Ryō Hirakawa is a Japanese professional racing driver who has primarily competed in major Japanese competitions like the Japanese Championship Super Formula and the Super GT Series after making his debut in the 2013 season of Japanese Championship Super Formula. He had won the Super GT Series (GT500 class) in 2017 and finished as a runner-up in both 2018 and 2019. As of July 2020, his best performance in the Japanese Championship Super Formula was the 5th place that he had secured in 2018. He had also competed in a couple of seasons of the European Le Mans Series (LMP2 class), finishing 5th in 2016 and 4th in 2017. Before 2013, he had competed in several intermediate tiers and formula series in Japan starting with the Formula Challenge Japan series in 2010 where had finished in 6th place. He went on to finish as a runner-up in the competition in both 2011 and 2012. He had also won the 2012 Japanese Formula 3 Championship and the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Japan.
Born Name
Ryō Hirakawa
Nick Name
Ryō
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Kure, Seto Inland Sea, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Residence
Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Nationality
Occupation
Professional Racing Driver
Car Number
20 – Japanese Championship Super Formula
Super GT Series Teams
Ryō has raced for –
- Lexus Team Petronas TOM’S (2014)
- Lexus Team KeePer TOM’S (2015-2019)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 10 in or 178 cm
Weight
68 kg or 150 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Japanese)
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Short-cropped hair
- Affable smile
- Has a mole on his right cheek
- Clean-shaven look
Brand Endorsements
Ryō has been sponsored by –
- Arai Helmet Limited
- Clarion Co.
- Achievement Corporation
- Hiroshima Toyopet
Ryō Hirakawa Favorite Things
- Food – Grilled Meat
- Quote/Phrase – ‘Stick to the End’
- Car – Toyota Harrier
Source – Ryo-Hirakawa.com
Ryō Hirakawa Facts
- Ryō, like most professional drivers, had started his racing journey with karts. He had started at the age of 11 and progressed to the KF2 category in 2009. In 2010, he had participated in the 2010 Super FJ Okayama championship and won his debut race. This made him the youngest driver ever to do so. He had turned 16 just a month before the event.
- When he won the 2012 Japanese Formula 3 Championship, he had won 7 out of the first 10 races in the season, while finish as a runner-up in the other 3 races. This had made his position on the leaderboard so dominant that he won the title by 15 points despite winning all of the last 5 races in the season. As for Ryō, he had finished 3rd in 3 of those last 5 races and retired in the other two. This meant that in an astonishing 13 out of the 15 races, he had finished on the podium.
- He was the youngest driver ever to win the Japanese Formula 3 Championship and the JAF West Japan F4 Series, both results arriving in 2012.
- His title triumph at the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Japan was similarly dominant. He had finished on the podium in 9 of the 12 races winning 7 of them. He had also secured 6 pole positions in those 12 races.
- When he had joined the 2013 season of Japanese Championship Super Formula, he became, at the age of 19, the youngest driver ever to participate in the championship.
Featured Image by Ryō Hirakawa / Instagram
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Facts of Ryō Hirakawa
- full nameRyō Hirakawa
- Date of Birth March 07, 1994
- Age 30 years 7 months
- Horoscope Pisces
- Lucky Number 6
- Lucky Stone Aquamarine
- Lucky Color Sea Green
- Best Match for Marriage Cancer, Scorpio
- weight68 kg
- height5 ft 10 in