Kyosuke Mineo

Mineo began his racing career in 1996, racing in the Nissan Saurus Junior Kanto Series.^[1] After winning the East Japan Series the following year, Mineo then spent two years in the Formula Toyota Main Series, before progressing to the Japanese Formula 3 Championship with DTM in 2000, scoring a lone podium at Fuji.^[2] Three seasons in the Netz Cup Altezza Series then followed, in which he clinched the title in 2003,^[3] before joining Autobacs Racing Team Aguri to race primarily in Super Taikyu for the following two seasons.^[4] During those two seasons, Mineo finished third in the Class N+ standings with five podiums and then scoring four ST-5 wins in 2005 en route to runner-up honours.^[5]

In 2006, Mineo joined Porsche-fielding Endless Sports to make his debut in the GT300 class of Super GT, taking a lone podium at Fuji as he ended the year 21st in points.^[6] In parallel, Mineo also raced for the team in the ST-2 class of Super Taikyu, in which he scored a class podium at Okayama.^[7] Two seasons with Toyota-affiliated apr then ensued,^[8] in which Mineo took his second series podium at Sugo in 2008, a year in which he finished 14th in points.^[9] During 2008, Mineo also raced for Endless Sports in the ST-2 class of Super Taikyu, scoring wins at Motegi and Fuji.^[10]

Staying with Endless for the 2009 Super Taikyu season,^[11] Mineo scored four wins and three other podiums to secure the ST-2 title and was given the Mitsubishi Motors/Ralliart Driver of the Year award at season's end.^[12] Towards the end of the year, Mineo reunited with apr to compete in the final five races of the 2009 Super GT Series.^[13] Remaining in ST-2 with Endless for the following two seasons, Mineo won three times in 2010 en-route to runner-up honours,^[14] before repeating the same feat a year later with four wins to his name.^[15] In the midst of this, Mineo finished on the podium at the 2010 Pokka GT Summer Special for ASL-affiliated Autobacs Racing Team Aguri,^[16] and raced for Team Taisan on a full-time basis in the 2011 Super GT Series.^[17]

Remaining with the Porsche customer team for 2012, now in a partnership with Endless,^[18] Mineo won the season-ending race at Motegi and scored three other podiums to clinch the GT300 title along with Naoki Yokomizo.^[19] In parallel, Mineo continued with Endless to make his debut in the ST-1 class of Super Taikyu,^[20] which he won after scoring four wins and standing on the podium in all seven races.^[21] Continuing with Team Taisan Endless for the following year, Mineo scored a best result of third at Sugo to finish 12th in the GT300 standings in his title defence season.^[22] During 2013, Mineo also made a one-off appearance for the team in the Asian Le Mans Series at Inje,^[23] and led Endless in the GT3 class of Super Taikyu.^[24]

After a season spent bouncing around teams in GT300 and scoring a lone overall win in Super Taikyu for Endless en route to second in ST-X,^[25][26] Mineo joined Ferrari-fielding Direction Racing for the 2015 Super GT season, in which he took a best result of fourth at Autopolis.^[27] In parallel, Mineo raced with Endless in Super Taikyu for his second consecutive season in the ST-X class, in which he scored three wins and two other podiums to seal the title.^[28] Remaining with Endless for another season in ST-X, Mineo won twice and finished on the podium in every race he started to secure runner-up in the ST-X standings.^[29] During 2016, Mineo also raced in the GT300 class of Super GT for Team Direction, in the then-new Lamborghini Huracán GT3.^[30]

In 2017, Mineo joined Porsche customer team Pacific Racing with Gulf Racing.^[31] In his eighth full-time season in Super GT, Mineo took a lone podium at Okayama as he ended the year eighth in GT300.^[32] One-off appearances in Super GT and Super Taikyu then followed in 2018,^[33][34] before Mineo returned to Pacific Racing for his full-time return in the former the following year, in which he took a best result of ninth at Sugo.^[35]

In July 2021, Mineo opened up Supersonics, a sports car specialty story in his hometown of Hachioji.^[36]