| Taito Kato | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Japan |
| Born | 25 November 2007 Japan |
| French F4 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Current team | FFSA Academy |
| Starts | 8 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 7 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | currently 1st in 2024 |
Taito Kato (born 25 November 2007) is a Japanese racing driver, currently competing in the 2024 French F4 Championship.[1] He is a member of the Honda Formula Dream Project.[2]
Career
editKarting
editKato mainly karted in Japan, but made his debut overseas in 2022 by competing in a single round of the FFSA Karting Championship as a guest driver. He finished second in the finale but was not classified in the overall standings.[3][4] Kato also competed in the South Garda Winter Cup in 2023, finishing 12th in the finale of the OK category.[5]
Formula 4
editIn 2024, Kato appeared on the entry list of the 2024 French F4 Championship, under the wing of the Honda Formula Dream Project.[6] He scored two podiums from two races on his debut weekend at Nogaro, establishing himself as a title contender.[7][8] In the following weekend at Lédenon, Kato secured his first victory after starting race three from pole position.[9][10] Kato then scored his second win and finished all three races on the podium in round three at Spa-Francorchamps.[11][12] Kato currently holds the lead of the championship, with seven podiums and 133 points after eight races.[13]
Karting record
edit| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | FFSA Karting Championship - Junior | NC† | |
| 2023 | South Garda Winter Cup - OK | 12th | |
| Sources:[14][15] | |||
Racing record
editRacing career summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | French F4 Championship | FFSA Academy | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 133 | 1st* |
Complete French F4 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | NOG 1 2 |
NOG 2 C |
NOG 3 3 |
LÉD 1 2 |
LÉD 2 5 |
LÉD 3 1 |
SPA 1 2 |
SPA 2 1 |
SPA 3 3 |
NÜR 1 8 |
NÜR 2 4 |
NÜR 3 4 |
MAG 1 |
MAG 2 |
MAG 3 |
DIJ 1 |
DIJ 2 |
DIJ 3 |
LEC 1 |
LEC 2 |
LEC 3 |
3rd* | 158* |
References
edit- ^ "Pilotes F4 – FFSA Academy". Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Taito Kato | French F4". Honda.Racing. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Championnat de France". Kartcom. 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Championnat de France". Kartcom. 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Winter Cup". Kartcom. 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-01-12). "French F4 publishes entry list and calendar for 2024 season". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Gascoigne, Roger (2024-03-31). "Stevenheydens takes lights-to-flag win in French F4 opener at Nogaro". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-04-01). "Jules Caranta takes French F4 points lead with Nogaro win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-05-12). "Honda junior Kato gets French F4 lead with Ledenon race three win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-05-10). "Taito Kato and Chester Kieffer share French F4 poles at Ledenon". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-06-22). "Kieffer and Kato claim French F4 wins in mixed conditions at Spa". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2024-06-23). "Jules Caranta wins safety car-filled race to boost French F4 title hopes". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Results F4 – FFSA Academy". Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Driver: Taito Kato | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Kato Taito". Kartcom. Retrieved 2024-07-12.