Le Mans Winner and Motorcycle Legend Yoshimi Katayama Has Passed Away
News regarding the death of Japanese motorcycle racer and racecar driver Yoshimi Katayama in late March was made public this week. Katayama, 75, was most heavily linked to the Mazda brand through his sports car racing exploits at Daytona, Le Mans, and at home. Prior to his move to sports cars, Katayama earned international acclaim in the 1960s as a four-time winner on the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit, the precursor to today's MotoGP.
At the conclusion of his two-wheel career, Katayama claimed numerous wins in Japan during the 1970s driving a factory Mazda RX3 sedan and a Mazda rotary-powered March 75S prototype. His first major win on the endurance racing calendar came at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979 where he and his co-drivers won IMSA's GTU class in a factory Mazda RX-7, and from there, more wins followed at Riverside in 1980, another class win at Daytona in 1982-this time in a GTO RX-7, and by 1983, Katayama anchored Mazda's Le Mans effort in the Group C Junior class, winning on his first attempt at the great 24-hour race. A second class win with Mazda at Le Mans in 1984 gave Katayama four 24 Hour victories in a span of seven years.
More class wins were produced as a member of Mazdaspeed's prototype team throughout the 1980s, and by 1990, his last complete season as a driver, Katayama's final international victory-another class win at Le Mans-would cap an incredible career with the marque.
Mazda Motorsports' John Doonan had this to say about the passing of Katayama:
My father told me at a young age that we always need to remember those who have come before us…those who laid the groundwork for what we are able to do today. It is with that in mind that all of us at Mazda Motorsports celebrate the life and contributions of Yoshimi Katayama in his recent passing. Katayama-san served as a key factory driver for Mazda as we continued to challenge ourselves in the journey to victory at Le Mans. It is with that same challenger spirit that all of us in the Mazda Motorsports family and all of the young talented drivers we have in the Mazda Road to 24 and the Mazda Road to Indy need to continue to push the limits to show the value of the Mazda brand and learn on the race track help make all current and future Mazdas the best driving cars that they are.
