Japanese Superbike champion to join Team BRIT
Former superbike champion and Le Mans 24 Hours starter Takuma Aoki will be joining Team BRIT for the final race of the British Endurance Championship at Donington next month.
Takuma Aoki from Tokyo, is a former motorbike racer, who competed in the World Superbike Championship in the 1990s, before winning the All Japan Superbike Championship in 1996 and coming fifth in the world championships with Honda in 1997.
In 1998, he was involved in a crash which left him paralysed below the waist, and he has gone on to support disabled drivers into motorsport.
Aoki will team up with Team BRIT driver Aaron Morgan, who is paraplegic, in the two-hour season finale of the British Endurance Championship at Donington. Like Aaron, Takuma will use the team’s hand control technology to enable him to compete on equal terms.
Team BRIT is the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers and uses world-leading advanced hand control technology in its race cars.
Since his injury, Takuma has worked with Honda, helping them develop cars for disabled drivers and he runs a racing school for people with disabilities.
He now drives specially adapted cars and has competed in other major events, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, where he formed part of the SRT41 Garage 56 effort back in 2021, in which he competed with a hand-controlled LMP2 ORECA 07 with Nigel Bailly and Matthieu Lahaye.
“I’m really looking forward to racing with the team next month,” Aoki said. “The technology used by Team BRIT is different to anything I’ve used before, so I’m excited about trying it for the first time. Having competed in Le Mans myself, it’s great to be part of a team that has its sights set on doing the same. I hope to return there to race again soon.
“I hope that Aaron and I can build on the team’s success in the British Endurance Championship so far this year. Together I hope we’re showing that if you have the right technology and the right support, disabled people can compete equally.”
Team BRIT Principal Dave Player added: “It’ll be great to welcome Takuma to the team later this year. His experience in racing is extensive and he’s doing great things for inclusivity in racing in Japan. I’m sure our drivers will learn a great deal from him, and I know he’ll be impressed by our technology and everything we’re achieving.”
Kyffin lands IndyCar drive
Chip Ganassi Racing has announced that Kyffin Simpson will join the IndyCar grid next season, making him the youngest driver in the championship at just 18-years-old.
Simpson, a Ganassi development driver, has been honing his skills this year in the Asian Le Mans Series and European Le Mans Series LMP2 classes, and is currently locked in the ELMS title battle with three races remaining.
Alongside his sportscar drives, Simpson has been competing in the Indy NXT by Firestone series for the past two seasons. This year, Simpson registered two top-three finishes in his second campaign, standing on the podium at both Mid-Ohio and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
“It’s been incredible working with Chip Ganassi Racing as their development driver over the last couple years and I’ve been able to learn so much. I am very excited to be making the next step to IndyCar with this team,” said Simpson.
“I had a great time at the test and I can’t wait to get back in the car. It’s been my dream to race in the IndyCar Series and it’s an honor to make it happen now with one of the best teams in the series. I’m really looking forward to working more closely with the entire team and the drivers. I want to give all the glory to God, and I also want to thank Chip and Mike for giving me this opportunity, Ridgeline Lubricants and The American Legion for their support, and of course my family.”
Simpson will round out the Chip Ganassi Racing line-up for the 2024 IndyCar season, joining six-time champion Scott Dixon, two-time champion Alex Palou, 2023 Rookie of the Year Marcus Armstrong and 2022 Indy NXT Champion Linus Lundqvist.
Valencia highlights
Catch up with the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races in Valencia last weekend with the highlights package on GT World’s YouTube channel.
Mike Shank on MSR reaching 350 starts
IMSA’s return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Battle on the Bricks coincided with an impressive milestone for Meyer Shank Racing, as the championship-winning team celebrated its 350th sports car start.
Team co-owner Mike Shank discussed the team’s journey with Marshall Pruett for the IMSA YouTube channel.
Featured image courtesy of Team BRIT
