Kojima Engineering
Full nameKojima Engineering
BaseJapan
Founder(s)Matsuhisa Kojima
Noted driversJapan Masahiro Hasemi
Formula One World Championship career
First entry1976 Japanese Grand Prix
Races entered2
ConstructorsKojima-Ford
Drivers'
Championships		0
Race victories0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0[1]
Final entry1977 Japanese Grand Prix

Kojima Engineering was a Japanese Formula One constructor who entered cars in the Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 and 1977.

The KE007 on display at Yurakucho Marion in 2013.

The team was founded in 1976 by Matsuhisa Kojima.[1] Kojima had made a fortune importing bananas,[1] and was a motor-racing enthusiast, having ridden in Motocross himself in the 1960s.[1] He began entering Formula Two cars in Japan, and struck a deal with Dunlop to supply tyres for the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. To go with these, the company constructed the KE007 chassis, and brought in several staff-members from the Maki team. They helped arrange an entry for the Grand Prix at Fuji, and a Cosworth DFV engine.

The car was tested throughout the autumn of 1976, with Masahiro Hasemi, a Japanese Formula 2 driver, at the wheel. Hasemi then scored a huge stir at the Japanese Grand Prix, posting 4th best time in the first qualifying session. However, he crashed in the second session, and the car had to be rebuilt virtually from scratch.[2] Hasemi started 10th, and ran superbly before tyre trouble led to an eventual 11th place. He was initially credited with fastest lap, but this was a measurement mistake, and, several days later, the circuit issued a press release to correct the fastest lap holder of the race to Jacques Laffite.

A planned entry into the 1977 South American races was cancelled, but the team built a new Kojima KE009 for the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix. Bridgestone this time supplied the tyres, but these were unsatisfactory, and Noritake Takahara started only 19th before crashing avoiding debris. A second KE009 was entered by Heros Racing for the same race,[3] Kazuyoshi Hoshino starting and finishing 11th.

Kojima continued as an F2 entrant until the late 1980s, but did not venture again beyond domestic racing.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Points WCC
1976 Kojima Engineering Kojima KE007 Ford V8 D BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN 0 NC
Japan Masahiro Hasemi 11
1977 Kojima Engineering Kojima KE009 Ford V8 B ARG BRA RSA USW ESP MON BEL SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN JPN 0 NC
Japan Noritake Takahara Ret
Heros Racing Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino 11

Notes

  1. ^ It was initially announced that the fastest lap at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix was set by Masahiro Hasemi in a Kojima, but this was a measurement mistake, and, several days later, the circuit issued a press release to correct the fastest lap holder of the race to Jacques Laffite in a Ligier.[4] This release was promptly made known in Japan, and the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and Japanese media corrected the record.[5][6] But this correction was not made well known outside Japan, thus, Kojima is credited with one fastest lap in many record books.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kojima Engineering". grandprix.com. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  2. ^ Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. 154–155. ISBN 0-85429-380-9.
  3. ^ "1977 Japanese Grand Prix entry list". ChicaneF1. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  4. ^ i-dea archives (14 January 2006), '76 F1イン・ジャパン (1976 F1 World Championship in Japan), Auto Sport Archives 日本の名レース100選 (The 100 Best races in Japan) (in Japanese), vol. 001, San-eishobo Publishing Co., Ltd., p. 77, ISBN 978-4-7796-0007-4, archived from the original on 13 December 2010, retrieved 16 December 2010
  5. ^ "Motorsport competition results: 1976 F1 World Championship in Japan" (in Japanese). Japan Automobile Federation. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  6. ^ "Archive: 1976 F1 World Championship in Japan" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports News. 25 October 1976. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
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