<< Prev Page 2 of 2 What certainly also distinguished the Kojima entry was the backing from and supply of tyres by Dunlop Japan. The rest of the field used Goodyears and Hasemi's performance in the first practice session particularly did not sit well with Goodyear's Denny Chroback. So worried was he about Dunlop's edge that he broke the existing gentleman's agreement to supply all teams with the same rubber by making a softer compound available for some of the top runners, including Lauda and Hunt. Goodyear had not expected to need these, so not enough tyres were available for the entire grid.
Hasemi grabbed the attention again during the second practice but this time for all the wrong reasons, as he heavily crashed the Kojima. Working against the clock and with the limited materials available, the Kojima Engineering mechanics completely rebuilt the car in the Fuji Speedway paddock. So much of the aluminium monocoque chassis had to be replaced that the official records list the Kojima that lined up for the race as chassis 2 as opposed to chassis 1 that was used in practice.
The time set by Hasemi in the opening practice session was enough to line up for the race in 10th. Due to heavy rain, the start was postponed several times but eventually the green light was given. Although several drivers, including Lauda, decided the torrential conditions were too dangerous and parked their car, Hasemi soldiered on. He eventually finished 11th, seven laps behind the leader. He did set the fastest lap towards the end but according to a press release from track officials published a few days later, this was a timing mistake.
Despite the promising performance at its debut, the KE007 was not brought out again due to Kojima's limited resources. For the 1977 and 1978 Japanese Grands Prix the new KE009 was fielded, which was again surprisingly quick but only saw action in these two races. One of the most remarkable Grand Prix cars of the 1970s, the Kojima KE007 managed to rattle the established F1 teams at its sole appearance. Despite the track's press release, Hasemi's is listed to this day as the fastest lap of the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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What certainly also distinguished the Kojima entry was the backing from and supply of tyres by Dunlop Japan. The rest of the field used Goodyears and Hasemi's performance in the first practice session particularly did not sit well with Goodyear's Denny Chroback. So worried was he about Dunlop's edge that he broke the existing gentleman's agreement to supply all teams with the same rubber by making a softer compound available for some of the top runners, including Lauda and Hunt. Goodyear had not expected to need these, so not enough tyres were available for the entire grid.