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'''Willowridge High School''' is a secondary school in [[Houston, Texas]] and part of the [[Fort Bend Independent School District]]. Willowridge serves grades 9 through 12. The school has a predominant [[African-American]] student population.
'''Satoru Nakajima''' (中嶋悟 b. [[February 23]], [[1953]]) was a [[Formula One]] driver from [[Japan]]. He was born into a farming family living just outside [[Okazaki]], [[Japan]]. He began driving cars in his early teens in the family's garden with his older brother giving him tips, careful that they were not caught by their father. He felt a great deal of exhiliration behind the wheel of a car, and from then on knew what he wanted to do.
The school opened in 1979 as the second high school in the FBISD; during the 1980s, it was known for its high school football players. Three players - [[Thurman Thomas]], [[O.J. Brigance]], and [[Allen Aldridge]] - later went professional in the [[National Football League]].
He started racing after he finished school and got a driver's licence. In [[1973]] he was a rookie the [[Suzuka Circuit]] series, which he won. Five years later, he won his first race in Japanese [[Formula 2]]. In [[1981]] he won his first championship, thus beginning a period of domination in the series. He won five of the next six championships, all of them in a [[Honda]] V6.
Actor [[Isaiah Washington]] ''([[Romeo Must Die]]'', ''[[Wild Things 2]]'') was one of the first WHS graduates back in 1981 - this was when their first seniors graduated.
One of the streets on the WHS campus was named in memory of former principal Edgar Glover, Jr. Glover served as principal between November 1982 until his death in April 1993.
[[Honda]] left the Lotus garage after the 1988 season, leaving Satoru and team-mate [[Nelson Piquet]] driving the [[Judd]]-powered 101. The pair had a very up-and-down season, with both failing to qualify in [[Spa-Francorchamps]], the first time in their 30-year history that Lotus had failed to make the grid, heralding the beginning of the end for the legendary British team. A great upside to Nakajap's 1989 was a 4th place and [[fastest lap]] in the rain-soaked [[Australian Grand Prix]], scoring his only points of the year and also equalling his finish in the [[1987 British Grand Prix]] as his best career finish.
This school is also known for its internationally famous marching band, known as the "Mighty Eagle Marching Band." Under the band directors Mr. Ronald Thornton(head), Delcenia Hill, and Robert Jackson, this band has had many accomplishments, including performing at the [[Rose Bowl]] and [[Orange Bowl]] back in the 1990s. The band also recently returned from a trip to Hawaii."The white sand, blue water, and breathtaking scenery of Hawaii will forever be engraved in our minds...", said Thornton in a letter to his band pupils. This band also had the pleasure of hosting the Bands of America(www.bands.org) contest at Rice Stadium on October 1, 2005. Even though a few of the Willowridge band students referred to the affair as "just as boring as the Street Olympics", most of them enjoyed watching other bands perform and and also mingling and getting to know other band participants.
[[Honda]] came to the [[Tyrrell]] team in 1991, while Satoru joined the team for 1990. He raced for them for two uneventful years at the back of the pack before calling it a career. [[Honda]] left [[F1]] a year later to lay the first bricks on a works team, one that they had been working on in during the F1 season, and that CEO [[Nobuhiko Kawamoto]] finally admitted to in October. The car, the Honda RC100 was unveiled to the media in February 1993, and its driver was none other than Naka-san. Shortly later, it passed [[FISA]] crash tests, meaning that the company could enter their team into [[F1]] competition. In an attempt to improve on their previous [[chassis]], [[Honda]] built two more, the RC101 and 101B, the latter intended to be used for racing purposes, the former for crash testing. Nakajima had the first public testing of the 101B in Suzuka in [[January]] [[1994]]. The company never did enter its cars in [[F1]], instead opting to further their engine development with [[CART]], and later, [[IRL]].
==External link==
Satoru still lives in the family home near [[Okazaki]]. These days, though, he owns a team: the [[Nakajima Racing]] entry in Japanese [[Formula 3000]], also known as [[Formula Nippon]]. Nakajima drivers have won the [[Formula Nippon]] championship thrice, [[Tom Coronel]] doing so in [[1999]], [[Toranosuke Takagi]] in [[2000]], and [[Ralph Firman]] in [[2002]]. Nakajima's current drivers are [[Takashi Kogure]] and [[Andre Lotterer]], who finished 2nd in the [[2004]] championship, although he was tied in points with champion [[Richard Lyons]].
