Ritomo Miyata
A Japanese driver who made history by conquering his nation's two premier racing series in a single, dominant season.
Born 1999 (age 27)·Japanese racing driver·Birthday: August 10·Generation Z
Biography
Ritomo Miyata has methodically climbed the racing ladder in Japan, evolving from a karting champion into a dual-series titan. His career is deeply intertwined with Toyota's Gazoo Racing program, which nurtured his talent through the junior formulas. The 2023 season became his masterpiece: he simultaneously won the Super Formula Championship—Japan's equivalent to Formula One—and the Super GT Series' top GT500 class. This unprecedented double crown announced him as a complete driver, mastering the technical demands of open-wheel racing and the strategic, endurance-focused world of GT competition. Now testing his skills in the global arena of Formula 2, Miyata carries the flag for a new wave of Japanese racing talent, defined by precision, consistency, and a historic versatility.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Ritomo was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ritomo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Ritomo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Achieved the unprecedented feat of winning both the Super Formula Championship and the Super GT GT500 championship in the same year (2023).
- Is a two-time champion in the Japanese Formula 4 series (2017, 2018).
- Competes as a reserve driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Did You Know?
He began karting at the age of five.
His 2023 Super Formula title made him the youngest champion in that series' history at the time.
He is a product of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge Program, which also nurtured driver Sho Tsuboi.
“The goal is always to be the fastest, but the real work is in the details of the car and the lap.”
