Ukyo Katayama
Katayama in 2008
Born (1963-05-29) 29 May 1963
Tokyo, Japan
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityJapan Japanese
Active years1992–1997
TeamsLarrousse, Tyrrell, Minardi
Entries97 (95 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points5
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1992 South African Grand Prix
Last entry1997 European Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1998–1999
TeamsToyota Team Europe
Best finish2nd (1999)
Class wins1 (1999)

Ukyo Katayama (片山 右京, Katayama Ukyō, born 29 May 1963) is a Japanese former racing driver and team manager, most notable for competing for six years in Formula One. He participated in 97 Grands Prix, debuting on 1 March 1992. He scored a total of five championship points, all of them for the Tyrrell team in 1994. He also competed in the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 2nd overall and 1st in the GTP class. He currently serves as a team representative for the Japanese continental cycling team JCL Team UKYO and has done so since 2012.[1]

Biography

Born in Tokyo, Katayama spent three years racing in France before returning home in 1988 to enter the Japanese F3000. He scored three podiums in 1990, and won the championship in 1991 with two wins and three second places.

Formula One

His sponsors, Japan Tobacco, arranged a Formula One seat for Katayama in 1992 with Cabin brand, with the Larrousse team. The car was unreliable and a distinct midfielder, with team-mate Bertrand Gachot getting the lion's share of the team's meagre resources. However, Katayama impressed by running in 5th at the Canadian GP until his engine blew, but was eventually left with a brace of 9th places as his best result.

Japan Tobacco managed to arrange a switch to Tyrrell for 1993, but the team were at a nadir, with the interim 020C essentially three years old, and the new 021 proving uncompetitive. 10th place at the Hungarian GP was his best result.

1994 was to see a considerable turnaround for Tyrrell and Katayama. He impressed with the new 022, with three points-scoring finishes, a number of good qualifying performances, and generally being faster than his more experienced and acclaimed team-mate Mark Blundell. He was consistently a top-6 runner, but the car proved to be unreliable, leading him to 12 retirements, including the German GP, in which he was running 3rd before his throttle stuck open. However, in the four races that he did finish, he scored two 5th places, one 6th, and one 7th, good enough for 5 World Championship points.

Katayama driving for Tyrrell at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

After his 1994 performance, he was allegedly offered a contract with a top team for the 1995 season, but in Katayama's words, "he couldn't sign it". It would later emerge that in 1994 he had been diagnosed with cancer in his back; while non-threatening, it was painful, and his Grand Prix commitments delayed treatment. Katayama did not announce this until he retired from Formula One, not wanting anyone's sympathy to make excuses for him.

He stayed on with Tyrrell for the next two seasons, but suffered a loss of form, with two 7th places in high-attrition races his best results, thus scoring no points whilst being outpaced by rookie team-mate Mika Salo. At the 1996 Belgian Grand Prix he finished on the lead lap for the single time in his Formula One career.[2] During these years he was highly disadvantaged by the regulation changes which led to higher cockpit sides, a response to the death of Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino GP.

After leaving Tyrrell, his Mild Seven (another brand of Japan Tobacco) backing landed him a seat at Minardi, but they too were at a low ebb, and two 10th places were his best result. At his home Grand Prix, he emotionally announced his retirement from Formula One.

After Formula One

As a racing driver

Katayama's Toyota GT-One for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Still popular in his homeland, Katayama has since dabbled in sportscars and GT racing, as well as his other love of mountaineering. One of his most notable performances post F1 was at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, when during the last hour, as he was lapping traffic and closing up to the leading BMW in his Toyota GT-One, shared with compatriots Keiichi Tsuchiya and Toshio Suzuki, his car suffered a tyre blowout and, while he managed to keep the car on the track, he was forced to slowly make his way around the track to return to the pits for a new set. In the process the GT-One lost the chance to contend with the BMW. The lone GT-One would come home 2nd overall. Still, the GT-One won the GTP class, although it was the only car in that class to actually finish the race.

In 2008, he was one of several retired F1 drivers to compete in the new Speedcar Series.

As a team manager

In year 2000, Katayama established Team UKYO. The team originally participated in JGTC in 2001-2002 in the GT500 class in a collaboration with Cerumo, competing as the No. 33 team with Katayama and future team owner Masahiko Kondo as its drivers. The team left the series after the 2002 season before returning in 2011 to lead Goodsmile Racing's GT300 program. Katayama led the team to three GT300 titles in 2011, 2014, and 2017.

The team also took part in the Dakar Rally in 2002-2005 and 2007, as well as participating as a UCI Continental cycling team starting from 2012.

