Keiji Matsumoto

Keiji Matsumoto (松本 恵二, Matsumoto Keiji, 26 December 1949 – 17 May 2015)^[1] was a Japanese racing driver who competed at the top level of Japanese Formula racing, currently known as Super Formula, between 1976 and 1992. Under the Japanese Formula 2 moniker, he won the championship in 1979^[1] and was runner-up to future Formula 1 driver Satoru Nakajima in 1982 and 1985.

Keiji Matsumoto
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1949-12-26)26 December 1949 Kyoto, Japan
Died	17 May 2015(2015-05-17) (aged 65)
Previous series
1976–1977 1978–1986 1983–1989 1987–1992	All-Japan Formula 2000 Championship Japanese Formula Two Championship All Japan Endurance Championship Japanese Formula 3000 Championship
Championship titles
1979 1983	Japanese Formula Two Championship Fuji Grand Champion Series
24 Hours of Le Mans career Years 1986–1987 Teams NISMO Best finish DNF (1986, 1987) Class wins 0

Motorsport career

Matsumoto scored 11 wins and 29 podium finishes, seventh all-time in both accounts, over a 129-race career, which put him third in all-time Super Formula career starts behind generational peers Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Kunimitsu Takahashi. In a rare overseas foray in 1981, he also took part in the Donington "50.000,"  a race of the European Formula Two championship, crossing the finish line in 15th place.^{[citation needed]}

Until 1989, he also dabbled in Japanese sports car racing, winning the Fuji Grand Champion Series in 1983 [2^[1] and the Fuji 1000 km in 1985 and 1989. ^[2] In the 1985 win, Matsumoto, Hoshino, and Akira Hagiwara became the first Japanese drivers to ever win a race in the World Sportscar Championship. [4^[3] Hoshino was actually the only one who got to drive the car before the race was stopped early due to heavy rain. Matsumoto also competed in the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Hoshino and Kenji Takahashi as an official Nissan driver. ^[4]

Matsumoto was the first public face of Cabin Racing, begun by Japan Tobacco in 1986, and his appearance in TV commercials brought him wide public attention.^[1] After retiring, he remained active in the Japanese motorsports scene and was a driver coach for Shintaro Kawabata, Ryo Michigami, Shinji Nakano, and Juichi Wakisaka, among others. ^[5]

Personal life and death

Matsumoto was born in Kyoto Prefecture.^[6] He died in Kyoto on May 17, 2015 after several years with cirrhosis.^[7]

Racing record

Japanese Top Formula Championship 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	11	DC	Points
1976	Matsumoto Racing Union	FUJ	SUZ Ret	FUJ	SUZ 8	SUZ Ret							17th	3
1977	Matsumoto Racing Union	SUZ 7	SUZ 5	MIN 3	SUZ 6	FUJ 9	FUJ 10	SUZ 7	SUZ Ret				9th	32 (34)
1978	Matsumoto Racing Union	SUZ 7	FUJ 4	SUZ 6	SUZ 4	SUZ 9	MIN 2	SUZ 11					5th	50 (60)
1979	Diatone Racing	SUZ 9	MIN 1	SUZ 3	FUJ 1	SUZ 5	SUZ 1	SUZ 5					1st	79 (90)
1980	Diatone Racing	SUZ 6	MIN 3	SUZ Ret	SUZ Ret	SUZ 1	SUZ 4						4th	42
1981	DHL Team Le Mans	SUZ 1	SUZ 11	SUZ 2	SUZ 9	SUZ Ret							4th	37
1982	Team Le Mans	SUZ 2	FUJ 4	SUZ 2	SUZ 2	SUZ 7	SUZ Ret						2nd	55 (59)
1983	Team Le Mans	SUZ 5	FUJ DSQ	MIN Ret	SUZ 1	SUZ Ret	FUJ 10	SUZ 7	SUZ 8				8th	36
1984	Team Le Mans	SUZ 3	FUJ Ret	MIN 9	SUZ 3	SUZ 15	FUJ 8	SUZ Ret	SUZ 4				5th	39
1985	Team Le Mans	SUZ 1	FUJ 6	MIN Ret	SUZ 3	SUZ 9	FUJ 6	SUZ 5	SUZ 2				2nd	67 (69)
1986	Team Le Mans	SUZ 1	FUJ 5	MIN 1	SUZ 5	SUZ 5	FUJ 5	SUZ Ret	SUZ Ret				4th	72
1987	Cabin Racing	SUZ 13	FUJ 3	MIN 3	SUZ 4	SUZ 4	SUG 3	FUJ Ret	SUZ 4	SUZ 3			4th	78
1988	Meiju Racing	SUZ 13	FUJ 6	MIN Ret	SUZ Ret	SUG	FUJ Ret	SUZ 16	SUZ Ret				12th	1
1989	Wacoal Dome Racing Team	SUZ 14	FUJ 6	MIN 6	SUZ Ret	SUG Ret	FUJ 6	SUZ 6	SUZ Ret				14th	4
1990	Dome	SUZ 3	FUJ Ret	MIN 1	SUZ 1	SUG Ret	FUJ 14	FUJ Ret	SUZ 7	FUJ 13	SUZ Ret		4th	22
1991	Dome	SUZ Ret	AUT Ret	FUJ 2	MIN Ret	SUZ Ret	SUG Ret	FUJ 24	SUZ 12	FUJ C	SUZ 18	FUJ Ret	12th	6
1992	Dome	SUZ 13	FUJ Ret	MIN Ret	SUZ Ret	AUT Ret	SUG Ret	FUJ 9	FUJ Ret	SUZ 9	FUJ 14	SUZ NC	25th	0

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1986	Nissan Motorsport	Kazuyoshi Hoshino Aguri Suzuki	Nissan R86V	C1	64	DNF	DNF
1987	Nissan Motorsport	Kenji Takahashi Kazuyoshi Hoshino	Nissan R87E	C1	181	DNF	DNF

References

1. "全日本F2などで活躍。松本恵二さん亡くなる" [Active in all-Japan F2. Keiji Matsumoto dies] (in Japanese). 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
2. O'Connell, R. J. (25 November 2020). "10 outstanding Japanese drivers who never reached F1". Formula Scout. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
3. O'Connell, R. J. (18 March 2020). "Rhapsody in Blue: The History of Calsonic & Nissan Racing". Daily Sportscar. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
4. Cooper, Adam (18 May 2015). "Keiji Matsumoto 1949-2015". Adam Cooper's F1 Blog. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
5. O'Connell, R. J. (25 October 2020). "Last-To-First Victory & A Season Sweep For NISMO At Suzuka Circuit". Daily Sportscar. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
6. "全日本F2などで活躍。松本恵二さん亡くなる" [Active in all-Japan F2. Keiji Matsumoto dies] (in Japanese). 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
7. Brown, Allen (19 March 2021). "Driver: Keiji Matsumoto". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 23 May 2021.

8. "Former Japanese racing driver Matsumoto dies at 65,"  The Japan Times, May 23, 2015.

9. "松本恵二さん死去　元レーサー", Nikkan Sports, May 18, 2015.

10. "Fuji 1000 km 1989,"  Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved September 5, 2021.

11. "1985 World Sports-Prototype Championship,"  Wikipedia. Retrieved September 5, 2021.

12. "Keiji Matsumoto,"  Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved September 5, 2021.

13. "Keiji Matsumoto,"  Driver Database. Retrieved September 5, 2021.