Born : August 21 1942
Biography Tetsu Ikuzawa
Test Ikuzawa was born on August 21, 1942, he is the son of a renowned Japenese painter Rou Ikuzawa. Tetsu Ikuzawa seems to have inherited some of the artistic talents of his father, and joins Art School . After graduating Tetsu Ikuzawa can’t resist to follow his passion and start a career as a motor cycle rider. He participated in the famous Mount Asama Motorcycle Race in 1955, which was a combination of a road race and a off-road trial on a volcanic slope of an active volcano north of Tokyo.
Later Tetsu Ikuzawa was hired by the Prince Auto Co., which was later acquired by Nissan in 1966, as a factory pilot. In his debut race, the first Japan Grand Prix in 1963, Tetsu Ikuzawa drove Prince Skyline Sport GT.
In the second Japan Grand Prix he drove a Prince Skyline GT 546 and had a legendary battle against a Porsche 904 GTS. A legendary race that has been named the Skyline Legend among Japanese race fans.
In 1967 Tetsu Ikuzawa quits Prince Auto Co., and leaves for Europe. That same year, he won the British F-3 series. That was the first time such a title was claimed by a Japanese driver in the European racing circuit. In the same year he won the fourth Japan Grand Prix with a Porsche Carrera 6. He became a genuine star both in and out of the racing circuit in Japan!
It was only natural, then, to see him contest the 1968 Japan Grand Prix at Fuji in another Porsche, this time the 910. Taki Racing had purchased one of the 1967 works cars and was looking forward to great success!
Ikuzawa performed admirably, finishing second, breaking up a quintet of the explosively fast Nissan R380 and 381 racers. He was driven to do his very best not only by a natural competitiveness, but in order to secure the financial backing to move up the ranks. The performance paid off: he joined Porsche AG as a factory driver and co-piloted a 908 at the 1968 Watkins Glen 6 Hour race in the United States.
His history with Porsche continued for many years. He even broke his semi-retirement in 1980 to challenge Le Mans with Kremer Porsche 935 Turbo. Today he continues to be one of the most visible figures in racing circuit.
Today he continues to be one of the most visible figures in racing circuit. He is working for development of auto racing in Japan. Next to that Tetsu Ikuzawa is the owner of a huge Porsche collection.