As a mountain climber

Katayama is a lover of mountain climbing. He has often been climbing mountains since his F1 era.

In 2001 he climbed the world's sixth-highest mountain, Cho Oyu. On December 1, 2006, it was reported that he had achieved his lifetime ambition of climbing Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world, after an unsuccessful attempt in 2004.[3]

On December 18, 2009, it was reported that he had been missing whilst climbing Mount Fuji with two friends. Upon calling a police search and rescue team, they informed the police that one of their climbing party had died, and another was presumed to be dying. Eventually, Katayama was found alive while two fellow climbers were found dead.[4]

As of the end of 2010, Katayama had summited six of the Seven Summits: Mont Blanc (climbed in 1996), Kilimanjaro (1998), Elbrus (1998), Denali (2008), Aconcagua (2009), and Vinson Massif (2010)[5]

Other sports

He has been participating other sporting events as an official invitee, such as Honolulu Marathon and Honolulu Century Ride. He has also started a cycling team called Team Ukyo.[6]

Media appearances

He is now a commentator of Formula One in Japan, for Fuji TV. He also co-hosts the motoring program Samurai Wheels for NHK World. In 1996 he was a guest judge on Iron Chef.

Helmet

Katayama's helmet was blue with a red and white stripe crossing the rear area and going in the sides forming an oblique letter T, and a vertical red and white stripe going across the top (until the visor).[7]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
1985 Japanese Formula Three Hasemi Motorsports 7 0 0 ? 0 38 6th
1986 Championnat de France Formule Renault Turbo Autolook Racing 6 0 1 0 1 23 11th
French Formula Three 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1987 French Formula Three Autolook RG Project 4 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1988 Japanese Formula 3000 Ba-Tsu Racing Team 8 0 0 0 0 2 11th
24 Hours of Le Mans Courage Compétition 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1989 Japanese Formula 3000 Footwork Formula 7 0 0 0 0 0 NC
International Formula 3000 Footwork 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1990 Japanese Formula 3000 Cabin Racing Team with Heroes 10 0 0 1 3 18 5th
1991 Japanese Formula 3000 Cabin Racing Team with Heroes 10 2 3 2 5 40 1st
1992 Formula One Central Park Venturi Larrousse 14 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Team Tom's 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1993 Formula One Tyrrell Racing Organisation 16 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1994 Formula One Tyrrell Racing Organisation 16 0 0 0 0 5 17th
1995 Formula One Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha 16 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1996 Formula One Tyrrell Yamaha 16 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1997 Formula One Minardi Team 17 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 9th
1999 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship Toyota Castrol Team Tom's 6 0 1 0 2 28 15th
24 Hours of Le Mans Toyota Motorsport 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
2000 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship Nismo 6 0 0 0 1 31 11th
2001 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship Racing Team Cerumo With Ukyo 6 0 1 0 0 0 NC
2002 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship Racing Team Cerumo 2 0 0 0 0 2 27th
24 Hours of Le Mans Pescarolo Sport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2003 24 Hours of Le Mans Kondo Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 13th
2008 Speedcar Series Speedcar Team 10 0 0 0 0 2 15th

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1988 France Courage Compétition France Paul Belmondo
France François Migault		 Courage C22-Porsche C1 66 DNF DNF
1992 Japan Toyota Team Tom's United Kingdom Geoff Lees
Australia David Brabham		 Toyota TS010 C1 192 DNF DNF
1998 Japan Toyota Motorsports
Germany Toyota Team Europe		 Japan Toshio Suzuki
Japan Keiichi Tsuchiya		 Toyota GT-One GT1 326 9th 8th
1999 Japan Toyota Motorsports
Germany Toyota Team Europe		 Japan Keiichi Tsuchiya
Japan Toshio Suzuki		 Toyota GT-One LMGTP 364 2nd 1st
2002 France Pescarolo Sport France Éric Hélary
France Stéphane Ortelli		 Courage C60-Peugeot LMP900 144 DNF DNF
2003 Japan Kondo Racing Japan Masahiko Kondo
Japan Ryo Fukuda		 Dome S101-Mugen LMP900 322 13th 8th

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 results

(key)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1988 Ba-Tsu Racing Team SUZ
11		 FUJ
Ret		 MIN
Ret		 SUZ
7		 SUG
5		 FUJ
8		 SUZ
12		 SUZ
Ret		 11th 2
1989 Footwork Formula SUZ
9		 FUJ
Ret		 MIN SUZ
Ret		 SUG
Ret		 FUJ
15		 SUZ
18		 SUZ
7		 NC 0
1990 Cabin Racing Team with Heroes SUZ
Ret		 FUJ
3		 MIN
5		 SUZ
Ret		 SUG
12		 FUJ
5		 FUJ
2		 SUZ
3		 FUJ
Ret		 SUZ
DSQ		 5th 18
1991 Cabin Racing Team with Heroes SUZ
1		 AUT
4		 FUJ
9		 MIN
Ret		 SUZ
1		 SUG
6		 FUJ
2		 SUZ
2		 FUJ
C		 SUZ
10		 FUJ
2		 1st 40

