Shinya Michimi

Born in Cincinnati to a Japanese father and American mother, Michimi lived in the US throughout his karting career,^[1] before moving to Japan to make his single-seater debut in 2012 in Formula Challenge Japan.^[2] In his first season in the series as a Toyota development driver, Michimi scored his only points of the season at Suzuka by finishing fourth and taking three points.^[3]

Returning to Formula Challenge Japan under Toyota's support for 2013,^[4] Michimi took his maiden series podium at Motegi by finishing second from pole.^[5] Michimi then scored two more podiums in the subsequent two rounds at Fuji, which helped him end the year seventh in points.^[6][7] At the end of the year, Michimi competed in the MRF Racing-centrally run 2013–14 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship.^[8] Racing in the first three rounds of the season, Michimi took his only podium of the season on his final series appearance, finishing second to Rupert Svendsen-Cook in race four at Bahrain.^[9][10]

After testing Auto GP machinery in late 2013 for Euronova Racing,^[11] Michimi joined the team for the fourth round of the 2014 season at Monza to make his series debut.^[12] Running as high as fourth on debut, Michimi retired due to a mechanical failure in race one,^[13] before finishing sixth in race two.^[14] After another one-off appearance at the Red Bull Ring in which he finished fourth in race two,^[15] Michimi returned to the team for the season-finale at Estoril, taking his maiden win in cars in race two.^[16]

Michimi remained with Vincenzo Sospiri Racing as he switched to Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe for 2015. Racing alongside Kei Cozzolino, the pair won in the Pro-Am class at Monza,^[17] before moving up to the Pro class and taking a best result of second at Spa.^[18] Remaining in Super Trofeo competition for 2016, Michimi joined Prestige Performance to race in its North American counterpart in the Pro class as a Lamborghini junior.^[19][20] Taking his maiden series win at Laguna Seca,^[21] before winning both races at Watkins Glen and VIR,^[22][23] and then taking winning Road America,^[24] helping him to secure the Super Trofeo North America title at season's end.^[25] After taking a one-year hiatus, Michimi returned to Super Trofeo North America for 2018, joining Precision Performance Motorsports in the Pro class alongside Brandon Gdovic.^[26] In his return to racing, Michimi took a lone win at Road America en route to a fourth-place points finish in class.^[27]

In 2019, Michimi joined X Works to race with them in Super Taikyu and part-time in the GT300 class of the Super GT Series,^[28] in which he scored a best result of sixth at Sugo.^[29] During 2019, Michimi missed the second-to-last round of the Super Taikyu series as he made a one-off comeback to Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America at VIR, in which he won race two.^[30] Towards the end of the year, Michimi competed in the Petit Le Mans for Precision Performance Motorsports in the GTD class,^[31] in which he qualified third in class and set the fastest lap in GTD.^[32]

The following year, Michimi joined Honda-affiliated Meyer Shank Racing to contest the endurance rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.^[33] In the four races he contested, Michimi won at Road Atlanta,^[34] finished third at Sebring and scored the GTD pole for the Petit Le Mans.^[35][36] After sitting most of 2021 on the sidelines, Michimi made a one-off appearance in the ST-X class of the Super Taikyu Series as he raced in the Fuji 24 Hours for CarGuy Racing.^[37]