Shinya Michimi has won a scholarship in the Formula Toyota Racing School (FTRS) Shootout for karters held at Fuji Speedway in Japan. FTRS is a program under the TDP (Toyota young Drivers Programme) headed up by longtime Toyota driver and Japanese racing legend, Masanori Sekiya. Sekiya was the first Japanese to ever win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. FTRS is charged with finding and training new talent and is a full driver development program equipped to help new drivers develop to their fullest potential.
Michimi will be running under the FTRS scholarship banner with the Toyota team of drivers in the Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ) series for 2012. FCJ is a joint project between the Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Nissan and Honda with the goal of training and developing young driver talent. FCJ is a formula car series in which a long list of successful drivers have competed and moved on to success in other formula car series in Japan, Europe and abroad. The series runs a Formula Renault chassis with a six speed sequential gearbox and a 2.0 L 200 hp Renault engine. FCJ runs in conjunction with Formula Nippon and other series at major circuits such as Suzuka, Fuji Speedway, and Twin Ring Motegi, as well as the F1 Grand Prix at Suzuka.
The scholarship is considered a prestigious award for up and coming talent. Past recipients include current F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi; past F1 driver and current Super GT and Formula Nippon star, Kazuki Nakajima; and Kohei Hirate who was an F1 test driver, Super GT and Formula Nippon star and has had a long, successful career in motorsports. Other past recipients include a long list of successful drivers in Formula Nippon, Super GT, and drivers competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I am so honored to have won a scholarship to compete in the FCJ series with Toyota,” exclaimed Shinya. “I am so impressed with everything about Toyota’s program from the team Principal, to the crew and mechanics, the administration and the entire staff. I had the opportunity to work with Kazuki Nakajima as my driving coach at the competition and he was an amazing instructor with a lot of valuable advice. Everything about Toyota’s program is top notch and I have no doubt that they have all the elements a new driver needs to help reach their maximum potential. I am very excited and I will work hard to make the most of this amazing opportunity.” For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.shinyamichimi.com or email contact@shinyamichimi.com
Go back. |
