Takuma Sato
Takuma Sato
Takuma Sato will pilot the #5 KV Racing Technology, Lotus entry during the 2010 Izod IndyCar Series season.
Sato, commonly known as “Taku”, a 33-year-old native of Tokyo, Japan, is a veteran of seven Formula 1 seasons. In 2010 he will be contesting his first IndyCar season and first with KV Racing Technology.
Taku began his career racing bicycles in his native Japan. In 1996, he started karting and in 1997 won the Kanto region championship. That same year he entered Suzuka Racing School where he won a scholarship for the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship. He chose, however, to move to Europe to pursue his ambition of reaching Formula 1.
In 1999, his first full year of car racing, Taku competed in Formula Opel Europe and British Formula 3 National Class B for Diamond Racing. He finished sixth in Formula Opel Europe scoring one victory. In the Europa Cup Britain Series he scored three wins in five races. During a restricted campaign of only seven races in British Formula 3 National Class B, Taku finished fourth in championship with three wins despite competing in only half the season. He also won the Macau Grand Prix support race for AF2000 with Meritus Racing.
Taku joined Carlin Motorsport for the 2000 season to compete in British Formula 3 (Class A). He contested 12 races earning four wins, six poles, six podiums and placing third in championship. He also ran two races in Formula 3 France for Carlin Motorsport, winning one along with several one-off events. His performance in British Formula 3 drew the attention of Formula 1 teams resulting in test with Jordan and British American Racing (BAR)
Taku then returned to Carlin Motorsport to contest the 2001 British Formula 3 season and dominated the championship. He ran 24 races earning 12 victories, six poles and 17 podiums en route to the championship. His 16 wins in the British Formula 3 Championship over two seasons is still a record. In addition, Taku won the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix, the British Formula 1 Grand Prix support race and the Marlboro Masters of Formula at Zandvoort with Carlin Motorsport and served as a Formula 1 test driver for BAR.
Having proven his talent in Formula 3 and impressed with his testing for BAR, Taku was signed by Jordan-Honda in October 2001 to contest the 2002 Formula 1 season. He ran 17 races the first season earning one top-five finish, and scoring his first F1 championship points, at the season finale at Suzuka in Japan.
In 2003, Taku moved to BAR-Honda where he served as test and third driver. He was called up to compete in the last race of the season, at Suzuka, and finished in sixth place.
Taku had his best F1 season in 2004 driving full time for BAR-Honda. He placed eighth in the championship with 34 points on the strength of 10 top-10 finishes including five top-five showing and one podium, placing third at the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis.
Continuing with a struggling BAR-Honda in 2005, he finished fifth at San Marino, but the team was disqualified for a technical irregularity which resulted in the team sitting out the next two events. However, Taku persevered and ended up earning three top-10 finishes including a season high eighth in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In 2006, Taku joined the new Super Aguri-Honda team established by Japanese racing legend Aguri Suzuki - the only Japanese driver prior to Sato to finish on the podium in a F1 race. Driving for a new team that was going through growing pains, Taku, nevertheless, managed one top-10 finish, in Brazil.
Taku competed again for Super Aguri-Honda in 2007 earning two top-10 finishes, including a stunning sixth place showing in Canada, in 17 events. The 2008 season started with Super Aquri in dire financial straits when sponsors defaulted on payments. After just four events the team withdrew from F1 competition leaving Sato with no ride.
In 2010, Takuma Sato joined KV Racing Technology to pilot the #5 in the historic green and yellow Lotus entry. His Formula 1 experience is expected to give him a great advantage in his rookie season in the Izod IndyCar Series, racing in street and road courses as well as oval tracks, in Brazil, the USA, Canada and Japan.
