Toshio Suzuki (born 10 March 1955) is a Japanese former racing driver from Saitama Prefecture. His career ranged from domestic single-seaters and touring cars to Formula One, Le Mans and victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Birthplace | Saitama, Japan |
| Born | 10 March 1955 |
| First Grand Prix | 1993 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1993 Australian Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1993 |
| Current/Last Team | Larrousse |
Despite sharing one of Japan’s most common surnames with fellow Formula One driver Aguri Suzuki, the two are not related.
Racing career
Suzuki emerged through karting, winning the All-Japan Kart Championship in both 1975 and 1976.
He carried that success into cars and became the inaugural All-Japan Formula Three champion in 1979. Suzuki subsequently developed into a regular front-runner across Japan’s leading national categories.
The high point of his international career came in 1992. Sharing a car with Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Masahiro Hasemi, Suzuki won the 24 Hours of Daytona. During the same season, he finished runner-up in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship.
Formula One
Suzuki received his Formula One opportunity late in the 1993 season, when Larrousse selected him to replace Philippe Alliot for two Grands Prix.
He did not score a championship point, but completed both races—an entirely respectable return from a brief substitute appearance.
Later competition
Most of Suzuki’s career was spent in Japan. He competed extensively in Japanese Formula 3000, later renamed Formula Nippon, as well as the Japanese Touring Car Championship and the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship.
His endurance résumé also included appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Suzuki made a rare excursion into American stock-car racing in 1996. Driving for Joe Bessey at Nazareth Speedway, he contested one NASCAR Busch Series race. An accident during the event left him with a concussion.
In 2006, Suzuki became a director of R&D Sport in Super GT, helping continue the programme abandoned by Direxiv.
Nissan GT-R development
Suzuki later worked with Nissan as a development test driver for the R35 GT-R. The role placed his decades of racing experience behind one of Japan’s most significant modern performance cars.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 2 |
| Race Starts | 2 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 23rd |
| Best Race Finish | 12th |
| Retirements | 0 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 2 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Larrousse | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 12 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larrousse | 1993 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Comas | 1993 | 2 | 0-2 |
