The inscrutable Japanese are famed for their polite and formal manner, but the self-deprecating Noda goes against the stereotype. Perhaps it is because most of his racing career has been based in Europe that he has developed a Western sense of humour. He came from Japan to contest the 1989 Vauxhall and GM Lotus series, and then F3 with a Ralt, and the high point in this class came in 1991 when he won at Silverstone.

    Three years in F3000 brought steady but hardly spectacular progress, though Hideki took a third at Enna in 1994. 'People think I'm useless,' said the ever-smiling Noda as eyebrows were raised when he found a seat at Larrousse at the end of 1994. He did a neat and tidy job in a poor car - a lot better than most people expected. Plans to join Simtek for a series of races in 1995 came to nought when the team folded, and to add insult to injury it appears they had taken his deposit.

    Hideki then switched to the Indy Lights series, where he was quick but erratic. The highlight of his two years in the States came at Portland in 1997 when he became the first Japanese driver to win a CART-sanctioned event.

    In 1998 Noda returned to Japan to race successfully in both Formula Nippon and the All-Japan GT championship, driving the Hoshino team's Ralt in the former and a Toyota Supra with co-driver Wayne Gardner in the latter.

(c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000