Akira LIDA

Akira Iida, born on December 18, 1969, is a highly accomplished Japanese racing driver with a career spanning several decades. Best known for his success in the Super GT series, Iida has also competed in Formula 3000 and Formula Nippon, showcasing his versatility across different racing disciplines. He currently participates in the Super GT series in the GT300 class with LM corsa, which is part of Toyota Motorsport's GAZOO Racing.

Iida's career highlights include winning the 2002 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship GT500 class with Juichi Wakisaka while driving for Esso Toyota Team LeMans. Furthermore, he secured the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series GTE class title with Team Taisan Ken Endless. His experience extends to international endurance racing, with participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours Nürburgring, where he achieved class wins driving a Lexus LF-A in VLN endurance races.

Beyond racing, Akira Iida is also known for setting a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record of 7:14.64 in 2011 with a road-legal Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package, which was the fastest time for a regular production car on standard tires at the time. He also appeared as a presenter on the popular Japanese Best Motoring TV series, further cementing his status as a prominent figure in Japanese motorsport. His statistics include 15 wins, 38 podiums and 13 pole positions in 237 starts.