Tsugio Matsuda
Tsugio Matsuda (Japanese松田 次生, Matsuda Tsugio; born June 18, 1979 in Kuwana ) is a Japanese racing driver. He won the 2007 and 2008 championship Formula Nippon.
Career
Matsuda began his motorsport career in karting in 1994, which he held until 1997. In 1998 he moved to Formula racing to Nakajima Racing and was a win fourth in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. He also was the year of his debut in Formula Nippon in which he competed in a race for Nakajima Racing. In 1999, he stayed in the Japanese Formula 3 and improved to third overall and even though he won a race in itself. At the prestigious Macau Grand Prix he finished fourth.
In 2000, Matsuda in the Formula Nippon and stood in for Nakajima Racing. He managed one race win and he finished the season fourth overall. He also drove in the Japanese GT Championship, where he finished in 19th place in the overall standings. In 2001, he remained in both racing series and Formula Nippon was tenth and 15th the Japanese GT Championship. In 2002, he improved in both championships. While he finished fifth overall in the Formula Nippon he was with three wins third in the Japanese GT Championship.
2003 remained Matsuda in Japanese GT Championship at Nakajima Racing. He was unable to match the performance of the preseason and finally finished 19th overall. In Formula Nippon he moved to Racing Team Cerumo and finished in eleventh place in the drivers' championship. In 2004 he stayed with the same team as last season and finished eighth in the Japanese GT Championship and once again took the eleventh overall in the Formula Nippon. He was only 17 in the now renamed Super GT Championship 2005. Things went better for him in Formula Nippon, in which he finished seventh starting for Team 5Zigen.
In 2006, he improved in the Super GT with a victory on the sixth place overall. Even better it was for the Japanese Formula Nippon. After he changed the team impulses, he was runner-up with a win behind team-mate Benoît Treluyer. A season later, he was fifth in the Super GT and it also allowed him to win the Formula Nippon. He could not produce a single race win, but only podium finishes this year. In 2008, he made it the title of Formula Nippon defend. Unlike last year, he won five out of eleven races of the season. In the Super GT he was again fifth.
2009 failed Matsuda to build on his success from the previous years and he was in both the Formula Nippon as well as in the Super GT eleventh. 2010 increased Matsuda middle of the season in the Formula Nippon one. With one point he was 15 He was more successful in the Super GT, where he finished fifth with a win. 2011 occupied Matsuda again with a win fifth place in the Super GT. In single-seater he started only to a non- championship round of the Formula Nippon.
Career stations
- 2002: Japanese GT Championship ( 3rd place)
- 2003: Formula Nippon (11th )
- 2003: Japanese GT Championship ( 19th place )
- 2004: Formula Nippon (11th )
- 2004: Japanese GT Championship ( 8th place)
- 2005: Formula Nippon ( 7th place)
- 2005: Super GT ( 17th)
- 2006: Formula Nippon (2nd place)
- 2006: Super GT ( 6th place)
- 2007: Formula Nippon (Master)
- 2007: Super GT ( 5th place)
- 2008: Formula Nippon (Master)
- 2008: Super GT ( 5th place)
- 2009: Formula Nippon (11th )
- 2009: Super GT (11th )
- 2010: Formula Nippon ( 15th place)
- 2010: Super GT ( 5th place)
- 2011: Super GT ( 5th place)