2009 Formula D Mechanic of the Year: Koji Haruguchi
Posted by Wrecked Magazine on 19 Oct 2009 at 10:48 pm | Tagged as: Formula D, Ken Gushi, Scion
The mechanic of the year went to Koji Haruguchi from the RS*R team. They work and maintain the Scion Racing tC driven by Ken Gushi. This car has seen plenty of failures over the two seasons it has run but they always find a way to compete and keep it up and running. With the exception of Long Beach they scored points at every round this year and landed a podium bringing out the old school Ken Gushi we all know. They even defeated the defending champions in their Scion tC this season. A nice work and effort to one of the hardest working teams in Formula D no doubt.
Shouldn’t the “Mechanic of the Year” award go to the mechanic that seemingly does the least amount of work at the track? I think a mechanic should be rewarded for prepping the car at the shop properly and testing prior to getting to the track to avoid problems. If a mechanic is continually scrambling to make a car work trackside on event weekend it would appear he or she weren’t prepared prior to the event.
This is my opinion and is in no way meant to take anything away from the Scion/RS*R team or Koji as they are great wrenches. I have just never understood the merits of how this particular award is awarded.