Matsumoto scored 11 wins and 29 podium finishes, seventh all-time in both accounts, over a 129-race career, which put him third in all-time Super Formula career starts behind generational peers
Kazuyoshi Hoshino and
Kunimitsu Takahashi. In a rare overseas foray in 1981, he also took part in the
Donington "50.000," a race of the
European Formula Two championship, crossing the finish line in 15th place. Until 1989, Matsumoto also dabbled in Japanese sports car racing, winning the
Fuji Grand Champion Series in 1983 [2 In the 1985 win, Matsumoto, Hoshino, and
Akira Hagiwara became the first Japanese drivers to ever win a race in the
World Sportscar Championship. [4 Hoshino was actually the only one who got to drive the car before the race was stopped early due to heavy rain. Matsumoto also competed in the
1987 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Hoshino and
Kenji Takahashi as an official
Nissan driver. Matsumoto was the first public face of Cabin Racing, begun by
Japan Tobacco in 1986, and his appearance in TV commercials brought him wide public attention. ==Personal life and death==