GT300apr711013315th
2009Formula NipponTeam Impul80102325th
Super GT - GT500Lexus Team SARD900012714th
2010Formula NipponTeam Impul8102225.55th
Super GT - GT500Lexus Team SARD800001212th
2011Formula NipponTeam Impul80011158th
Super GT - GT500Lexus Team Cerumo81002476th
2012Formula NipponProject μ/cerumoINGING8001089th
Super GT - GT500Lexus Team Cerumo82003742nd
2013Super FormulaP.mu/cerumoINGING70001119th
Super GT - GT500Lexus Team Cerumo81004691st
2014Super GT - GT500Lexus Team Cerumo81002438th
2015Super GT - GT500Lexus Team SARD800102313th
2016Super GT - GT500Lexus Team SARD81124821st
2017Super GT - GT500Lexus Team SARD81002448th
2018Super GT - GT300apr Racing80004613rd
Suzuka 10 HoursARN Racing10000N/A16th
2019Super GT - GT500NDDP Racing with B-Max Racing71001366th
2020Super GT - GT500NDDP Racing with B-Max800002913th
2021Super GT - GT500NDDP Racing with B-Max800013910th
2022Super GT - GT500Kondo Racing7000230.59th
Super Taikyu - ST-QNISMO
2023Super GT - GT500Kondo Racing701001116th
Super Taikyu - ST-QNISMO
2024Super GT - GT300HELM Motorsports
Super Taikyu - ST-QNISMO

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantEngine1234567891011121314151617181920DCPts
2005Team RosbergOpelHOC
1

HOC
2

PAU
1

PAU
2

SPA
1

SPA
2

MON
1

MON
2

OSC
1

OSC
2

NOR
1

NOR
2

NÜR
1

NÜR
2

ZAN
1


LAU
1

LAU
2

HOC
1

HOC
2

12th18
2006Manor MotorsportMercedesHOC
1

HOC
2

LAU
1

LAU
2

OSC
1

OSC
2

BRH
1

BRH
2

NOR
1

NOR
2

NÜR
1

NÜR
2

ZAN
1

ZAN
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

LMS
1

LMS
2

HOC
1

HOC
2

3rd61

Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Nippon/Super Formula results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrant1234567891011DCPoints
2008Team ImpulFUJ
SUZ
MOT
OKA
SUZ1
SUZ2
MOT1
MOT2
FUJ1FUJ2SUG
4th42
2009Team ImpulFUJ
SUZ
MOT
FUJ
SUZ
MOT
AUT
SUG
5th32
2010Team ImpulSUZ
MOT
FUJ
MOT
SUG
AUT
SUZ1
SUZ2
5th25.5
2011Team ImpulSUZ
AUT
FUJ
MOT
SUZ
SUG
MOT1
MOT2
8th15
2012Project μ/cerumoINGINGSUZ
MOT
AUT
FUJ
MOT
SUG
SUZ1
SUZ2
9th8
2013P.mu/cerumoINGINGSUZ
AUT
FUJ
MOT
SUG
SUZ1
SUZ2
9th11

Complete Super GT results

YearTeamCarClass123456789DCPts
2008aprToyota MR-SGT300SUZ
OKA
FUJ
SEP
SUG
SUZMOTAUT
FUJ
15th33
2009Lexus Team SARDLexus SC430GT500OKA
SUZ
FUJ
SEP
SUG
SUZ
FUJ
AUT
MOT
14th27
2010Lexus Team SARDLexus SC430GT500SUZ
OKA
FUJ
SEP
SUG
SUZ
FUJ
MOT
12th12
2011Lexus Team CerumoLexus SC430GT500OKA
FUJ
SEP
SUG
SUZ
FUJ
AUT
MOT
6th47
2012Lexus Team CerumoLexus SC430GT500OKA
FUJ
SEP
SUG
SUZ
FUJ
AUT
MOT
2nd74
2013Lexus Team CerumoLexus SC430GT500OKA
FUJ
SEP
SUG
SUZ
FUJ
AUT
MOT
1st69
2014Lexus Team CerumoLexus RC FGT500OKA
FUJ
AUT
SUG
FUJ
SUZ
BUR
MOT
8th43
2015Lexus Team SARDLexus RC FGT500OKA
FUJ
CHA
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
AUT
MOT
13th23
2016Lexus Team SARDLexus RC FGT500OKA
FUJ
SUG
FUJ
SUZ
CHA
MOT
MOT
1st82
2017Lexus Team SARDLexus LC500GT500OKA
FUJ
AUT
SUG
SUZ
FUJ
CHA
MOT
8th44
2018aprToyota PriusGT300OKA
FUJ
SUZ
CHA
FUJ
SUG
AUT
MOT
3rd61
2019NDDP RacingGT500OKA
FUJ
SUZ
CHA
FUJ
AUT
SUG
MOT
9th36
2020NDDP RacingGT500FUJ
FUJ
SUZ
MOT
FUJ
SUZ
MOT
FUJ
13th29
2021NDDP RacingGT500OKA
FUJ
SUZ
MOT
SUG
AUT
MOT
FUJ
10th39
2022Kondo RacingNissan Z GT500GT500OKA
FUJ
SUZ
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
AUT
MOT
9th30.5
2023Kondo RacingNissan Z GT500GT500OKA
FUJ
SUZ
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
AUT
MOT
16th11
2024HELM MotorsportsNissan GT-R Nismo GT3GT300OKA
FUJ
SUZ
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
AUT
MOT
14th*1*
Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Why a driver twice rejected by Toyota can have the last laugh . Klein . Jamie . 23 April 2021 . 26 April 2021 . Autosport.