Sakura Ishibashi

**Sakura Ishibashi** (born 10 November 1993) is a professional racing driver currently driving the #3 Panasonic Team Impulse Alpine in the AT&T Champ Car World Series. Ishibashi is best known for her tenure in Champ Car, as well as for winning the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans for Alpine-Renault.

Ishibashi is one of two members of her family competing in the AT&T Champ Car World Series. Kunimitsu Kinoshita is her older step sister, and has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

## Early Years

Ishibashi was born and raised in the Higashiyodogawa Ward in northeastern Osaka city, the only child of a hospital nurse, and a subway operator. Her parents divorced shortly after she turned three, in early 1996, and in 2000, Ishibashi's father remarried, to Azusa Kinoshita, mother of three children including Kunimitsu Kinoshita.

Ishibashi's love for racing came at an early age, when she was brought to an Super GP event at the Okayama circuit. Okayama, Central Circuit, and Suzuka circuit were all within a reasonable distance to Ishibashi growing up, with karting facilities even more abundant around Osaka and nearby Kyoto. Ishibashi began racing at the age of 6, starting with local karting cups until after her mother remarried.

## Junior Categories

Ishibashi's father noted Ishibashi's fondness for karting, with Kinoshita also in karting, but in a different class. Ishibashi and Kinoshita were separated by two years, with Kinoshita being the elder of the two step siblings. Both of their parents worked harder to support their daughters in their ambitions, although neither would race against each other until 2016.

### Japanese Karting Championship - 2000-2004

Ishibashi entered the Japanese national karting championships in 2000, running in the 100cc class of karts for her first year as an amateur racer. Ishibashi excelled as a tactician, but struggled in qualifying, showing a remarkable knack for pacing herself, but an unfamiliarity with finding the limits of the kart. Despite qualifying woes, Ishibashi finished 3rd in the season, guaranteeing a promotion to 150cc competition for 2001.

2001 would be a testing year for the young Ishibashi. She struggled early to get used to the faster, more complex 150cc kart, which used gear shifts, an unknown element to Ishibashi. She obtained her first 150cc class win at the end of the season in Fuji, but would remain in 150cc for 2002.

2002 was a much better year for Ishibashi, with Ishibashi sweeping weekends at Okayama, Fuji, and Tsukuba to win her first championship trophy, earning a promotion to 200cc class for 2003, as well as an invite to the 150cc World Karting Championship.

2003 was a positive season for Ishibashi, who learned the 200cc karts way quicker than when she jumped into 150cc. Wins were more consistent across the board, with Ishibashi finishing 2nd in the WKC, as well as the final standings for 200cc in Japan.

2004 marked Ishibashi's final season in karting. Ishibashi's rise through the ranks had raised some eyebrows amongst professional teams in Japan, who were keen to see how Ishibashi handled herself in superkarts. Ishibashi stumbled on opening weekend at Autopolis, before storming to commanding wins at Okayama, Tsukuba, Fuji, and Suzuka, taking the superkart championship as a class rookie, and cementing her promotion into professional motorsports.

### Japanese F2000 Championship - 2005

Ishibashi began her professional career in 2005, racing in the Japanese F2000 Championship for Mitoh Racing. Her first season in formula cars was inconsistent as she adapted to the larger machines, and she finished 9th in the season standings, with no wins, but 4 podiums in 15 races. Her career would pivot to Europe, however, for 2006.

### British Formula 4 Championship - 2006-2007

Ishibashi was picked up by Crystal Cove Racing, with the 12 year old moving across the world to the U.K. to compete in the British Formula 4 Championship in 2006. The F4 machine was more friendly than the F2000 machine, and Ishibashi responded in kind, being a front runner on multiple occasions, despite having to learn all the circuits for the first time. She finished 6th in final standings in 2006, with 2 wins, 1 pole, and 6 podiums.

Ishibashi would continue for 2007, and the improvements were immediate. Wins opened the year at Donington Park, Snetterton, Brands Hatch, and Silverstone, before retirements due to mechanical issues ended her streak at Oulton Park and Cadwell Park. Ishibashi would end up 3rd in final standings, but would earn a promotion to European Formula 3 for 2008.

## Champ Car Career

### 2016

Ishibashi was announced as one of Cat Devil Racing's drivers for the 2016 season. It would mark Ishibashi's first time in single seater open wheel racing since her time in British Formula 4 in 2007. Ishibashi would join her stepsister, Kunimitsu Kinoshita, for the 2016 Indianapolis 500, driving the #17 Honda with DHL Express sponsoring her for the event. The event was marred by the loss of Henna Venalainen during the event, a tragedy that closely affected several, including Ishibashi, who raced with Venalainen during the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, and other top level sports car events.

Ishibashi would be tasked with finishing the season in Venalainen's car, now carrying the number #17 for Ishibashi instead of the typical #87 that Venalainen drove with her entire Champ Car career.

### 2020

The 2020 season started off rough for Ishibashi. A tough qualifying session made the season opener at Phillip Island difficult, where she finished 15th. She bounced back to finish 10th at her home race in Motegi, but was set back at Brno. Ishibashi scored her first pole of the season at the Czechia event, but bad blood between Patrick Marcelli and Ishibashi resulted in the two pushing each other on the formation lap. As a result, both Ishibashi and Marcelli were given 1 lap penalties, relegating Ishibashi down to 25th. She'd make her way to 22nd for the finish, despite being the fastest all race. Redemption would come at St. Petersburg, where Ishibashi once again scored pole position. This time, Ishibashi would stay clear of trouble, leading the most laps en route to her first win of the season.

