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 the team manager for Goodsmile Racing in Super GT’s GT300 class. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Most of Ukyo’s early years were spent in Japan, racing in Japanese FJ1600 in 1983 and winning the title in 1984. Moving up to Japanese F3 with Nissan Hasemi Motorsports, he finished sixth and then went to Europe to race in Formula Renault and F3 in 1986 and 1987. However, his Formula Renault season came to an end when he broke both legs and his neck in an accident at Clermont-Ferrand. Thankfully he recovered and after driving a Duquesne F3 car he returned to Japan and raced in Formula 3000, for BA-TSU Racing in 1988.
That year also saw him make his debut at Le Mans, though his Courage C22-Porsche crashed over the barrier and caught fire, but he fortunately escaped unharmed.
He raced a Footwork in F3000 in 1989, plus also competed in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, and in 1990 joined Cabin Racing’s F3000 team. In his first season with the team he took a second at Fuji, plus podiums at Suzuka and Fuji, and would go on to be Champion the following year.
1992 saw his graduation to F1 with Larrousse’s Venturi-Lamborghini team, where he impressed by running fifth at the Canadian GP until his engine blew, and two ninth place finishes in Brazil and Italy were his best result. He also raced for the Toms Toyota team at Le Mans, with Geoff Lees and David Brabham.
He moved to Tyrrell-Yamaha for 1993 and remained with them for the next four seasons, with tenth place at the Hungarian GP his best result in his first year.
1994 was to see a considerable turnaround for him and the team, now with Mild Seven sponsorship, and it would be his most successful season. He impressed with Tyrrell’s 022, showing a number of good qualifying performances, and Autosport hailed him as the most improved driver of the season. He was consistently a top-6 runner, but problems led to 12 retirements, including the German GP, in which he was running third before his throttle stuck open. But, in the four races that he did finish, he took fifth places in Brazil and San Marino, sixth at the British GP and seventh in the European GP.
Due to the Mild Seven backing for Tyrrell and Benetton it was rumoured Ukyo was offered a drive alongside Michael Schumacher for 1995 though contractual problems stopped this. At this time, Ukyo was told he had cancer on his back, which he kept private until his retirement three years later. Thankfully it wasn’t terminal but it was painful and his Grand Prix commitments delayed treatment.
1995 was a poor season for him and the team, notable only for a huge crash at Estoril where he became airborne after hitting Luca Badoer’s Minardi; fortunately he and Badoer did not suffer serious injuries.
His final season at Tyrrell saw him partnered with Mika Salo, and he them signed for Minardi, taking two tenth place finishes in Monaco and Hungary, and he announced his retirement from Formula One.
Since then he has raced in GTs and sports cars and his Toyota GT-One was leading the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours, eventually finishing second after a puncture cost them the race. Their car did win the GTP class but it was slim consolation.
In 2000, he established TeamUKYO which raced in Super GT (2001-2002 in GT500) and 2011 (in GT300) plus competed in the Dakar Rally in 2002-2005 and in 2007.
Ukyo has a passion for mountaineering and in 2001 he climbed the world’s sixth-highest mountain, Cho Oyu. In 2006, he climbed Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world but in December 2009, he went missing whilst climbing Mount Fuji with two friends and although he was rescued his two companions died.
In 2008, he competed in the Speedcar Series plus has taken part in other sporting events, such as the Honolulu Marathon and Honolulu Century Ride and started a cycling team called Team Ukyo. He commentates on Formula One in Japan, for Fuji TV and co-hosts a motoring program, Samurai Wheels, for NHK World.
An incident involving Ukyo that always makes me smile was on (I think it was Eurosport) where some female fans were wanting to meet him. But being shy, Ukyo didn’t want to approach them but Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi physically dragged him across to the fans.
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