Bio Excerpt: Keiko Ihara started her motorsport journey in the most unlikely way—as a promotional model for Benetton F1, not knowing that trackside gig would spark an obsession that would change racing history. The Japanese driver worked her way through European junior formulas before making her mark in... (full bio below ↓↓)
Keiko Ihara
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Keiko Ihara is a Japanese racing driver who became the first woman to stand on a World Endurance Championship podium and one of the few Japanese women to compete internationally at motorsport’s highest levels—a journey that began not in a go-kart, but in a Benetton F1 promotional uniform.
EARLY YEARS
Born on July 4, 1973, Keiko Ihara didn’t grow up dreaming of racing cars. Her path into motorsport was accidental and entirely unexpected. She became a motorsport fan when she visited a circuit for a job as a “Benetton F1 Image girl”—essentially a promotional model for the Formula One team[1]. What started as a paycheck turned into an obsession. Thirteen years after that first trackside gig, she would be racing at Le Mans[2].
Ihara graduated from Hosei University’s Faculty of Economics in March 1997[3], but by then, the racing bug had already bitten. She did her apprenticeship the hard way, working her way through the junior ranks while most of her peers were settling into corporate careers.
OTHER INTERESTS
When ill health forced her to take a break from racing in 2009, Ihara didn’t disappear. She spent her time away from the track teaching English and lecturing[4]. She also got married during this period; her husband is an energy science researcher and assistant professor at the National Institute for Fusion Science[5]. In her TEDxHaneda talk, she discussed the importance of breaking through barriers—emotional, technical, and cultural—themes that would define both her racing career and her work off the track[6].
Beyond racing, she has taken on roles that leverage her unique position as a pioneering female driver. She became a guest associate professor at Keio University Graduate School of Media Design in April 2020, and later a project professor[7]. In October 2020, she became representative director of Future, Inc.[8]. She has also served as an outside director for SOFT99 Corporation since June 2016 and joined Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. as an independent outside director and chair of the Compensation Committee in June 2018[9][10].
EARLY SUCCESS
Ihara’s early racing career was a grind through the European and Asian junior formulas. She competed in the Asian Formula 2000 series, French Formula 3, and Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship[11]. In 2003, she raced in the Formula BMW Asia Series with Team Yellow Hat[12]. She moved up to British Formula Three in 2005 and 2006 with Carlin Motorsport, posting two eighth-place finishes in 2005—her best results in the championship[13][14].
Her debut in Japan’s premier GT series came at Fuji Speedway, where she finished 16th in class in what happened to be the final race ever run on the circuit’s classic layout[15]. She also competed in Super GT, the Aston Martin Asia Cup, and the Formula Le Mans Cup[16], broadening her experience across multiple disciplines.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
- 2012: Made her 24 Hours of Le Mans debut with Gulf Racing Middle East in the LMP2 class, becoming the first Asian woman to race at Le Mans[17][18].
- 2012: Competed in the inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship season with Gulf Racing Middle East[19].
- 2013: Became the first woman to finish on a World Endurance Championship podium, taking third place in the LMP2 class at the 6 Hours of Fuji with Gulf Racing Middle East alongside Jean-Denis Délétraz and Fabien Giroix[20][21].
- 2013: Competed in her second 24 Hours of Le Mans[22].
- 2014: Raced at Le Mans for a third time with Larbre Competition in a Morgan-Judd LMP2[23][24].
- 2014: Won the Fuji round of the Asian Le Mans Series for Oak Racing with Ho-Pin Tung and David Cheng[25][26].
- 2016: Joined Mazda Motorsports’ official prototype team for the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring, teaming with Tom Long in a Mazda prototype[27][28].
INSPIRATIONS
Her inspiration didn’t come from childhood heroes or a racing family—it came from stumbling into the sport as an adult and falling completely in love with it. In interviews, she described how that first visit to a circuit as a promotional model opened her eyes to a world she never knew existed[29]. The fact that she had no traditional racing background became part of her story, not a limitation.
REPUTATION
Ihara earned the nickname “the fastest woman in the world”[30] and has been described as Japan’s representative on the global stage[31]. She served as the Asian representative for the FIA Women in Motorsports Commission and the FIA Drivers Commission[32], giving her a voice in shaping the future of the sport. Her presence in endurance racing made her a trailblazer, and her WEC podium finish remains a landmark moment for women in international motorsport[33].
She was recognized as a “Japanese woman who is active worldwide” while also sharing Japanese culture internationally[34]. Her role as an advocate for women in racing and zero-emissions mobility—particularly through her partnership with Nissan—has extended her influence well beyond the cockpit[35].
FUTURE GOALS/PLANS
As of 2025, Ihara serves as president of Future, Inc.[36], continuing her work in promoting diversity and sustainability in motorsport and beyond. Her ongoing role as an independent outside director at Nissan positions her at the intersection of racing, technology, and the automotive industry’s shift toward electrification[37].
REFERENCES
[1] Interview with Keiko Ihara, the only female driver in the FIA WEC – 24h-lemans.com
[2] Interview with Keiko Ihara, the only female driver in the FIA WEC – 24h-lemans.com
[3] Keiko Ihara – Nissan Global Newsroom
[4] A spotlight on Keiko Ihara – FIAWEC
[5] A spotlight on Keiko Ihara – FIAWEC
[6] Breakthrough | Keiko Ihara | TEDxHaneda – YouTube
[7] Keiko Ihara – Nissan Global Newsroom
[8] Keiko Ihara – Nissan Global Newsroom
[9] Keiko Ihara – Nissan Global Newsroom
[10] Keiko Ihara – Nissan Global Newsroom
[12] 2003 Formula BMW Asia season – Wikipedia
[14] Driver: Keiko Ihara – Driver Database
[15] Miki Koyama, And The Women Who Preceded Her In SUPER GT – DailySportsCar
[16] A spotlight on Keiko Ihara – FIAWEC
[17] Keiko Ihara – Mazda Motorsports
[19] Driver: Keiko Ihara – Driver Database
[20] Keiko Ihara Becomes First Female Driver to Stand on WEC Podium – FIAWEC
[21] 24 Hours of Le Mans: Keiko Ihara, a racing pioneer – 24h-lemans.com
[22] Keiko Ihara – Prize list & statistics – 24h-lemans.com
[23] Keiko Ihara Joins Oak For Fuji’s Asian Le Mans Encounter – DailySportsCar
[24] Keiko Ihara – Prize list & statistics – 24h-lemans.com
[26] Asian LMS – Keiko Ihara, first woman at the start – 24h-lemans.com
[27] Keiko Ihara Joins Mazda Prototype Team for Sebring – Mazda Motorsports
[28] Keiko Ihara to Compete in IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring – MZRacing
[29] A spotlight on Keiko Ihara – FIAWEC
[30] The Center for Japanese Studies Newsletter – University of Michigan
[31] Breakthrough | Keiko Ihara | TEDxHaneda – YouTube
[32] Speakers Profile – The 20th International Conference for Women in Business
[33] WEC – 6 Hours of Fuji: Keiko Ihara helps her team – 24h-lemans.com
[34] Breakthrough | Keiko Ihara | TEDxHaneda – YouTube
[35] Keiko Ihara’s Nissan Partnership to Promote Zero Emissions Mobility – FIAWEC
