Hiro of the day: 5 questions with Hiroshi Hamaguchi

It is quite rare for a driver to represent their country in motorsport. All drivers do of course, up to a point fly the flag of their home nation but very few do it in an Olympic-style event. For loyal Lamborghini Squadra Corse driver Hiroshi Hamaguchi, winning a gold medal for Japan at the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games at Vallelunga last year was the pinnacle of his career to date.

Currently driving in GT World Challenge Europe with FFF Racing, Hamaguchi also has a long-established relationship with the Chinese team, having first raced for them in 2015.

Hiroshi is a late bloomer to motorsport, but that’s not to say he lacks pace. If anything, the opposite is true. He started go-karting at the age of 32 after being introduced to the sport by a friend. From then on, he’s achieved successes in the highly competitive Super GT300 category the Le Mans Cup, International GT Open and GT World Challenge Asia.

But what makes our Hiro of the Day tick? We posed five questions to get to know Hamaguchi-San that little bit better:

How did you start in racing and when?

I started racing when I was 32 years old, so quite late. A good friend of mine to me to a karting event [in Japan] and there I just fell in love with the sport.

What do you love the most about racing?

The feeling of accomplishment after a race victory or a strong performance.

Why did you choose Lamborghini?

I have a long relationship with FFF Racing [and team boss] Andrea Caldarelli. I’ve known him for a while and I always follow his decisions, so when he chose the Lamborghini brand, I followed him here and I have loved every minute.

What are your goals for the season?

Like every driver, to win a championship!

What do you like doing when you are not racing?

I enjoy a variety of different things when I am not racing. I’m quite active so I like taking my Defender out off-roading for some adventure. I also enjoy golfing, skiing, taking my boat to the sea and occasionally I will play football as well.