is a Japanese

race car Race, RACE or The Race may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

driver. Hirate has won the

Super GT Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a sports car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is the top level of ...

series twice.

Career

Hirate began karting in 1999 when he was 13. After winning the All Japan Junior Kart Championship, coming third and fifth in the All Japan Kart Championship and coming third in the FIA Oceania Championship, he moved on to Formula Toyota, where he raced for the Tom's Spirit team and came second with four wins to his name. In 2003, he moved to Formula Renault, at the Prema Power team. In his two-year spell here he won 7 races and came second in the 2004 season. In 2004 he also raced for Prema Power's Formula Three Euroseries team twice, and in 2005 made the decision to race here. After coming twelfth for Team Rosberg, he was made a Toyota F1 test driver in 2006 and came third in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2007 he continued as a Toyota test driver and also drove for GP2 team Trident Racing. Hirate returned to Japan in 2008, where he competed in both Formula Nippon and

. He finished fourth in the 2008 Formula Nippon season and fifth in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, both times driving for Team Impul.

Racing record

Career summary

* * Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete GP2 Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Nippon/Super Formula results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Super GT results

^‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. ^* Season still in progress.

References

External links

Kohei Hirate official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirate, Kohei Living people 1986 births People from Komaki, Aichi Japanese racing drivers GP2 Series drivers Formula Nippon drivers Super GT drivers Formula 3 Euro Series drivers Italian Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Formula Renault Eurocup drivers German Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Dutch Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Asian Formula Renault Challenge drivers Super Formula drivers 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Prema Powerteam drivers Team Rosberg drivers Manor Motorsport drivers Trident Racing drivers Nismo drivers Kondō Racing drivers B-Max Racing drivers Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers