Max Racing, Tsuchiya unveil 2022 SUPER GT line-ups

Max Racing, which will sport a new red-and-white livery (pictured above) in deference to new sponsor Hachi-Ichi, has signed Kimiya Sato to partner Atsushi Miyake for the upcoming campaign.

Sato, who has driven for the Tsuchiya Engineering squad since 2019, replaces Yuui Tsutsumi aboard the #244 GR Supra, with Tsutsumi having jumped ship to join the Inging Toyota team.

Taking over Sato’s seat alongside 2016 GT300 champion Takamitsu Matsui at Tsuchiya is reigning Japanese Formula 4 champion Seita Nonaka, who will be making his SUPER GT debut.

Tsuchiya announced late last year that it would build its own version of the GR Supra to the championship’s own GT300 (formerly JAF GT300) rules after two seasons of struggling with a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

It has yet to reveal a livery for what will remain as the #25 entry, but its naming rights partnership with beverage company Hoppy will continue.

Tsuchiya-supported Max Racing meanwhile goes into its second season of using the GR Supra after making its SUPER GT debut in 2020 with a Lexus RC F GT3 and winning its first race at Suzuka last year.

The two announcements take the number of confirmed GT300-rules cars on the 2022 grid to six. Two other teams that ran the GR Supra last year, Saitama Toyopet Green Brave and LM Corsa, have yet to reveal their plans.

Kondo Racing retains 2020 champions

#56 Realize Nissan Automobile College GT-R

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

Earlier in the week, Kondo Racing announced that 2020 GT300 champions Joao Paulo de Oliveira and Kiyoto Fujinami will remain aboard the team’s solo Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 for a third successive season.

Ex-Nissan GT500 man de Oliveira and Fujinami finished second overall last year behind Subaru duo Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi, scoring one of just two wins for FIA GT3 cars across the season.

Fujinami was handed the chance to sample Nissan’s GT500 car for a second year in a row in December, but was ultimately not selected by the marque for a berth in the top tier.

Confirmed SUPER GT GT300 entries so far:

GT300 (ex-JAF GT300)

Toyota GR86 x 3 - apr (car #30), Shade Racing, Inging
Subaru BRZ x 1 - R&D Sport
Toyota GR Supra x 2 - Tsuchiya Engineering, Max Racing

FIA GT3

Honda NSX GT3 x 2 - ARTA, Team UpGarage
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 x 3 - Gainer (two cars), Kondo Racing
Lexus RC F GT3 x 1 - K-Tunes Racing
Mercedes-AMG GT3 x 3 - LEON Racing, Goodsmile Racing, R'Qs Motor Sport
BMW M4 GT3 x 1 - BMW Team Studie