Kojima Engineering

Full name	Kojima Engineering
Base	Japan
Founder(s)	Matsuhisa Kojima
Noted drivers	Masahiro Hasemi
Formula One World Championship career
First entry	1976 Japanese Grand Prix
Races entered	2
Constructors	Kojima-Ford
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0[1]
Final entry	1977 Japanese Grand Prix

Kojima Engineering was a JapaneseFormula One constructor who entered cars in theJapanese Grand Prix in1976 and1977.

The team was founded in 1976 byMatsuhisa Kojima.^[1] Kojima had made a fortune importing bananas,^[1] and was a motor-racing enthusiast, having ridden inMotocross himself in the 1960s.^[1] He began enteringFormula Two cars in Japan, and after having had major success he struck a deal withDunlop to supply tyres for the1976 Japanese Grand Prix. To go with these, the company constructed the KE007 chassis, and brought in several staff-members from theMaki team. They helped arrange an entry for the Grand Prix atFuji, and aCosworth DFV engine.

The car was tested throughout the autumn of 1976, withMasahiro Hasemi, a Japanese Formula 2 driver, at the wheel. Hasemi then scored a huge stir at the Japanese Grand Prix, posting 4th best time in the first qualifying session. However, he crashed in the second session, and the car had to be rebuilt virtually from scratch.^[2] Hasemi started 10th, and ran superbly before tyre trouble led to an eventual 11th place. He was initially credited with fastest lap, but this was a measurement mistake, and, several days later, the circuit issued a press release to correct the fastest lap holder of the race to Jacques Laffite.

A planned entry into the 1977 South American races was cancelled, but the team built a new Kojima KE009 for the1977 Japanese Grand Prix.Bridgestone this time supplied the tyres, but these were unsatisfactory, andNoritake Takahara started only 19th before crashing avoiding debris. A second KE009 was entered byHeros Racing for the same race,^[3]Kazuyoshi Hoshino starting and finishing 11th.

Kojima continued as an F2 entrant until the late 1980s, but did not venture again beyond domestic racing.

(key) (results initalics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	WCC
1976	Kojima Engineering	Kojima KE007	FordV8	D		BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	BEL	MON	SWE	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	USA	JPN		0	NC
					Masahiro Hasemi																11
1977	Kojima Engineering	Kojima KE009	FordV8	B		ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	MON	BEL	SWE	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	USA	CAN	JPN	0	NC
					Noritake Takahara																	Ret
	Heros Racing				Kazuyoshi Hoshino																	11

1. ^ It was initially announced that the fastest lap at the1976 Japanese Grand Prix was set byMasahiro Hasemi in a Kojima, but this was a measurement mistake, and, several days later, the circuit issued a press release to correct the fastest lap holder of the race toJacques Laffite in a Ligier.^[4] This release was promptly made known in Japan, and theJapan Automobile Federation (JAF) and Japanese media corrected the record.^[5][6] But this correction was not made well known outside Japan, thus, Kojima is credited with one fastest lap in many record books.

• Kojima Formula One Cars

• Formula One constructors
• Formula One entrants
• Japanese auto racing teams
• Japanese racecar constructors
• Auto racing teams established in 1976
• 1976 establishments in Japan
• 1980s disestablishments in Japan

• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata