 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Team principal(s) | Ryo Michigami |
| Founder(s) | Ryo Michigami |
| Current series | |
| Former series | |
| Current drivers | |
Drago LLC, also known as Drago Corse, is a Japanese racing team, competing in Super Formula. The team was founded by long-time Honda driver and 2000 JGTC champion Ryo Michigami in 2014.
Ryo Michigami, who had been active as a racer, founded Drago Corse as a racing kart team in 2014.[ citation needed ]
In 2014, the team participated in the final two races of the 2014 Super Formula season with Takuya Izawa as the driver, achieving a best finish of 14th. [1] For 2015, the team raced with Takashi Kogure for two seasons, finishing 15th in 2015 and 13th in 2016. [2] [3] At the end of 2016, Drago Corse discontinued their operation in Super Formula and Super GT GT500 as founder Michigami focused to compete for the JAS Motorsport-run Honda team in the 2017 World Touring Car Championship. [4]
In 2020, Drago Corse returned to the championship in partnership with ThreeBond. This marked the team's first appearance in the championship since 2016. [5] Tatiana Calderón moved to the revived Drago Corse team from the FIA Formula 2 Championship, becoming the first female driver in the current Super Formula era. Koudai Tsukakoshi replaced Calderón for a couple of rounds when Calderón was unable to enter Japan during the pandemic border restrictions. [6] [7] In 2022, 2021 Super Formula Championship runner-up Nirei Fukuzumi moved to the team, replacing Calderón, who departed the series after making nine starts across two seasons. [8]
Drago Corse entered Super GT in 2015 as the replacement for the Dome Racing Honda team. The team formed a partnership with Modulo, becoming Drago Modulo Honda Racing. Oliver Turvey and Takashi Kogure were the drivers announced for the 2015 season. For 2016, Kogure was replaced by Hideki Mutoh, and Tadasuke Makino would appear for the team whenever Turvey was not available. [3] The team announced their withdrawal from the series on 8 November 2016, after just two seasons. [4]
The team returned to Super GT in 2018, competing in the GT300 class with Ryo Michigami and Hiroki Otsu as drivers. Driving the Honda NSX GT3, the pair would finish 14th in 2018 and 17th in 2019, scoring a podium in each season. [9] [10] For 2020, Michigami was paired with Jake Parsons, a season where they finished 22nd in the standings. [11] The 2021 campaign saw Shogo Mitsuyama partnered with Michigami as the team received new sponsorship from Yogibo, while Misato Haga was confirmed as the team principal; the season yielded five points and 23rd place in the standings. [12]
For 2022, the team switched to the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 after Nissan-related vehicle customisation company Busou became their new title sponsor. Two-time GT500 and GT300 champion Masataka Yanagida and GT500 race winner Yuji Ide were named as the drivers, while Michigami stepped away from driving duties to become the new team director. [13] On 1 August, Drago Corse and Busou terminated their partnership after the latter reportedly ran into financial difficulties, and the team did not return for the remainder of the season. [14] The team did not return to the series in 2023.
In 2017, Michigami teamed up with ThreeBond to race in Japanese Formula 3 Championship, and entered the under the name "ThreeBond Racing with Drago Corse". The team competed until 2019 in the series. The team achieved good results with Alex Palou in their first season clinching third in the standings, Ukyo Sasahara clinched third as well in 2018. [15] And for 2019, Hiroki Otsu returned to the series, alongside Ai Miura.
For 2023, ThreeBond acquired the team's entry and rebranded as ThreeBond Racing. Drago Corse still runs the team as Michigami is still the team manager. Honda's junior programme boss Masakazu Abe serves as team director, while Koudai Tsukakoshi joined the squad in an advisory role. [16] [17] They signed Atsushi Miyake to replace KCMG-bound Nirei Fukuzumi. [18]
Takashi Kogure is a Japanese racing driver who currently competes in Super GT, driving the No. 88 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo for JLOC in the GT300 class. He previously competed in Super GT's flagship GT500 class, winning the championship in 2010 alongside Loïc Duval, and competed in Super Formula for fifteen seasons between 2003 and 2017.
Kazuya Oshima is a Japanese racing driver, currently racing in the Super GT Series and the Super Formula Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing and ROOKIE Racing.
Ryō Michigami is a Japanese racing driver. He last drove a Honda NSX GT3 Evo for Yogibo Drago Corse in Super GT in the 2021 Super GT Season. He won the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship in 2000.
Naoki Yamamoto is a Japanese racing driver for Honda Racing Corporation, currently driving in Super GT with Team Kunimitsu and in Super Formula with Nakajima Racing. He is a three-time champion in Super Formula and a two-time champion in the GT500 class of Super GT. Yamamoto is also the only driver to have won both the Super Formula and GT500 championships in the same season multiple times, a feat which he accomplished in 2018 and 2020.
The 2016 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twenty-fourth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the twelfth season under the name Super GT. It was the thirty-fourth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 10 and ended on November 13, after 8 races.
Nirei Fukuzumi is a Japanese racing driver affiliated with Toyota Gazoo Racing who currently competes in Super GT for ROOKIE Racing and in Super Formula for KCMG. He won the GT300 class championship in Super GT in 2019, driving for ARTA alongside series veteran Shinichi Takagi, and is a race winner in the GP3 Series and Super Formula.
The 2017 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twenty-fifth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the thirteenth season under the name Super GT. It was the thirty-fifth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 9 and ended on November 12, after 8 races.
The 2018 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twenty-sixth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the fourteenth season the series has competed under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-sixth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 8 and ended on November 11, after 8 races.
The 2018 Okayama GT 300km was the first round of the 2018 Super GT Series. It was held at the Okayama International Circuit in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
The 2019 Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the twenty-seventh season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the fifteenth season the series has competed under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-seventh overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 14 and ended on November 24, after 8 championship races & 2 non-championship races.
The 2020 Super GT Series was motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the twenty-eighth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the sixteenth season the series to compete under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-eighth overall season of a JAF national sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
The 2021 Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the twenty-ninth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the seventeenth season under the Super GT name. It was the thirty-ninth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship, dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
Sena Sakaguchi is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing who is currently competing in Super GT for Racing Project Bandoh and in Super Formula for Cerumo・INGING. He is the champion of the 2020 Formula Regional Japanese Championship.
Kiyoto Fujinami is a Japanese professional racing driver who currently competes in Super GT for Team Mach. He is a two-time champion in the series, having won the GT300 class title with Kondō Racing in 2020 and 2022.
Hiroki Otsu is a Japanese racing driver who is currently competing in Super GT with ARTA, and in Super Formula for TCS Nakajima Racing as a substitute driver for Naoki Yamamoto.
The 2022 Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars, sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the thirtieth season of the JAF Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the eighteenth season under the Super GT name. It was also the fortieth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
The 2023 Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars, sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and ran by the GT Association (GTA). It was the thirty-first season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which included the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the nineteenth season under the Super GT name. It was also the forty-first overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
Kakunoshin Ohta is a Japanese racing driver for Honda Motor Company who currently competes in Super GT for Astemo Real Racing and in Super Formula for docomo Team Dandelion Racing.
Kazuki Hiramine is a Japanese racing driver, currently racing in the Super GT Series as a Nissan factory driver with Team Impul. He won the Super GT GT500 Championship in 2022, alongside co-driver Bertrand Baguette.
The 2024 Super GT Series is a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It is the thirty-first season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the nineteenth season under the Super GT name. It is also the forty-first overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
