| Seiji Ara | |
|---|---|
|  Ara in 2010. | |
| Nationality | Japanese | 
| Born | May 5, 1974 Chiba (Japan) | 
| FIA GT1 World Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2010 | 
| Current team | Swiss Racing Team | 
| Racing licence |  FIA Gold | 
| Car number | 4 | 
| Starts | 20 | 
| Wins | 0 | 
| Poles | 0 | 
| Fastest laps | 0 | 
| Best finish | 42nd in 2010 | 
| Previous series | |
| 2009 2004 2001–02, 06–08 2000–09 1998-00 1996 | WTCC Le Mans Series Formula Nippon Super GT Japanese F3 Barber Pro Series | 
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 2001–2005, 2009, 2012 | 
| Teams | Viper Team Oreca, Audi Sport Japan Team Goh, Jim Gainer International, NAVI Team Goh | 
| Best finish | 1st (2004) | 
| Class wins | 1 | 
Seiji Ara (荒 聖治; Ara Seiji) (born May 5, 1974 in Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese race car driver.
He was the winner of the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2004, driving an Audi R8.[1] In the same year he also raced in the Le Mans Endurance Series and Japanese GT Championship.
In earlier years he had competed in Formula Nippon (2001–2002), Japanese Formula 3 (1997–2000) and the Barber Dodge Pro Series (1995).
He made his World Touring Car Championship debut with Wiechers-Sport at the 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan.
Racing record
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |  Viper Team Oreca |  Masahiko Kondo  Ni Amorim | Chrysler LMP | LMP900 | 243 | DNF | DNF | 
| 2002 |  Audi Sport Japan Team Goh |  Hiroki Katoh  Yannick Dalmas | Audi R8 | LMP900 | 358 | 7th | 6th | 
| 2003 |  Audi Sport Japan Team Goh |  Jan Magnussen  Marco Werner | Audi R8 | LMP900 | 370 | 4th | 2nd | 
| 2004 |  Audi Sport Japan Team Goh |  Rinaldo Capello  Tom Kristensen | Audi R8 | LMP900 | 379 | 1st | 1st | 
| 2005 |  Jim Gainer International |  Ryo Michigami  Katsutomo Kaneishi | Dome S101Hb-Mugen | LMP1 | 193 | DNF | DNF | 
| 2009 |  Navi Team Goh |  Keisuke Kunimoto  Sascha Maassen | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | LMP2 | 339 | DNF | DNF | 
| 2012 |  Pescarolo Team |  Nicolas Minassian  Sébastien Bourdais | Dome S102.5-Judd | LMP1 | 203 | NC | NC | 
Complete GT1 World Championship results
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Swiss Racing Team | Nissan | ABU QR 12 | ABU CR Ret | SIL QR 14 | SIL CR 9 | BRN QR 15 | BRN CR 14 | PRI QR 12 | PRI CR Ret | SPA QR 17 | SPA CR 16 | NÜR QR 17 | NÜR CR 21 | ALG QR 11 | ALG CR 18 | NAV QR 13 | NAV CR Ret | INT QR 13 | INT CR 16 | SAN QR Ret | SAN CR 13 | 42nd | 2 | 
Complete JGTC/Super GT results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula Nippon results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Cosmo Oil Racing Team Cerumo | SUZ 3 | MOT Ret | MIN Ret | FUJ Ret | SUZ 9 | SUG 10 | FUJ 8 | MIN Ret | MOT 12 | SUZ Ret | 12th | 4 | |
| 2002 | Olympic Kondo Racing Team | SUZ 8 | FUJ 4 | MIN 9 | SUZ 10 | MOT Ret | SUG Ret | FUJ Ret | MIN 9 | MOT 11 | SUZ 10 | 11th | 3 | |
| 2006 | Kondo Racing Team | FUJ | SUZ | MOT | SUZ 10 | AUT 10 | FUJ 18 | SUG 13 | MOT Ret | SUZ Ret | NC | 0 | ||
| 2007 | TOM'S | FUJ 11 | SUZ Ret | MOT 15 | OKA 7 | SUZ 10 | FUJ 4 | SUG Ret | MOT 13 | SUZ 5 | 11th | 11 | ||
| 2008 | TOM'S | FUJ Ret | SUZ 11 | MOT 10 | OKA 10 | SUZ1 13 | SUZ2 11 | MOT1 7 | MOT2 1 | FUJ1 10 | FUJ2 10 | SUG 16 | 15th | 9 | 
Complete Japanese Formula 3 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Team G.R.P | Toyota | SUZ | TSU | MIN | FUJ | MOT | SUZ | SUG 7 | TAI 9 | SEN 10 | SUG Ret | NC | 0 | 
| 1999 | TOM'S | Toyota | SUZ 1 | TSU Ret | FUJ 3 | MIN Ret | FUJ 3 | SUZ 8 | SUG Ret | TAI 10 | MOT 4 | SUZ | 6th | 20 | 
| 2000 | Toda Racing | Mugen | SUZ Ret | TSU 2 | FUJ 4 | MIN 5 | TAI 2 | SUZ 4 | SUG 3 | MOT 9 | SEN 3 | SUZ 3 | 3rd | 30 | 
References
- ↑ Williams, Jack (2004-06-13). "Audi, Corvette steal the show at Le Mans". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-11-21.