Hiro Kaneda - 1949-2010

The motorsport world lost one of its best technical minds last month with the sudden passing of Hiro Kaneda at the far too early age of 60.

Whilst his name is probably not well known outside the industry and the paddock, Hiro's contribution to the sport, and in particular to endurance racing, has been enormous.

He was the 'father' of the Judd V10 and its descendant the AIM V10.

Kaneda San also conceived the Zytek V8 too as well as the 4 litre unit which was fitted to the Panoz LMP07.

It is perhaps a fitting tribute to his genius that so many of his creations continue to race with the Judd and Zytek units figuring in large numbers on this season's grids.

His previous career featured Formula 3000, at Honda and a part in the design of the Formula One V10 Mugen. It was during this period that he met John Judd, a meeting that led to a long collaboration which encompassed work for Mazda, Yamaha, Nissan and more recently AIM.

John Judd, after attending Hiro's funeral last week:

"It is usually a great pleasure to go to Japan, but not when it is for the funeral of a very good friend.

"Hiro was an engineer, a colleague and an exceptional friend.  It was always a pleasure to entrust an engineering task to him knowing that in his incomparable way he would analyze each detail thoroughly and always arrive at the right solution, sometimes surprising his younger colleagues.  He always had time for everyone, it didn't matter to him that he was busy, he always made the time."

Yukinori Suzuki, the President of AIM Co, Ltd, also paid homage to Hiro Kaneda.

"Hiro was a central figure of AIM's Le Mans project since its launch in 2005.  Our project became a reality thanks to him.

"As the designer of the V10 AIM he oversaw all aspects of the project, technical and economic.  His contribution to its delivery was enormous and his attachment to the teams racing with the engine was hugely valuable.  He helped to to advance the project, including overseeing the latest evolution of the engine.

"Now, with huge gratitude I can just ask sincerely for him to rest in peace."

We'll echo that sentiment and add our own condolences to Hiro's many, many friends in the sport.

With thanks to Claude Foubert and our friends at www.endurance-info.com