Roger Yasukawa

Last updated
Roger Yasukawa
Roger Yasukawa 2008 Indy Japan 300.jpg
Yasukawa in 2008
Nationality Flag of Japan.svg Japanese (after 2003)
Flag of the United States.svg American (before 2003)
Born (1977-10-10) October 10, 1977 (age 47)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Related toMinoru Yasukawa, worked for McLaren and Leyton House F1 teams. [1] [2]
IRL IndyCar Series career
Debut season 2003
Current team Conquest Racing
Car number36
Former teams Super Aguri Fernandez Racing
Rahal Letterman Racing
Playa Del Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports
Starts40
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish12th in 2003
Previous series
2002
2000-2001
1999
1998
1997
Toyota Atlantic Championship
Barber Dodge Pro Series
Formula Palmer Audi
Skip Barber Formula Dodge
Formula Vauxhall Junior

Roger Yasukawa (born October 10, 1977) is an American-born Japanese former auto racing driver. He was born in Los Angeles, California, but holds Japanese citizenship.

Contents

Yasukawa started karting in Southern California, winning the California State Championship in 1991 in Junior Sportsman. He then moved to Italy to compete in JICA. He moved to car racing in 1997 in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship in England, before winning the West Coast Skip Barber Formula Dodge 2-Liter Championship in 1998. He moved back to the UK to compete in the inaugural Formula Palmer Audi Championship, before driving several years in the Barber Dodge Pro Series before moving up to the Toyota Atlantic championship in 2002 as a teammate to Ryan Hunter-Reay. He finished 10th in points.

Yasukawa signed to drive for former Formula One driver Aguri Suzuki's new Indy Racing League team in 2003. He was second to future series champion Dan Wheldon in the rookie-of-the-year standings and twelfth overall, with eight top-ten finishes. He ran only two races for Rahal Letterman Racing in 2004 but finished tenth both times. He struggled on a return to a full-time seat in 2005 for the underfunded Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

Yasukawa has only made occasional IRL appearances since 2006. He drove in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 for Playa Del Racing and finished sixteenth. He was a late entry for the 2007 event, running in Dreyer and Reinbold's third car, alongside 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice and Sarah Fisher. In 2008, he contested the Motegi round as well as the 2008 Indianapolis 500, for Beck Motorsports, however he failed to qualify for Indy.

In 2007, Yasukawa drove the No. 11 SAMAX Motorsport Daytona Prototype at Infineon Raceway, finishing seventeenth.

Yasukawa currently works in driver management, representing drivers both in the United States and Japan. He was instrumental in bringing Spaniard Alex Palou to IndyCar from Japan and secured a deal between Team Goh and Dale Coyne Racing for Palou to debut in the IndyCar series. Yasukawa was then able to secure Palou a drive with Chip Ganassi Racing the following year, which helped Palou become a title contender and eventual champion of the 2021 IndyCar Series. [3]

Motorsports Career Results

American open–wheel racing results

(key)

Barber Dodge Pro Series

Year123456789101112RankPoints
1999 SEB
10
NAZ
11
LRP
15
POR
11
CLE
10
ROA
11
DET
6
MOH
7
GRA
6
LS
6
HMS
6
WGI
6
9th81
2000 SEB
4
MIA
25
NAZ
5
LRP
11
DET
5
CLE
5
MOH
8
ROA
4
VAN
11
LS
25
RAT
5
HMS
8
7th94
2001 SEB
4
PIR
7
LRP1
3
LRP2
10
DET
2
CLE
6
TOR
4
CHI
8
MOH
5
ROA
2
VAN
1
LS 4th128

Atlantic Championship

YearTeam123456789101112RankPoints
2002 Hylton Motorsports MTY LBH
7
MIL
1
LS
3
POR
8
CHI
2
TOR
Ret
CLE
21
TRR
Ret
ROA
10
MTL DEN 10th73

IndyCar Series

YearTeamChassisNo.Engine123456789101112131415161718RankPointsRef
2003 Fernandez Racing Super Aguri Dallara IR-0355 Honda HI3R V8 HMS
14
PHX
17
MOT
21
INDY
10
TXS
9
PPI
17
RIR
11
KAN
7
NSH
15
MIS
8
STL
18
KTY
12
NZR
8
CHI
8
CAL
7
TX2
10
12th301 [4]
2004 Rahal Letterman Racing G-Force GF09B16 Honda HI4R V8 HMS
PHX
MOT
11
INDY
10
TXS
RIR
KANNSHMILMISKTYPPINZRCHICALTX226th39 [5]
2005 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara IR-0524 Honda HI5R V8 HMS
17
PHX
18
STP
11
MOT
18
INDY
18
TXS
15
RIR
16
KAN
22
NSH
11
MIL
15
MIS
18
KTY
17
PPI
15
SNM
11
CHI
15
WGL
15
CAL
16
17th246 [6]
2006 Playa Del Racing Panoz GF09C12 Honda HI6R V8 HMS STP MOT INDY
16
WGLTXSRIRKANNSHMILMISKTYSNMCHI28th14 [7]
2007 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara IR-0524 Honda HI7R V8 HMS STP MOT KAN INDY
21
MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL NSH MOH MIS KTY SNM DET CHI 30th12 [8]
2008 CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports 77 HMS STP MOT 1
14
LBH 1
DNP
KAN INDY
DNQ
MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL NSH MOH EDM KTY SNM DET CHI 35th16 [9]
2009 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 43 STP
LBH
KAN
INDY
MIL
TXS
IOW
RIR
WGL
TOR
EDM
KTY
MOH
SNM
CHI
MOT
20
HMS
39th12 [10]
2010 Conquest Racing 36 SAO
STP
ALA
LBH
KAN
INDY
TXS
IOW
WGL
TOR
EDM
MOH
SNM
CHI
KTY
MOT
20
HMS
40th12 [11]
1 Run on same day.
YearsTeamsRacesPolesWinsPodiums
(Non-win)
Top 10s
(Non-podium)
Indianapolis 500
Wins
Championships
8641000900

Indianapolis 500 results

Practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500. RogerYasukawaPracticing2007Indy500.jpg
Practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500.
YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
2003 Dallara Honda 11th10th Fernández
2004 G-Force Honda 12th10th Rahal Letterman
2005 Dallara Honda 17th18th Dreyer & Reinbold
2006 Panoz Honda 28th16th Playa Del
2007 Dallara Honda 23rd21st Dreyer & Reinbold
2008 Dallara Honda Failed to Qualify Beck

References

  1. "Champ Car Atlantic Drivers: Roger Yasukawa". Champ Car Atlantic official website. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  2. "Success at home and a world of experience - Rising Star: Roger Yasukawa". BNET. Archived from the original on 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  3. Channel, GT. "Alex Palou Young Spanish IndyCar Driver Is "Natural Talent"". GT Channel. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  4. "Roger Yasukawa – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  5. "Roger Yasukawa – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  6. "Roger Yasukawa – 2005 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. "Roger Yasukawa – 2006 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  8. "Roger Yasukawa – 2007 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  9. "Roger Yasukawa – 2008 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  10. "Roger Yasukawa – 2009 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  11. "Roger Yasukawa – 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.