The Kojima Engineering team, founded by Matsuhisa Kojima, made its debut in Formula 1 with the Kojima KE007, which delivered an impressive performance at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. The car, designed by Masao Ōno, achieved a surprising fourth-fastest time in Friday’s practice and finished the race in 11th place, showing promising potential.
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| KOJIMA KE009, Noritake Takahara Fuji, Japanese GP 1977 |
Encouraged by these results, the team decided to develop a new model for 1977. The Kojima KE009, an evolution of the KE007, was built with several technical improvements. The aluminum monocoque chassis was reinforced for greater handling precision, and the double-wishbone suspension was modified to accommodate new Bridgestone tires, replacing the previous Dunlops. However, these updates increased the car’s weight, which exceeded 600 kg.
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| KOJIMA KE009, Noritake Takahara Fuji, Japanese GP 1977 |
Visually, the main differences from the KE007 included an air intake in the center of the front wing, still in the "snowplow" style, and side air intakes for the engine, inspired by the Ferrari 312T2. The team built two KE009s: one was managed directly by Kojima Engineering and entrusted to Noritake Takahara, who, after a strong qualifying performance, was forced to retire due to a crash at the start. The second was entered by the private team Heros Racing, with driver Kazuyoshi Hoshino, who finished the race in 11th place.
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| KOJIMA KE009 Heroes Racing, Kazuyoshi Hoshino Fuji, Japanese GP 1977 |
The results convinced Kojima to plan a more consistent participation in the World Championship, seeking a collaboration with a European team. In 1978, the team reached an agreement with Willi Khausen to enter the KE009 in the Belgian Grand Prix and other European events. However, the withdrawal of its main sponsor, Toshiba, which was only interested in Japanese races, forced Kojima to abandon the project.
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| KOJIMA KE009 Heroes Racing, Kazuyoshi Hoshino Fuji, Japanese GP 1977 |
Making matters worse, a tragic accident at the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix saw Gilles Villeneuve, unintentionally involved in contact with Ronnie Peterson, hit two spectators, leading to the cancellation of the Japanese Grand Prix from the 1978 calendar. Without sponsorship and with no opportunity to race at home, Kojima was forced to shut down its Formula 1 program, bringing its journey in the top tier of motorsport to an end.
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