Noritake Takahara

Noritake Takahara (Japanese高原 敬 武, Noritake Takahara; born June 6, 1951 in Tokyo) is a former Japanese racing driver.

Takahara began his career in 1969 with a Honda S800 in the Japanese Touring Car Championship. In the early 1970s, he drove several makes of March in the Japanese Formula 2 Championship. In 1973, he came to Europe and went for GRD in the European Formula 2 Championship at the start.

Takahara 1974 returned back to Japan and went into the Japanese sports car championship. In 1976, the high point in the career of the Japanese. For the third time in a row he was the overall winner in the sports car championship and go to the tough competition by Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino and the top drivers of Japan in 1976, he also won the overall standings of the Formula 2 Championship. To top it off followed by the first appearance in a Formula 1 Grand Prix. In Fuji, he made his debut at the Grand Prix of Japan at a factory Surtees TS19. The race, which was marked by the battle for the title between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, ​​Takahara finished with three laps behind the winner Mario Andretti in the Lotus 77 in ninth.

In 1977, he took to the annoyance of Hasemi its cockpit in the works Kojima. He started again at his home Grand Prix at Fuji. In the race he had a collision with Mario Andretti, who so badly damaged the car that he had to abandon the race.

Takahara remained active until the 1980s as a racing driver, the Formula racing remained his priority.