Kohei Hirate

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Kohei Hirate
Hirate at the 2010 Fuji 400km Super GT race.
Nationality Japanese
Born (1986-03-24) 24 March 1986 (age 38)
Komaki, Aichi, Japan
Super GT career
Debut season2008
Current teamHELM Motorsports
Racing licence FIA Platinum
Car number62
Former teamsLexus Team Cerumo, apr, Lexus Team SARD, NDDP Racing with B-Max Racing, Kondo Racing
Starts60
Wins6
Fastest laps1
Best finish1st in 2013, 2016
Previous series
200813
2007
200406
2004
2003–04
2003–04
2003
2003
2002
Super Formula
GP2 Series
Formula 3 Euro Series
Asian Formula Renault
FR2000 Germany
FR2000 Italia
FR2000 Netherlands
FR2000 Masters
Formula Toyota
Championship titles
2013 & 2016Super GT

Kohei Hirate (平手 晃平, Hirate Kōhei, born 24 March 1986 in Komaki, Aichi) is a Japanese race car driver. Hirate has won the Super GT series twice.[1]

Career[edit]

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.

Hirate during free practice for the first Motegi round of the 2010 Formula Nippon season.

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[edit]

Career summary[edit]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2002 Formula Toyota TOM'S Spirit ? 4 2 ? ? ? 2nd
2003 Formula Renault 2000 Italia Prema Powerteam 12 1 0 1 2 113 8th
Formula Renault 2000 Masters 8 0 0 0 0 8 21st
Formula Renault 2000 Germany Franken Racing 4 0 0 0 0 33 24th
Formula Renault 2000 Netherlands ? ? ? ? ? ? 15 21st
2004 Formula 3 Euro Series Prema Powerteam 4 0 0 0 0 0 28th
Bahrain Superprix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 12th
Formula Renault 2000 Italia 15 6 6 2 10 266 2nd
Formula Renault 2000 Germany 2 0 0 0 0 25 25th
Asian Formula Renault Challenge Asia Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2005 Formula 3 Euro Series Team Rosberg 20 0 0 0 1 18 11th
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
2006 Formula 3 Euro Series Manor Motorsport 20 1 0 2 5 61 3rd
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 27th
Formula One Panasonic Toyota Racing Test driver
2007 GP2 Series Trident Racing 21 0 0 0 1 9 19th
Formula One Panasonic Toyota Racing Test driver
2008 Formula Nippon Team Impul 8 1 0 0 3 42 4th
Super GT - GT300 apr 7 1 1 0 1 33 15th
2009 Formula Nippon Team Impul 8 0 1 0 2 32 5th
Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team SARD 9 0 0 0 1 27 14th
2010 Formula Nippon Team Impul 8 1 0 2 2 25.5 5th
Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team SARD 8 0 0 0 0 12 12th
2011 Formula Nippon Team Impul 8 0 0 1 1 15 8th
Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team Cerumo 8 1 0 0 2 47 6th
2012 Formula Nippon Project μ/cerumoINGING 8 0 0 1 0 8 9th
Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team Cerumo 8 2 0 0 3 74 2nd
2013 Super Formula P.mu/cerumoINGING 7 0 0 0 1 11 9th
Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team Cerumo 8 1 0 0 4 69 1st
2014 Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team Cerumo 8 1 0 0 2 43 8th
2015 Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team SARD 8 0 0 1 0 23 13th
2016 Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team SARD 8 1 1 2 4 82 1st
2017 Super GT - GT500 Lexus Team SARD 8 1 0 0 2 44 8th
2018 Super GT - GT300 apr Racing 8 0 0 0 4 61 3rd
Suzuka 10 Hours ARN Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 16th
2019 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing with B-Max Racing 7 1 0 0 1 36 6th
2020 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing with B-Max 8 0 0 0 0 29 13th
2021 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing with B-Max 8 0 0 0 1 39 10th
2022 Super GT - GT500 Kondo Racing 7 0 0 0 2 30.5 9th
Super Taikyu - ST-Q NISMO
2023 Super GT - GT500 Kondo Racing 7 0 1 0 0 11 16th
Super Taikyu - ST-Q NISMO
2024 Super GT - GT300 HELM Motorsports
  • * Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results[edit]

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

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Pts
2005 Team Rosberg Opel HOC
1

12
HOC
2

11
PAU
1

10
PAU
2

16
SPA
1

5
SPA
2

4
MON
1

16
MON
2

Ret
OSC
1

Ret
OSC
2

9
NOR
1

Ret
NOR
2

Ret
NÜR
1

3
NÜR
2

7
ZAN
1

Ret
ZAN
2

DSQ
LAU
1

17
LAU
2

8
HOC
1

12
HOC
2

10
12th 18
2006 Manor Motorsport Mercedes HOC
1

1
HOC
2

4
LAU
1

18
LAU
2

11
OSC
1

4
OSC
2

2
BRH
1

DNS
BRH
2

17
NOR
1

4
NOR
2

Ret
NÜR
1

5
NÜR
2

Ret
ZAN
1

3
ZAN
2

13
CAT
1

2
CAT
2

4
LMS
1

5
LMS
2

3
HOC
1

5
HOC
2

7
3rd 61

Complete GP2 Series results[edit]

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 DC Points
2007 Trident Racing BHR
FEA