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(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 DC Points
1989 Footwork SIL
DNQ		 VAL
Ret		 PAU
DNQ		 JER
18		 PER BRH BIR SPA BUG DIJ NC 0

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points
1992 Central Park Venturi Larrousse Venturi Larrousse LC92 Lamborghini V12 RSA
12		 MEX
12		 BRA
9		 ESP
DNQ		 SMR
Ret		 MON
DNPQ		 CAN
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 GBR
Ret		 GER
Ret		 HUN
Ret		 BEL
17		 ITA
9		 POR
Ret		 JPN
11		 AUS
Ret		 NC 0
1993 Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 020C Yamaha V10 RSA
Ret		 BRA
Ret		 EUR
Ret		 SMR
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 MON
Ret		 CAN
17		 FRA
Ret		 GBR
13		 NC 0
Tyrrell 021 Yamaha V10 GER
Ret		 HUN
10		 BEL
15		 ITA
14		 POR
Ret		 JPN
Ret		 AUS
Ret
1994 Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 022 Yamaha V10 BRA
5		 PAC
Ret		 SMR
5		 MON
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 CAN
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 GBR
6		 GER
Ret		 HUN
Ret		 BEL
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 POR
Ret		 EUR
7		 JPN
Ret		 AUS
Ret		 17th 5
1995 Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha Tyrrell 023 Yamaha V10 BRA
Ret		 ARG
8		 SMR
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 MON
Ret		 CAN
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 GBR
Ret		 GER
7		 HUN
Ret		 BEL
Ret		 ITA
10		 POR
Ret		 EUR PAC
14		 JPN
Ret		 AUS
Ret		 NC 0
1996 Tyrrell Yamaha Tyrrell 024 Yamaha V10 AUS
11		 BRA
9		 ARG
Ret		 EUR
DSQ		 SMR
Ret		 MON
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 CAN
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 GBR
Ret		 GER
Ret		 HUN
7		 BEL
8		 ITA
10		 POR
12		 JPN
Ret		 NC 0
1997 Minardi Team Minardi M197 Hart V8 AUS
Ret		 BRA
18†		 ARG
Ret		 SMR
11		 MON
10		 ESP
Ret		 CAN
Ret		 FRA
11		 GBR
Ret		 GER
Ret		 HUN
10		 BEL
14		 ITA
Ret		 AUT
11		 LUX
Ret		 JPN
Ret		 EUR
17		 NC 0

† Katayama did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Complete JGTC results

(key)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Pts
1999 Toyota Castrol Team Tom's Toyota Supra GT500 SUZ
3		 FUJ SUG
11		 MIN
2		 FUJ
15		 TAI
15		 MOT
10		 15th 28
2000 Nismo Nissan Skyline GT-R GT500 MOT FUJ
2		 SUG
11		 FUJ
6		 TAI
11		 MIN
Ret		 SUZ
4		 11th 31
2001 Racing Team Cerumo With Ukyo Toyota Supra GT500 TAI
12		 FUJ
14		 SUG
13		 FUJ
14		 MOT SUZ
Ret		 MIN
13		 NC 0
2002 Racing Team Cerumo Toyota Supra GT500 TAI
15		 FUJ SUG
9		 SEP FUJ MOT MIN SUZ 27th 2

References

  1. ↑ https://www.procyclingstats.com/staff/ukyo-katayama
  2. ↑ Celebrating Winless Wonders: 20 F1 Drivers with the Most Starts without a Win - Mike Pryson, Autoweek, 9 June 2020
  3. ↑ "Katayama scales Mt. Manaslu". Autosport.com. 2006-12-01. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
  4. ↑ "Former F1 driver Katayama says fellow climbers died on Mount Fuji". Mainichi Shimbun. 2009-12-19. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  5. ↑ "ビンソンマシフ登頂成功". Ukyo Katayama official website. 2010-12-27. Archived from the original on 2010-12-30. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  6. ↑ Tsuji, Kei (3 November 2012). "Doi Yukihiro ga Chīmu Ukyo e no iseki". Cyclowired. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  7. ↑ http://f-lap.net/_src/sc1278/ukyo05.jpg
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