Fraga completes B-Max Super Formula Lights line-up

The Japanese-born Brazilian driver was named by B-Max as the driver of the #52 car in its full-season announcement on Friday, ahead of next week's two-day pre-season test at Suzuka.

Fraga joins the previously-confirmed Honda junior driver Iori Kimura and David Vidales for what will be his first year of single-seaters since he contested the 2020 FIA F3 season for the Charouz team.

He will combine it with a campaign in SUPER GT's GT300 class with Lexus squad Anest Iwata Racing - where he will share a car with one of his Super Formula Lights rivals this season, TOM'S driver Yuga Furutani, as well as Miki Koyama.

SUPER GT veteran Shinichi Takagi serves as team manager for the #50 and #51 cars of Kimura and Vidales respectively, while ex-IndyCar driver and current SUPER GT racer Kosuke Matsuura will oversee the car driven by Fraga.

Team boss Ryuji Kumita, running under his usual pseudonym 'Dragon', and Nobuharu Imada will contest the Masters class for gentleman drivers with B-Max, with Kumita's car running with a Tomei engine instead of the Spiess units used by the rest of the team's cars.

Kumita also raised the prospect of an additional car being fielded for young drivers on a one-off basis.

B-Max's announcement followed a day on from an 11-car entry list for the Suzuka test being revealed.

TOM'S had already confirmed its four-strong line-up that features Toyota junior drivers Hibiki Taira - running the #1 - and Seita Nonaka, as well as Japanese racing newcomer Enzo Trulli.

Shun Koide takes over from Super Formula-bound Kakunoshin Ota at Toda Racing, while Rn-sports has nominated SUPER GT GT300 race winner Yuui Tsutsumi to drive its sole Spiess-powered car.

Suzuka test entry list (March 7-8):