Ukyo Katayama

I have a soft spot for Ukyo Katayama, because for me he's basically the sound of 1990s Formula 1 in a Japanese accent. He was out there in the Tyrrell era, this 165cm guy folded into a screaming open-wheel car, wrestling it around at insane speeds when Japan barely had a foothold at the top of the sport, and I just love that kind of stubborn, undersized courage. What gets me even more is what came after the helmet came off. Instead of slowing down he went straight up mountains and onto bikes, treating "retirement" like a dare. There's a easy, almost cheerful toughness to him that you only get from people who've spent years a few seconds from disaster. I don't follow much modern racing, but this guy I quietly respect.

Ukyo Katayama is a Japanese racing driver born on May 29, 1963, in Tokyo. He competed as an Formula 1 driver and is recognized as one of the notable Japanese drivers to have raced at the top level of international motorsport. After his racing career, he pursued mountaineering and cycling, demonstrating a sustained commitment to athletic challenge across multiple disciplines.

Name (English)

Ukyo Katayama

Name (Japanese)

片山右京

Reading

かたやま うきょう

Born

May 29, 1963 (age 63)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Gemini / Rabbit (卯)

Origin

Tokyo, Japan

Height

165 cm

Occupation

Racing driver / Mountaineer / Cyclist

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttp://www.teamukyo.com/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%89%87%E5%B1%B1%E5%8F%B3%E4%BA%AC

Tags

• From Tokyo
• Racing driver
• Mountaineer
• Formula 1 driver

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.