Shion Tsujimoto

Shion Tsujimoto is a Japanese racing driver who’s been methodically carving her path through motorsports since her karting days, earning recognition from the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission and claiming championship titles in both karting and touring car categories before tackling the brutally competitive world of single-seaters.

EARLY YEARS

Born May 17, 2001, in Japan, Shion didn’t grow up dreaming of race cars—she grew up surrounded by them. Her family was passionate about motorsport and karting, the kind of household where weekends meant circuits, not shopping malls. In 2012, when she was just eleven, her father took her to watch a race at Suzuka Circuit. That day flipped a switch. The noise, the speed, the sheer intensity—she was hooked. By the end of that year, she’d already started racing herself, throwing herself into practice with the single-minded focus of someone who’d found exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

OTHER INTERESTS

Information about Shion’s interests outside racing wasn’t available in the research materials.

EARLY SUCCESS

After logging serious seat time, Tsujimoto began competing domestically in 2013, entering the JAF Junior Karting Championships while still learning racecraft. She wasn’t content staying local—in 2014 and 2015, she took her talents to Europe, including three outings that tested her against international competition. It was a steep learning curve. In 2016, at just fourteen years old, she was selected by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission to receive a funded drive in the prestigious CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy—a serious stamp of approval in the karting world. The Academy Trophy season was tough. Racing across Europe in France, Portugal, and Sweden, she was often fast but lacked the race management experience to convert speed into results. Still, she absorbed everything, treating it as the education it was meant to be.

By 2020, Tsujimoto had transitioned from karts to cars, joining the Kyojo Cup—a Japanese development series known for nurturing female talent. She spent that first season finding her feet in tin-top racing, then came back in 2021 and dominated, becoming the Kyojo Cup champion. It was the kind of statement victory that announced she wasn’t just participating—she was here to win.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2016: Selected by FIA Women in Motorsport Commission for funded drive in CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy.
• 2021: Kyojo Cup Champion.
• 2022: Competed in 12 of 14 rounds in F4 Japanese Championship.
• 2023: Contested 4 of 14 rounds in F4 Japanese Championship.
• 2024: Scored back-to-back ST-Q class victories at Autopolis and Okayama in Super Taikyu Series with Team HRC.
• 2024: Part of race-winning effort driving Honda Civic Type R TCR in Super Taikyu, including a pole position start with ex-Formula 1 driver Shinji Nakano and teammates.

INSPIRATIONS

Shion’s biggest inspiration was her family—specifically her father, who not only introduced her to racing at Suzuka but fostered an environment where motorsport wasn’t just a hobby, it was a way of life. That 2012 race day wasn’t random; it was an invitation into a world her family already loved deeply, and she walked right through that door.

REPUTATION

Tsujimoto has built a reputation as a driver who shows up, does the work, and doesn’t complain when the results don’t immediately follow. Her 2016 European karting campaign—where she was fast but still learning—could have been discouraging. Instead, it became foundational. By the time she hit the Kyojo Cup, she’d developed the racecraft to back up her speed, resulting in a championship. Her transition into Team HRC’s Super Taikyu program cemented her standing as a reliable, competitive endurance racer capable of holding her own in mixed-gender professional competition. Driving the #271 Honda Civic Type R TCR, she returned to racing after nearly a year away and immediately started winning in the ST-Q class, proving she hadn’t lost a step. She’s not the loudest voice in the paddock, but she’s increasingly one drivers and teams respect—someone who races smart, stays consistent, and delivers when it counts.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

For 2025, Tsujimoto is continuing with Team HRC in the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series, competing in the ST-Q class and racing the #271 Honda Civic Type R. The team has confirmed participation in multiple rounds including Autopolis in July, Okayama in October, and the final round at Fuji Speedway. It’s a focused campaign that allows her to build on her 2024 success while staying sharp in endurance racing’s demanding environment—long stints, strategy calls, and the kind of consistency that separates good drivers from great ones.

REFERENCES

Shion Tsujimoto Profile – Honda Racing
Shion Tsujimoto Selected by Women in Motorsport FIA Commission – Kartcom
2016 CIK-FIA Best-of: Good Learning Season for Shion Tsujimoto – Kartcom
Super Taikyu: Tomishita, Tsujimoto Take Back-to-Back Class Wins at Okayama – Racers Behind the Helmet
Riona Tomishita, Shion Tsujimoto Win in Class at Autopolis – Racers Behind the Helmet
Civic Type R TCR Dominates on Super Taikyu Return – JAS Motorsport
Team HRC Enters ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2025 – Honda Racing
Shion Tsujimoto – Driver Database
2022 F4 Japanese Championship – Wikipedia
2023 F4 Japanese Championship – Wikipedia