Tora Takagi also began competing in karts at the age of 12, which is the earliest one can start in Japan. A talented racer, Tora won back-to-back national championships in 1989 and 1990. From karts, Tora moved to Formula Toyota where he scored two victories on his way to the Japanese Formula 3. Tora had successful campains in both Formula 3 and Formula Nippon before he moved into Formula 1 in 1998. However, Tora never found his footing in F1 before moving back to Formula Nippon in 2000 and winning the series title.

In 2001 Tora moved again into big-time open-wheel racing by joining the CART series. By 2002 he had moved into 15th overall with 7 top-ten finishes. 2003 saw Tora move to the IRL series where he posted 9 top-ten finishes, and a 10th place overall on his way to the Rookie of the Year award at the Indy 500.