18
BHR
SPR

Ret
CAT
FEA

13
CAT
SPR

10
MON
FEA

12
MAG
FEA

Ret
MAG
SPR

11
SIL
FEA

18
SIL
SPR

Ret
NÜR
FEA

5
NÜR
SPR

2
HUN
FEA

11
HUN
SPR

10
IST
FEA

Ret
IST
SPR

Ret
MNZ
FEA

Ret
MNZ
SPR

10
SPA
FEA

Ret
SPA
SPR

13
VAL
FEA

Ret
VAL
SPR

16
19th 9

Complete Formula Nippon/Super Formula results[edit]

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
2008 Team Impul FUJ
Ret
SUZ
2
MOT
6
OKA
3
SUZ1
5
SUZ2
1
MOT1
Ret
MOT2
DNS
FUJ1 FUJ2 SUG
5
4th 42
2009 Team Impul FUJ
3
SUZ
4
MOT
Ret
FUJ
5
SUZ
5
MOT
8
AUT
4
SUG
3
5th 32
2010 Team Impul SUZ
4
MOT
7
FUJ
1
MOT
3
SUG
12
AUT
8
SUZ1
9
SUZ2
6
5th 25.5
2011 Team Impul SUZ
9
AUT
8
FUJ
2
MOT
5
SUZ
C
SUG
8
MOT1
7
MOT2
Ret
8th 15
2012 Project μ/cerumoINGING SUZ
10
MOT
NC
AUT
7
FUJ
7
MOT
8
SUG
8
SUZ1
9
SUZ2
5
9th 8
2013 P.mu/cerumoINGING SUZ
12
AUT
Ret
FUJ
2
MOT
15
SUG
Ret
SUZ1
5
SUZ2
7
9th 11

Complete Super GT results[edit]

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Pts
2008 apr Toyota MR-S GT300 SUZ
13
OKA
12
FUJ
1
SEP
9
SUG
6
SUZ MOT AUT
9
FUJ
Ret
15th 33
2009 Lexus Team SARD Lexus SC430 GT500 OKA
15
SUZ
10
FUJ
10
SEP
13
SUG
2
SUZ
7
FUJ
11
AUT
12
MOT
5
14th 27
2010 Lexus Team SARD Lexus SC430 GT500 SUZ
5
OKA
10
FUJ
Ret
SEP
10
SUG
10
SUZ
8
FUJ
C
MOT
11
12th 12
2011 Lexus Team Cerumo Lexus SC430 GT500 OKA
8
FUJ
5
SEP
5
SUG
11
SUZ
14
FUJ
1
AUT
3
MOT
10
6th 47
2012 Lexus Team Cerumo Lexus SC430 GT500 OKA
1
FUJ
8
SEP
2
SUG
5
SUZ
9
FUJ
8
AUT
7
MOT
1
2nd 74
2013 Lexus Team Cerumo Lexus SC430 GT500 OKA
4
FUJ
2
SEP
14
SUG
11
SUZ
11
FUJ
1
AUT
2
MOT
3
1st 69
2014 Lexus Team Cerumo Lexus RC F GT500 OKA
14
FUJ
2
AUT
12
SUG
1
FUJ
14
SUZ
8
BUR
11
MOT
7
8th 43
2015 Lexus Team SARD Lexus RC F GT500 OKA
5
FUJ
5
CHA
7
FUJ
9
SUZ
11
SUG
Ret
AUT
13
MOT
6
13th 23
2016 Lexus Team SARD Lexus RC F GT500 OKA
7
FUJ
2
SUG
2
FUJ
8
SUZ
8
CHA
7
MOT
2
MOT
1
1st 82
2017 Lexus Team SARD Lexus LC500 GT500 OKA
3
FUJ
7
AUT
14
SUG
1
SUZ
10
FUJ
13
CHA
6
MOT
8
8th 44
2018 apr Toyota Prius GT300 OKA
Ret
FUJ
2
SUZ
9
CHA
2
FUJ
3
SUG
25
AUT
10
MOT
2
3rd 61
2019 NDDP Racing Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 GT500 OKA
4‡
FUJ
6
SUZ
9
CHA
6
FUJ
11
AUT
11
SUG
1
MOT
DNS
9th 36
2020 NDDP Racing Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 GT500 FUJ
7
FUJ
8
SUZ
6
MOT
7
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
4
MOT
15
FUJ
6
13th 29
2021 NDDP Racing Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 GT500 OKA
9
FUJ
5
SUZ
6
MOT
2
SUG
Ret
AUT
4
MOT
14
FUJ
8
10th 39
2022 Kondo Racing Nissan Z GT500 GT500 OKA
14
FUJ
8
SUZ
6
FUJ
3
SUZ
10
SUG
14
AUT
3
MOT
Ret
9th 30.5
2023 Kondo Racing Nissan Z GT500 GT500 OKA
14
FUJ
15
SUZ
8
FUJ
10
SUZ
13
SUG
5
AUT
12
MOT
14
16th 11

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. * Season still in progress.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Klein, Jamie (23 April 2021). "Why a driver twice rejected by Toyota can have the last laugh". Autosport. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

External links[edit]

Sporting positions
Preceded by Super GT (GT500) Champion
2013 with:
Yuji Tachikawa
Succeeded by
Preceded by Super GT (GT500) Champion
2016 with:
Heikki Kovalainen
Succeeded by