Masami Kuwashima (桑島 正美, born 14 September 1950) is a former racing driver from Japan. After some experience in the Japanese lower formulae, he made an attempt at Formula One.
A deal to drive in the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix with the RAM team came to nothing, but Kuwashima found a seat with the then-struggling Wolf–Williams Racing, driving a Wolf–Williams FW05. He took part in the first practice session for the race, but proved rather slow. In any case, later that day his sponsors withdrew their financing of the Williams deal, and Frank Williams promptly replaced Kuwashima with Hans Binder for the second practice session and the race itself.
Kuwashima was not to have another chance in Formula One, and he returned to the Japanese Formula 2000 and Formula Two series where he spent the rest of his career. Info from Wiki
This is the almost phantasmagoric single F1 appearance of the virtually unknown Masami Kuwashima, taking the wheel of the second Williams at Mount Fuji.
Even after the takeover by Canadian oil magnate Walter Wolf, Frank’s team was in a mess. For those who started taking interest in F1 in the eighties it’s hard to imagine how terrible Williams were doing before a certain Patrick Head arrived on the spot. In fact, Williams were the Fortis of the mid-seventies, having no real business in F1.
Mid-season 1976 and the team was in total disarray: Jacky Ickx had abandoned ship and teammate Michel Leclère was thrown out, while Walter Wolf had his mind firmly set on a team of his own. Things got so bad that Williams had to put his second seat on offer. For the first Japanese GP in F1 history a local driver would take the drive next to Merzario, like Ickx another fallen Ferrari comet. That seemed a logical decision because several Japanese drivers (and even cars) were doing one-offs at their home track.
So Frank signed up Kuwashima, a midfield regular in the Japanese F2000 championship. Kuwashima drove the car in Friday qualifying, setting a time of 1.17.90, a full 5 seconds off poleman Andretti (1.12.77). But when Kuwashima’s sponsorship fell through Frank decided to put young Hans Binder in the car. On Saturday, Binder only managed to be 5 tenths quicker than Kuwashima, one place up (25th) on the Japanese. For Binder to start the race – F1 used 24-car grids in those days – Williams had to ask permission from the other teams, which he duly received. Imagine Frank begging Ferrari for a grid position now…
Another interesting and barely recorded detail: Kuwashima had originally been entered in the private No.50 RAM Racing Brabham BT44, but that car had been impounded at the German GP (yes, the story is getting harder to believe all the time!) in the beginning of August. This will have meant that Kuwashima, having already made a deal to drive his home race in summertime, had to look elsewhere when the RAM deal collapsed.
All in all, one of F1’s strangest and shortest appearances.
Masami Kuwashima – BIO from Formula One Rejects