* [http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/campuses/whs/calendars.cfm Willowridge High School]
[[Category:High schools in Texas]]
Satoru Nakajima is the first [[F1]] driver ever to have a video game named after himself. F1 Grand Prix - Nakajima Satoru was released for the [[Sega Genesis]] in [[Japan]] in [[1991]].
[[Category:Houston public education]]
[[Category:Schools established in the 1970s]]
===Complete Formula One results===
[[Category:Fort Bend Independent School District]]
(Note: grands prix in '''bold''' denote '''points scoring''' races.)
{| border=1 cellspacing=0
! Yr
! Team
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! Team
|-
| [[1987 Formula One season|1987]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotu]]
| [[1987 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
| '''[[1987 San Marino Grand Prix|SAN]]'''
| '''[[1987 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]'''
| [[1987 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1987 USA East Grand Prix|USAE]]
| [[1987 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| '''[[1987 British Grand Prix|GBR]]'''
| [[1987 German Grand Prix|DEU]]
| [[1987 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
| [[1987 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]
| [[1987 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1987 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
| [[1987 Spanish Grand Prix|SPA]]
| [[1987 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]
| '''[[1987 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]'''
| [[1987 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotu]]
|-
| [[1988 Formula One season|1988]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotu]]
| '''[[1988 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]'''
| [[1988 San Marino Grand Prix|SAN]]
| [[1988 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1988 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]
| [[1988 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
| [[1988 USA East Grand Prix|USAE]]
| [[1988 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1988 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1988 German Grand Prix|DEU]]
| [[1988 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
| [[1988 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1988 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1988 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
| [[1988 Spanish Grand Prix|SPA]]
| [[1988 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
| [[1988 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotu]]
|-
| [[1989 Formula One season|1989]]
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotu]]
| [[1989 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
| [[1989 San Marino Grand Prix|SAN]]
| [[1989 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1989 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]
| [[1989 United States Grand Prix|USA]]
| [[1989 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
| [[1989 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1989 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1989 German Grand Prix|DEU]]
| [[1989 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
| [[1989 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1989 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1989 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
| [[1989 Spanish Grand Prix|SPA]]
| [[1989 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
| '''[[1989 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]'''
| [[Lotus Cars|Lotu]]
|-
| [[1990 Formula One season|1990]]
| [[Tyrrell|Tyrr]]
| '''[[1990 United States Grand Prix|USA]]'''
| [[1990 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
| [[1990 San Marino Grand Prix|SAN]]
| [[1990 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1990 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
| [[1990 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]
| [[1990 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1990 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1990 German Grand Prix|DEU]]
| [[1990 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
| [[1990 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| '''[[1990 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]'''
| [[1990 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
| [[1990 Spanish Grand Prix|SPA]]
| '''[[1990 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]'''
| [[1990 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
| [[Tyrrell|Tyrr]]
|-
| [[1991 Formula One season|1991]]
| [[Tyrrell|Tyrr]]
| '''[[1991 United States Grand Prix|USA]]'''
| [[1991 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
| [[1991 San Marino Grand Prix|SAN]]
| [[1991 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1991 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
| [[1991 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]
| [[1991 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1991 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1991 German Grand Prix|DEU]]
| [[1991 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
| [[1991 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1991 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1991 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
| [[1991 Spanish Grand Prix|SPA]]
| [[1991 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
| [[1991 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
| [[Tyrrell|Tyrr]]
|}
[[Category:1953 births|Nakajima, Satoru]]
[[Category:People from Aichi Prefecture|Nakajima, Satoru]]
[[Category:Japanese Formula One drivers|Nakajima, Satoru]]
== External links ==
*[http://http://www.so-net.ne.jp/nakajimaracing/01top/01top.html Nakajima Racing]
[[it:Satoru Nakajima]]
[[ja:中嶋悟]]
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