St. Petersburg marked a string of good results for Ishibashi. Ishibashi would finish 6th at Homestead-Miami, staying clear of the multiple accidents that marred that race. She would replicate the result at the 2020 Indianapolis 500, which was marked by the lap 171 crash that killed Giuliano Ansaldi and Tim Kourting, as well as injuring Mildred Moon, and Ishibashi's Team Impulse teammate, B.K. Glover. Ishibashi's form would dip after the Indy 500, with a tenth place finish at Texas preceding a miserable European leg, where she finished 19th at Valkenburg, and 23rd at Lausitz. Returning to North America, Ishibashi pulled together a third place finish at Toronto, while her rookie teammate, Hazel Lacasse, won in only her second Champ Car start. She'd keep her form up for a ninth at Belle Isle, before winning a very intense 500 mile race at Pocono, where she was joined on the podium by Lucien Lachapelle, who replaced Ansaldi at Striker Motorsports, and Anastasius von Sonnen, in his second career Champ Car race with Kearny-Fuchida Drive Force. Ishibashi finished 10th at Watkins Glen afterwards, but couldn't keep her oval performances up at Kentucky, where an accident would leave her 24th.

A fifth place finish at Richmond led another brief streak of good finishes, where she finished sixth at both Mid-Ohio and New Hampshire, before she'd once again struggle at Road America to come home 11th, and losing out massively at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, where she finished 24th. The season, however, would end on a very high note, as Ishibashi won the final leg of the Triple Crown at Fontana to take the Triple Crown award. Her sixth place at Indianapolis, as well as her wins at both Pocono and Fontana cemented Ishibashi as a very dominating superspeedway force, with Team Impulse capitalizing on that influence to leap frog several teams in the World Team's Championship standings. Ishibashi would end 2020 as third place in the Indycar World Driver's Championship standings, behind champion Andrew Draco, and runner-up, Stephanie Porter-Kelley. Ishibashi won three times, earned two pole positions, scored four podiums, and only failed to finish 3 times out of 20 races, making 2020 a Champ Car career best for Ishibashi. Along with Isabel Espinoza, Ishibashi was the only other driver to win three times in the season. 2020 Champion, Draco, won twice, while Porter-Kelley won only once.

### 2021

Ishibashi entered the 2021 season with a lot of expectations on her shoulders. Team Impulse downsized to two full time cars for the season, pairing Ishibashi with Hazel Lacasse, while retaining B.K. Glover as a driver academy coach and Triple Crown teammate. Ishibashi started the season off with a pole position, but it did not carry over into the race. A late race caution pushed both Team Impulse cars out of the top 10, with Ishibashi finishing 13th, while Lacasse finished 11th. Ishibashi would encounter her first DNF at Motegi, being classified in 18th while Lacasse went on to win the race on fuel mileage. Richmond wouldn't treat Ishibashi much nicer, although Ishibashi would make it to the checkered flag, off the lead lap in 17th. Bad luck would continue for Ishibashi in Texas. She scored her second pole of the season, but lost her engine and ended up 21st. Her first positive result would come at Chicagoland, the fifth race of the 2021 season. Ishibashi started from pole position, and led the most laps, but lost the lead coming to the final lap and ended up runner up to Lacasse, who took her second win of the season to cement herself as a championship contender.

#### Injury and Recovery

Ishibashi's season came to an early end at the 2021 Firestone Grand Prix of Indianapolis. While leading the race, Ishibashi's steering locked at a 15 degree angle, which veered her into the edge of the pit lane wall. Her car caught the overhang of the attenuator, which threw Ishibashi's car across the track into the concrete wall nearest the fans. Ishibashi was knocked unconscious in the full speed crash, which occurred at 184 miles per hour. A complete control failure locked the steering column and throttle input, with Ishibashi's brake application only slowing the car down by 6 miles per hour.

Ishibashi was sent to Indiana Methodist Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a severe concussion, four broken ribs, a separated right shoulder, and fractures in both of her legs, which required corrective surgery. Ishibashi was discharged on 3 November 2021, and travelled to her home in the U.S. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to recover further. Ishibashi would then travel to her home in Osaka, Japan, where she would spend all of December, and January of 2022 before returning to the U.S. to prepare for the new racing season.

### 2022

Ishibashi entered the 2022 season on a contract year with Team Impulse. Ishibashi had made it known before her injury in 2021 how her frustration with reliability issues had made her contemplate a move to her home country of Japan to compete in the GP1 Championship, potentially against Team Impulse if a resolution wasn't found in 2022. Asumi Matsuo, Team Impulse's North American Operations Director, stated that the team was dedicated to the success of its drivers, noting that Ishibashi had suffered more reliability woes than most of the other Alpine-powered drivers in 2021.

In January 2022, it was revealed that Team Impulse would be leaving Alpine engines in favor of Toyota, who supply the team in GP1. As an Alpine loyalist, Ishibashi was rumored to be departing the team as a result, which was confirmed prior to the season beginning, with Artyom Kozlov announced as her replacement at the end of the season.

## Other Ventures

In 2021, Ishibashi made her stock car debut, racing in the Mobil 1 Showdown at Eldora Raceway as an invitational entry for the GTPlanet Fandom Series. Ishibashi would make another appearance for the series in 2022, competing in the Daytona 400 as her first race since breaking her legs at Indianapolis the prior October.