Kazuichi Saihara

Kaz at the 2018 Round of Iceland

**Kazuichi Saihara** is a former Japanese professional race car driver who is presently the team owner of **Saihara Motorsports**. He is the 2011 ESPLAR Elite Series champion who used to drive for Team Nitra in his championship winning season but defected to start his own team after Team Nitra refused to give him a new contract. He is one of the most successful owner-drivers in ESPLAR history despite not winning the Morson-Austin trophy as one.

## History

### Early History

Kazuichi Saihara was born on May 26, 1993 in Fukuzecho Ward, Izumi City in Osaka Prefecture. Based on Arktene data, no information was given on Kaz's parents.

Kaz himself states that he is the only son of Hiroto Saihara and Yoshiko Kashihara. Unfortunately, very little is known about the two, as two years after Kaz's birth, both Hiroto and Yoshiko died in the Great Hanshin earthquake while the family stayed in Kobe. Kaz notes that the Great Hanshin earthquake was the only thing he remembered of his very early childhood, and was visibly shaken when he found out about the 2019 Estlenhar earthquake while at his team headquarters.

Following the Great Hanshin quake, Kaz was raised in Osaka, and later Fuji, by his uncle Hiro Saihara.

(WIP)

### Formula Beta

In 2009, Kaz entered into Formula Beta, initially as a substitute driver for one of the lesser known teams at the time, Addax. The 2009 Formula Beta season featured 12 double header sprint-feature races, and 26 drivers split into 13 2 car teams. Kaz did not win a race during the 2 race weekends he subbed in for at Monza and at Spa, but he did a respectable 3rd place during the Monza Sprint, though he was wrecked out of the Spa feature.

### 2012 ESPLAR Elite Series Season

Kaz's unexpected departure from Team Nitra left him with little options, as he was undoubtedly the best driver to come out of the Asia-SEA region since Jose Arroyo himself, and having just come off the Morson-Austin Trophy. After consulting with most of his crew that joined him in leaving Team Nitra, Kaz decided to start up his own operation, hoping to continue his success in ESPLAR though without most of the funding that came with him in Team Nitra.

Saihara Motorsports would begin largely as a single car operation, as for most of the 2010s Kaz would not enjoy the same amount of funding that would be from other large teams at the time, like Mylo-Kerrivan with their driver, Laura Kerrivan. Despite this, Kaz continued to win in 2012, despite falling victim to the Sophomore Slump and finishing in 4th place in the points. He managed to begin his domination of Karjala Motorsports Park in Finland, winning 5 of the next 7 Finnair Grand Prix events, his first coming that season.

### 2013-15 ESPLAR Elite Series Season

The next three seasons in ESPLAR were relatively quiet for Saihara Motorsports. While Kaz continued to remain in championship contention each time, though failing to win a single one, he continued to win at least once per year, with his firm domination of Karelia intact, and managing to steal the win at Trois-Rivieres in 2014. He won 8 races, taking his win total to 14, and remained consistently in the top 5 for most of the next 3 seasons.

### 2019: New Operations, New Opportunities

2019 marked the first season where Kazuichi Saihara was no longer a driver, with Hayato Kitanami taking over his #21 car, and Yoshihiro Ishikawa remaining in the #22. The season started well, with Hayato winning at Carbondale and Mallory Park, and Ishikawa taking back-to-back wins, at Romania, and in a attrition filled race at Rockingham where only 8 cars remained at the end of the race.

### Current

For the start of the 2024 season, Kaz remains the team owner with an expanded driver academy, and he has high expectations to repeat the team's success from 2023. He is currently married to Yuriko Yamashi as of mid 2023, and the two are expecting their first child later in 2024.

## Trivia

* Kazuichi Saihara is formed by the names of two characters of a certain franchise. Kaz shares no relation to either of them as to not violate Lean278's rule of copying the first and last names of one character as one of Lean278's ESPLAR OCs. He is the first character to follow this rule; since then characters like Yumiko Anjou, Hayato Kitanami, Naoto Kazami and Kaylani Tatsunami have abided by this rule.