Product Code Database
born February 26, 1970, Kyoto, Japan is a Japanese radio controlled car driver who is considered to be the world's most successful with a record fourteen IFMAR World Championships in 1/12 scale electric, 1/10 scale Pan, 1/10 scale 2WD off-road and 1/10 scale 4WD, all electric. Hirosaka's peers have nicknamed him "Master Masami". He was considered to be one of the highest paid drivers in RC racing, until he retired from the activity. His last IFMAR race was the 2008 world championship in Thailand. His retirement ceremony was on May 3, 2009.
In 1987, during a world championship round for the 4WD off-road at Romsey, England, Hirosaka arrived as a privateer with a Schumacher CAT, bar being provided power sources from HPI Japan. He had shown promise during practice and was brought into attention by Phil Booth, Schumacher's works driver who referred him to Cecil Schumacher, who provided him a longer wheelbase version called the CAT XL, then unavailable in Japan and was raced by a majority of racers. Despite being near-stock with much of the running gear added on from his old CAT, Hirosaka managed to win the title. After the win, he was given numerous offers from sponsors before he ultimately settled with Yokomo.
For once or twice a week, he practices for 100 runs, a majority of these is done on-road to improve his reflexes.
In a 1998 interview with Germany's KEIL DTM magazine, Hirosaka listed his other hobbies as computers and theater. His father who is now semi-retired, runs an RC car preparation service whilst doing contract work for Kyosho. In a 1999 interview with RCCA, he said that he has appeared several times on Japanese TV. He also says that he has several non-RC sponsors, such as Pioneer.
In his later career, he mentored teammate and compatriot Naoto Matsukura and was the lead organizer of the .p12, http://news.efra.ws/fileadmin/news/2015/10/2015%20%20Electric%20All%203%20Sections%20Minutes%20Final%20PW.pdf
Throughout his career, Masami has always raced in the green over white with pink flames (similar style to those found typically in ), but since the 1990s, the pink colour has become less dominant part of the colour as he added the orange and red to form part of his current colour scheme.
He has a total of 37 World Championship starts with 25 podium appearances including 14 championship titles and 35 A-main appearances.
Out of a total of 70 JMRCA All-Japan Championship appearances, he won 52 of those spanning 21 consecutive years (1986-2006), 67 of those are A-main appearances.
In 1998, he is one of two drivers to achieve an electric car clean sweep at the JMRCA All-Japan Championship, the only driver to achieve this more than once (also 1987, 1989 and 1992) and the only one to achieve five out of five wins in eligible classes, a feat no longer possible since 2005 when the 1:10 Racing class was discontinued.
An article by Radio Control Car Action list him on the top spot as the five greatest driver of all time in 2010 In the 2015 edition of the Top 10 best of all time, he was beaten to the spot by Ryan Cavalieri.
Listed in RCCA in its May issues as one of the 10 Best Drivers between 1989 up to 1992. When the readers ranking was introduced, he was ranked 5th in 1996, 2nd in 1998 and 3rd in 1999. Hirosaka is the only few non-US drivers to be honored and the only foreigner to regularly appear in the list.
|
|
