Masami Kuwashima – BIO from Formula One Rejects

Bio by Richard Jenkins for Formula One Rjects

Before Formula One

When reject king Taki Inoue’s sponsors pulled out hours before the 1996 Minardi launch, Taki did the honourable thing and pulled out immediately. For his countryman Masami Kuwashima there was no such opportunity. By being booted out by none other than Frank Williams after one solitary day as a Grand Prix driver, Kuwashima undoubtedly holds the record of the shortest F1 career ever. Throughout the mid-1970s, Kuwashima was usually a competitor in Japanese F2000, although from what we can tell it seems as though he was an occasional participant at best, albeit an effective one. For example, in 1974 he finished equal 3rd in the championship, tying with Motoharu Kurosawa. However, in his March 742 BMW he had only made one start all season, taking 2nd place in the last race at Suzuka in November from 3rd on the grid, scoring 12 points in the process.

In 1975, he only made two starts in Japanese F2000 in his Kuwashima Racing March 742 BMW, but in those races, both at Suzuka in September and November that year, he scored two 2nd places from 5th and 6th on the grid respectively, and walked away with 30 points. That was good enough for an eventual equal 4th placing in the championship, joining Jiro Yoneyama on 30 points. There were two more Japanese F2000 races for Masami in 1976, too, but they were not as successful. In round two of the championship at Suzuka in May, he drove a Sakai Racing Team March 752 BMW to 4th place from 8th at the start. Later in the year, he also had one race in a Kuwashima Motor Racing Nova 512 BMW. Those 8 points from Suzuka left him equal 11th in the championship with Moto Kitano. Compared to some other notable Japanese drivers of the time, these results were good but not great.

Formula One

Nonetheless, it was not unusual at this time for local drivers to enter their home GPs, and for the first World Championship Japanese GP at Mount Fuji in 1976 there was no exception. Japanese hero Hoshino entered a year-old Tyrrell, while Noritake Takahara would pilot a Surtees. Better still, Masahiro Hasemi would drive a Japanese car, the Kojima, and there would also be the Maki in the hands of Tony Trimmer. Kuwashima was meant to join that lot. Throughout 1976, RAM Racing had entered two Brabham BT44Bs with Cosworth engines for various drivers. Loris Kessel and Bob Evans drove in one, whilst Jac Nelleman, Patrick Neve, Damien Magee and Lella Lombardi shared the other. Being a year-old car, and with its airbox from 1975 removed to fit 1976 regulations, they were hardly the most effective machines going around.

It was the second car, entered throughout as car 33, that Kuwashima had done a deal to drive at Fuji. But, in a bizarre occurrence, at the German GP, where Lombardi was driving the car, a legal wrangle saw the machine impounded, though it appears as though she had it back for the next round in Austria. Nonetheless, it seems like, for other reasons, Kuwashima’s deal with RAM fell through, and he had to look elsewhere if he were to start his home GP. Enter a desperate Frank Williams. Here was a man whose struggles in the 1970s hardly pre-empted the incredible success he would have in the 1980s and 1990s. 1976 was one of the many low points, when his partnership with Canadian Walter Wolf was like oil and water. The result was a dud car and a plenitude of drivers sharing it.

With Arturo Merzario lined up for one of the two Wolf-Williams FW05s in Japan, the other seat was up for grabs. Kuwashima took the opportunity, and Frank was happy to take Masami’s money. Perhaps he should have heeded the warnings from the failed RAM deal Kuwashima had, but then again, money talks – at the Japanese GP more than anywhere else. On the Friday, Kuwashima didn’t exactly cover himself in glory. He set a time (1:17.90) over five seconds off the best of Mario Andretti’s eventual pole time (1:12.77), but slightly better than Takahara and way ahead of the hapless Trimmer in the recalcitrant Maki (best time 1:30.91). But later that day Kuwashima’s sponsors withdrew, and suddenly he was of no use to Frank any more.

Williams immediately replaced him with Austrian driver Hans Binder, not that it meant a great improvement in performance. Binder eventually managed a 1:17.36, which was only 25th fastest and just half a second quicker than Masami. Takahara had improved markedly to be 24th, but a full 1.59 seconds faster than Binder. Meanwhile, Hoshino was 21st, and Hasemi a remarkable 10th. With a 24-car grid, Frank asked for, and received, the permission of the other teams to allow Binder to race. As a footnote, one does wonder exactly what Hans was doing at the circuit, ready to race at such short notice… What we do know for certain, is that in F1, no more was heard of Masami Kuwashima.

After Formula One

Kuwashima must have enjoyed his literal 15 minutes of fame, for in 1977 it appears as though he went Japanese open-wheeler racing full-time, for quite rich dividends. In a seminal year for the Japanese F2000 championship, the title was won by Hoshino narrowly over Kunimitsu Takahashi, with the man who later became Japan’s first full-time F1 driver, Satoru Nakajima, taking 3rd ahead of Hasemi. Takahara finished 6th in what proved to be a very competitive title chase. Joint 4th with Hasemi was none other than our man Kuwashima. Driving for Sakai Racing in both a Nova 512B and a newer Nova 522B BMW, he had a string of top class results. In March he came 5th at Suzuka, followed by a 2nd in April at Suzuka, a 4th in August at Fuji, and another 4th in November at Suzuka. That was good enough for 46 points, and showed that on his day he was good enough to match it with the Japanese big guns.

In 1978 the Japanese F2000 championship became the Japanese F2 series, but Kuwashima declined to participate in its entirety. Whilst staying at Sakai Racing, he reverted to his previous method of making occasional starts. This time he made 3 starts, each in different cars. In a Ralt RT1 BMW he came 8th at Fuji, before making a start in a Chevron B40 BMW. He then came 7th at Suzuka in a Nova 532B BMW. Those results netted him 11 points and 11th overall. 1979 is the last year that he appears in Japanese F2, and perhaps we can assume that come 1980 he had walked away to pursue other interests. In the 1979 Japanese F2 championship, he drove 3 races again in a March 782 BMW, one race with Wolf backing having been entered as Walter Wolf Racing Japan Team. He scored 11 points again courtesy of a 6th place and an 11th place at Suzuka, but this time this was only good enough for 12th position overall.

CAREER SUMMARY

Copyright © 2002 Formula One Rejects. All rights reserved.

http://www.f1rejects.com

about Masami Kuwashima