Two rally racers have received the Japanese government’s Sports Achievement Award. The honor is given to individuals that have made outstanding contributions in the world of sports. Hiroshi Masuoka won the Paris-Dakar Rally back-to-back, contributing to Mitsubishi’s era of dominance in the race. Teruo Katsuta won the first All-Japan Rally Series in 1969 and in 1975 became the first Japanese driver to compete in the RAC Rally.
The award comes from MEXT, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, recognizing athletes and coaches who advanced professional sports in Japan and achieved exceptional success in the world of sports. Until recently there have been precious few racing drivers to receive the award.
For most of its 35-year history, competitors from the world of baseball, sumo, golf and boxing have comprised the majority of recipients. Formula 1 driver Satoru Nakajima won it in 1991, and another driver did not win until Hino’s Yoshimasa Sugawara, Guinness record holder for most consecutive Dakar entries (36 times) was awarded the distinction in 2017.
Masuoka (above, right) became only the fourth driver in Dakar history to win two races consecutively, putting the Mitsubishi Pajero across the finish line in 2002 and 2003. Today, he leads the revived Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, which won the Asia Cross Country Rally in 2022. Upon receiving the award Masuoka said, “Ever since I was a little boy, cars have been my passion. The moment I got my driver’s license, I practiced wholeheartedly to join the exhilarating world of motorsports… I would like to express my gratitude to my fans, Mitsubishi Motors, Ralliart and all the others who have supported me for over 40 years.”
Before competing in the RAC Rally Katsuta was an engineer at Toyota and worked on the original Toyota 7 race car. The experience inspired him to compete professionally as a rally driver. in 1983 Katsuta won his class at the RAC Rally with co-navigator Derek Webb in a TE71 Toyota Sprinter 2-door sedan.
After retiring Katsuta founded the Shinshiro Rally, which was officially included as one of the rounds of the All Japan Rally Championship. He then went on to found the Mikawa Bay Rally. For over 50 years Katsuta has been promoting rally racing in Japan, and both his son Norihiko Katsuta and grandson Takamoto Katsuta have followed in the family business of being professional rally drivers.
Rounding out the 2024 awards (the ceremony for the previous year takes place in 2025) is Shozo Narita, a motorcycle trial rider. Recipients from the world of motorsports include Kunimitsu Takahashi (2019), Kazuyoshi Hoshino (2022), Masahiro Hasemi (2022), motorcycle rider Tadahiko Taira (2022), TOM’s founder Nobuhide Tachi (2023), and motorcycle rider Tofukuji Yasuo (2023), so Masuoka, Katsuta, and Narita are in excellent company.
