🇯🇵 Minoru Takaki

Minoru Takaki was a competitive amateur racing in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, a multiclass endurance championship run at a single circuit in Germany. He raced modified production-based cars in the SP 3 and SP 8 classes for Gazoo Racing across two seasons from 2011 to 2012.[1]

Takaki made four starts over that span and finished with two podiums, placing eighth in the 2012 championship standings. His record mixed results against the regular field; he typically finished ahead of semi-professional FIA Silver-graded driver Masahiko Kageyama but usually ran behind Uwe Wächtler, who won the 2012 SP 3 title. Takaki also beat professional-level drivers Natacha Gachnang, who has Formula 3 Euro Series experience, and Peter Wyss once each.[2]

Racing for an established team fielding drivers at the professional level, Takaki shared the grid with a mixed field of amateurs and graded professionals competing in a multiclass format. His two podiums came in a championship where Gazoo Racing's entries won races in the production-car classes.