10/10/1982
Record updated
Hideki Mutoh is a Japanese race car driver from Tokyo currently racing in the Indy Pro Series for Super Aguri Panther Racing. He made his IndyCar Series debut for the same team at the 2007 Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.
He began karting at age 12 in 1996 and quickly moved through the ranks, becoming a part of Honda's Formula Dream Project. He moved to Europe in 1998 to compete in Formula Vauxhall. He then moved on to the Formula Ford European Championship and competed in the Formula Ford Festival, finishing 7th in 2000 and 3rd in 2001. He then moved back to Asia to compete in Asian Formula 2000 and Formula Dream, where he finished second in his rookie season. He won the Formula Dream championship in his second year in 2002. Mutoh then moved to Japanese Formula Three, finishing 9th and 3rd in his two seasons there. In 2006 he drove in Formula Nippon and Super GT 500-class.
In 2007, Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) announced that Mutoh had been signed to drive their new entry in the Indy Pro Series in a car prepared by Panther Racing, who had last competed in IPS in 2003, winning the championship with driver Mark Taylor. Mutoh has done very well; he is currently second in points, and captured his first win in Liberty Challenge Race 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on United States Grand Prix weekend.
On September 9, Mutoh made his Indy Racing League IndyCar Series debut with Panther Racing at Chicagoland Speedway in the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 in the one-off entry #60 car, sponsored by the Formula Dream Project. Mutoh finished 8th and clocked the fastest lap of the race.
Mutoh, backed by Aguri Suzuki, a former Formula One driver, is due to replace Dario Franchitti at Andretti Green Racing in the number 27 car in the IndyCar Series in 2008.