Yuji Ide

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Yuji Ide
Nationality	Japanese
World Championship Career
Active years	2006
Team(s)	Super Aguri
Races	4
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
First win	—
Last win	—
Last race	2006 San Marino Grand Prix

Yuji Ide (井出有治, Ide Yūji^?) (born 21 January 1975 in Saitama) is a Japanese racing driver who graduated from 2005 Formula Nippon to Formula One with Super Aguri F1 in 2006 but lost his FIA Super Licence due to erratic driving. [1] Yuji is now returning to the Formula Nippon series.

Ide started his racing career in 1990 with kart racing. In 1991, he won the Kantou National Cup Kart Championship. In 1992 he was second in the Regional Kart Championship East Kantou series A1 Class and also won the Japan Kart Grand Prix SS stock class National GP. The following year he joined the All Japan Kart Championship Series Formula A Class before progressing to the All Japan Formula Three series.

In 1999 he came second in the All Japan GT Championship GT300 Class Series. He was also the Formula Dream Series Champion. In 2002 Ide joined the French Formula 3 series and finished in seventh place. The following year, 2003, he joined the All Japan Championship Formula Nippon Series and also finished seventh. In 2004, he claimed third spot before going on to win the Super Endurance Race Class 3 Series. He finished his Formula Nippon career in 2005 by finishing second.

At 31, Ide became one of Formula One's older rookies when he landed a seat at Super Aguri for the 2006 season due to Super Aguri's aspiration of fielding an all Japanese team.

In his debut race in Bahrain, Ide was not that far behind his teammate, Takuma Sato but he failed to finish, and retired after 33 laps at the next race in Malaysia. Ide finished the race in Australia, two laps down. His weekend in Melbourne was notable for a number of spins, and team principal Aguri Suzuki subsequently suggested Ide's seat was not safe if his performances did not improve.

At Imola, he caused a first lap crash with Christijan Albers that put the Dutchman into a series of rolls which ended with Albers' car upside down. Ide was reprimanded by the stewards and warned over future conduct. Many accepted that this was not entirely his fault, as the rushed Aguri project hadn't allowed him much time in the car pre-season.

Yuji Ide driving the Super Aguri SA05 at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix.

On May 4, 2006, Super Aguri announced that following advice from the FIA, Ide would be dropped from the upcoming European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, being replaced by former Renault test driver Franck Montagny. Ide was demoted to Montagny's seat as test driver.[2]

On May 10, 2006, the FIA revoked Ide's FIA Super Licence meaning he could no longer compete in F1 during the 2006 season [3]. Super Aguri remain committed to getting Ide back into F1. [4] In July 2006 it was announced that Ide would be racing for Team Dandelion Racing in the final six rounds of the Formula Nippon championship, with the aim of increasing his racing experience. [5]