Image: Kojima KE007 © Morio (2014), CC BY-SA 3.0 (IMAGE CREDIT LINKS AT THE END OF CONTENT)
Formula 1 has always been dominated by familiar names like Ferrari, McLaren, and Lotus. But in the past, many teams have come and gone, some staying for years, others disappearing after just a handful of races.
Kojima was one of those teams, a Japanese privateer that arrived in Formula 1 without a factory empire behind it. Their time in the sport did not last long, and they disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared.
Yes, their F1 journey was short, but the design of their car was something special. That alone makes it worth sharing with our fans, which is why these memories deserve to be brought back.
From Bananas to Grand Prix Racing
The most interesting part of this whole story is that Matsuhisa Kojima did not come from motorsport royalty. He built his wealth far away from racing circuits, importing bananas into Japan, a business that gave him the financial freedom to pursue something far more personal: racing.
However, back in the 1960s, Kojima was already deeply involved in motorsport as a motocross rider. By the time the 1970s arrived, his focus had shifted toward car racing, especially Japanese Formula Two. This was only the beginning, but it was here that Kojima truly started to make a name for himself. His cars were competitive, well prepared, and he earned real respect in the paddock. This was not a hobbyist playing at racing. Kojima was serious.
When Formula 1 announced that Japan would finally host a Grand Prix in 1976, it became an opportunity of a lifetime for Kojima, and he took it. This was not about beating European teams. It was about representing Japan on the world stage, at home. So he made a bold decision and chose to build his own Formula 1 car.
If you dig into F1 history, you’ll see there were people who truly dared to dream, people who tried to build something from scratch and actually compete at the highest level. That kind of courage is almost impossible to find in today’s F1 or any modern motorsport, where budgets and technology make it so difficult for outsiders. But Kojima was one of those rare teams. They believed in themselves, rolled the dice, and went for it, stepping onto the same track as the best in the world, ready to prove they belonged.
Building Japan’s Independent F1 Challenger
To make the leap into F1, Kojima partnered with Dunlop for tyres and secured the legendary Cosworth DFV engine, the heartbeat of many privateer teams in the era. The chassis, known as the KE007, was designed by Masao Ono, an engineer who had previously worked on the ill-fated Maki F1 project. Several former Maki staff members followed Ono to Kojima, bringing with them valuable Grand Prix experience.
The car was developed quietly through the autumn of 1976. There was no grand announcement, no hype campaign. Just testing, refinement, and patience. At the wheel was Masahiro Hasemi, one of Japan’s top Formula Two drivers and a key figure in the country’s racing scene.
Few outside Japan expected much. After all, this was a brand-new team preparing for its very first Formula 1 event.
Then qualifying began at Fuji.
The Moment That Stunned the Paddock
In the first qualifying session, they shocked the paddock, with Hasemi behind the wheel putting the car in an incredible fourth place.
Suddenly, the whole paddock was paying attention. A Japanese privateer, making its debut with a car built from scratch, had placed itself among the established F1 teams. It was the kind of moment that instantly becomes legend.
The dream nearly collapsed in the second qualifying session. Hasemi crashed heavily, damaging the car beyond quick repair, and they were forced to start 10th in what would become the most dramatic race of the season, with Lauda and Hunt battling for the championship.
Yet the Kojima crew worked tirelessly, rebuilding the KE007 almost from scratch overnight. It was a stark reminder of how fragile small teams were in that era—one accident could wipe out everything.
Hasemi started tenth on race day and kept pushing all the way to the finish—a remarkable achievement, especially after the heavy rain that swept the weekend. Kojima faced several challenges during the race, including tyre troubles that slowed their progress, and ultimately they crossed the line in 11th place.
For a brief moment, Hasemi was credited with the fastest lap of the race, but it was later revealed to be a timing error, and the lap was officially reassigned to Jacques Laffite. Even without that record, the message was clear: Kojima belonged.
One More Attempt, One Step Back
But Kojima did not stop after their debut in 1976. They returned in 1977 with a new car, the KE009, following the same plan: represent Japan and make an impact.
This time, however, things were different. Circumstances were less kind. Dunlop was replaced by Bridgestone, whose tyres proved difficult to handle and ultimately uncompetitive. Noritake Takahara qualified only 19th and then crashed during the race while trying to avoid debris.
A second KE009 appeared on the grid under the Heroes Racing banner, driven by Kazuyoshi Hoshine, he finished 11th, matching the team’s best result from the year before, it was respectable but the spark of 1976 was gone.
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Why Kojima Never Became a Full-Time F1 Team
On paper, Kojima had done enough to continue in Formula 1. The car was not slow, the team was capable of more, and the engineering was solid. But Formula 1 was changing, and it was changing fast.
Money, as always, became the biggest problem. International sponsors showed little interest in a team that appeared only once a year. Everything came at a cost, travel, logistics, development, and without serious backing, those costs quickly became overwhelming.
There was also a geographic problem that Kojima could not control. After 1977, Formula 1 left Japan and would not return until 1987. For a team that refused to race outside its home country, that decision effectively closed the door on any future in F1.
Rather than overstretch financially and risk collapse, Kojima made a pragmatic choice. The team withdrew from Formula 1 and returned to Japanese Formula Two and domestic racing, where it continued competing into the late 1980s.
Looking back today, it is hard to imagine a team with that level of motivation even trying. Building a car from scratch and turning up to race against the best in the world is almost impossible now. In the era of modern Formula 1, without massive budgets and powerful sponsors, a story like Kojima’s simply could not happen again.
A Quiet Exit
Kojima never chased glory abroad. It never chased championships. And maybe that is why its story still resonates.
In just two Formula 1 appearances, the team proved that Japan could build a competitive Grand Prix car independently. Not through a major manufacturer, not through a global marketing machine, but through passion, engineering skill, and belief.
Kojima remains the only Japanese constructor to have built and raced its own Formula 1 car in a World Championship Grand Prix. A brief flame, but a bright one.
In a sport obsessed with longevity and statistics, Kojima reminds us that sometimes, the most meaningful stories are the shortest.
Image CREDITS
Kojima KE007 © Morio (2014), CC BY-SA 3.0 – Wikimedia Commons
