# Keiji Matsumoto

Keiji Matsumoto (松本 恵二, Matsumoto Keiji, 26 December 1949 – 17 May 2015) was a Japanese racing driver who competed at the top level of Japanese Formula racing, currently known as Super Formula, between 1976 and 1992. Under the Japanese Formula 2 moniker, he won the championship in 1979 and was runner-up to future Formula 1 driver Satoru Nakajima in 1982 and 1985.

## Motorsport career

Matsumoto scored 11 wins and 29 podium finishes, seventh all-time in both accounts, over a 129-race career, which put him third in all-time Super Formula career starts behind generational peers Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Kunimitsu Takahashi. In a rare overseas foray in 1981, he also took part in the Donington "50.000," a race of the European Formula Two championship, crossing the finish line in 15th place.
Until 1989, he also dabbled in Japanese sports car racing, winning the Fuji Grand Champion Series in 1983 [2 and the Fuji 1000 km in 1985 and 1989. In the 1985 win, Matsumoto, Hoshino, and Akira Hagiwara became the first Japanese drivers to ever win a race in the World Sportscar Championship. [4 Hoshino was actually the only one who got to drive the car before the race was stopped early due to heavy rain. Matsumoto also competed in the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Hoshino and Kenji Takahashi as an official Nissan driver.
Matsumoto was the first public face of Cabin Racing, begun by Japan Tobacco in 1986, and his appearance in TV commercials brought him wide public attention. After retiring, he remained active in the Japanese motorsports scene and was a driver coach for Shintaro Kawabata, Ryo Michigami, Shinji Nakano, and Juichi Wakisaka, among others.

## Personal life and death

Matsumoto was born in Kyoto Prefecture. He died in Kyoto on May 17, 2015 after several years with cirrhosis.

## Racing record
### Japanese Top Formula Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
| 1976 | Matsumoto Racing Union | FUJ | SUZ Ret | FUJ | SUZ 8 | SUZ Ret | | | | | | | 17th | 3 |
| 1977 | Matsumoto Racing Union | SUZ 7 | SUZ 5 | MIN 3 | SUZ 6 | FUJ 9 | FUJ 10 | SUZ 7 | SUZ Ret | | | | 9th | 32 (34) |
| 1978 | Matsumoto Racing Union | SUZ 7 | FUJ 4 | SUZ 6 | SUZ 4 | SUZ 9 | MIN 2 | SUZ 11 | | | | | 5th | 50 (60) |
| 1979 | Diatone Racing | SUZ 9 | MIN 1 | SUZ 3 | FUJ 1 | SUZ 5 | SUZ 1 | SUZ 5 | | | | | 1st | 79 (90) |
| 1980 | Diatone Racing | SUZ 6 | MIN 3 | SUZ Ret | SUZ Ret | SUZ 1 | SUZ 4 | | | | | | 4th | 42 |
| 1981 | DHL Team Le Mans | SUZ 1 | SUZ 11 | SUZ 2 | SUZ 9 | SUZ Ret | | | | | | | 4th | 37 |
| 1982 | Team Le Mans | SUZ 2 | FUJ 4 | SUZ 2 | SUZ 2 | SUZ 7 | SUZ Ret | | | | | | 2nd | 55 (59) |
| 1983 | Team Le Mans | SUZ 5 | FUJ DSQ | MIN Ret | SUZ 1 | SUZ Ret | FUJ 10 | SUZ 7 | SUZ 8 | | | | 8th | 36 |
| 1984 | Team Le Mans | SUZ 3 | FUJ Ret | MIN 9 | SUZ 3 | SUZ 15 | FUJ 8 | SUZ Ret | SUZ 4 | | | | 5th | 39 |
| 1985 | Team Le Mans | SUZ 1 | FUJ 6 | MIN Ret | SUZ 3 | SUZ 9 | FUJ 6 | SUZ 5 | SUZ 2 | | | | 2nd | 67 (69) |
| 1986 | Team Le Mans | SUZ 1 | FUJ 5 | MIN 1 | SUZ 5 | SUZ 5 | FUJ 5 | SUZ Ret | SUZ Ret | | | | 4th | 72 |
| 1987 | Cabin Racing | SUZ 13 | FUJ 3 | MIN 3 | SUZ 4 | SUZ 4 | SUG 3 | FUJ Ret | SUZ 4 | SUZ 3 | | | 4th | 78 |
| 1988 | Meiju Racing | SUZ 13 | FUJ 6 | MIN Ret | SUZ Ret | SUG | FUJ Ret | SUZ 16 | SUZ Ret | | | | 12th | 1 |
| 1989 | Wacoal Dome Racing Team | SUZ 14 | FUJ 6 | MIN 6 | SUZ Ret | SUG Ret | FUJ 6 | SUZ 6 | SUZ Ret | | | | 14th | 4 |
| 1990 | Dome | SUZ 3 | FUJ Ret | MIN 1 | SUZ 1 | SUG Ret | FUJ 14 | FUJ Ret | SUZ 7 | FUJ 13 | SUZ Ret | | 4th | 22 |
| 1991 | Dome | SUZ Ret | AUT Ret | FUJ 2 | MIN Ret | SUZ Ret | SUG Ret | FUJ 24 | SUZ 12 | FUJ C | SUZ 18 | FUJ Ret | 12th | 6 |
| 1992 | Dome | SUZ 13 | FUJ Ret | MIN Ret | SUZ Ret | AUT Ret | SUG Ret | FUJ 9 | FUJ Ret | SUZ 9 | FUJ 14 | SUZ NC | 25th | 0 |

### Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 1986 | Nissan Motorsport | Kazuyoshi Hoshino Aguri Suzuki | Nissan R86V | C1 | 64 | DNF | DNF |
| 1987 | Nissan Motorsport | Kenji Takahashi Kazuyoshi Hoshino | Nissan R87E | C1 | 181 | DNF | DNF |