Ponos Racing

Last updated
PONOS Racing
Ponos Racing logo.svg
Founded2021
Base Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture
Team principal(s)Koichi Ogawara
Founder(s)Yorikatsu Tsujiko
Current series Super GT
F4 Japanese Championship
Formula Regional Japanese Championship
Current drivers
Website www.ponos-racing.jp

PONOS Racing is a racing team founded and owned by PONOS owner Yorikatsu Tsujiko. The team competes in the GT300 class of Super GT as well as in F4 Japanese Championship, and Formula Regional Japanese Championship.

Contents

History

Yorikatsu Tsujiko who owns gaming company PONOS created the team in the early 2020s. He also has sponsored other teams, such as Williams Racing in Formula One, and Rookie Racing in Super Formula.

Formula Regional Japanese Championship

The team made its debut in 2021 in the Formula Regional Japanese Championship with the help of TOM'S. Tsujiko raced in the first and third rounds, while Riki Okusa did the rest. Okusa won on debut at Fuji from pole, and then repeated the same feat in the third race of the same round. [1] [2] [3] [4]

F4 Japanese Championship

The team made its F4 Japanese Championship debut in 2023, with Kento Omiya as its driver. Omiya returned for 2024 and he was paired up with Rintaro Sato. Both drivers took podiums and finished 8th and 9th in the standings. [5]

Super GT – GT300

The team started collaboration with GAINER in 2023 season as a sponsorship deal. Hironobu Yasuda, and his teammate Riki Okusa drove the Nissan GTR in that season. [6]

The former number 10 GAINER Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 was replaced by the number 45 Ferrari 296 GT3 entered by PONOS Racing, making its Super GT debut in 2024 entering the new Ferrari 296 GT3 with Michelin tyres. The team continued their partnership with GAINER for the first couple of rounds. Kei Cozzolino returned to the series for the first time since 2022, while Ferrari GT factory driver Lilou Wadoux made her series debut. [7] The team got their first podium in the wet SUGO race. As the season drew on, the team gradually started to run by themselves from their new base near Fuji Speedway. [8]

Complete Super GT results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearDriversCarClass12345678DCPoints
2024 Flag of Japan.svg Kei Cozzolino
Flag of France.svg Lilou Wadoux
Ferrari 296 GT3 GT300 OKA
11
FUJ
9
SUZ
6
FUJ
11
SUG
2
AUT
24
MOT
15
SUZ
21
11th44

* Season still in progress.

Related Research Articles

Kondo Racing is an automobile racing team founded, owned and headed by Masahiko Kondo. The operating body is MK Company Co., Ltd. MK is an abbreviation for Masahiko Kondo. The team competes in Super Formula as well as in Super GT in both the GT500 and GT300 classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kei Cozzolino</span>

Kei Francesco Cozzolino is a Japanese-Italian professional racing driver from Shinjuku, Tokyo. He competes in motorsport championships including the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, and the Asian Le Mans Series with AF Corse. Cozzolino joined the 2024 Super GT series, driving a Ferrari 296 GT3 for PONOS RACING.

The 2015 Autobacs Super GT Series was the twenty-third season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the eleventh season under the name Super GT. It marked the thirty-third season overall of a Japanese professional sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The season began on April 5 and ended on November 15, after 8 races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katsumasa Chiyo</span> Japanese racing driver

Katsumasa Chiyo is a Japanese factory racing driver, currently competing in the Autobacs Super GT Series as a factory driver for Nissan. He is a graduate of the Nissan Driver Development Program (NDDP), and a past champion of the Bathurst 12 Hour race, and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

The 2019 Autobacs 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessio Rovera</span> Italian racing driver

Alessio Rovera is an Italian racing driver. He is a Ferrari factory driver and currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with AF Corse.

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.

The 2022 Autobacs 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilou Wadoux</span> French racing driver (born 2001)

Lilou Wadoux-Ducellier is a French professional racing driver who currently races for PONOS Racing in the GT300 class of the Super GT Series and for AF Corse in the LMP2 class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. She is the first woman to ever win an FIA World Endurance Championship race and the first woman to drive a Le Mans Hypercar, having previously starred in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup and competed in TCR Europe. Before signing for Ferrari as a factory driver in 2023, she raced in the WEC for Richard Mille's Signatech-run LMP2 team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Super GT Series</span> Sports car racing season in Japan

The 2023 Autobacs 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Super GT Series</span> Sports car racing season in Japan

The 2024 Autobacs Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the thirty-second season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the twentieth season under the Super GT name. It is also the forty-second overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.

Riki Okusa is a Japanese racing driver. He currently competes in the GT500 class in Super GT for Nakajima Racing for the 2024 season and previously in the GT300 class in for GAINER, partnered with Hironobu Yasuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'station Racing</span> Japanese racing team

NEXUS Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese racing team who runs D'station Racing that competes in Super GT, FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3, GT World Challenge Asia, Super Taikyu, and Asian Le Mans Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HELM Motorsports</span> Japanese racing team

HELM Motorpsorts is a racing team founded and owned by racing driver brothers Yuya Hiraki and Reiji Hiraki. The team competes in the GT300 class of Super GT as well as in F4 Japanese Championship, and Formula Regional Japanese Championship. The team also competed before in Super Taikyu, and won the title in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainer (racing team)</span> Japanese racing team

GAINER Co, Ltd. is a Japanese racing team that competes in Super GT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5ZIGEN</span> Japanese automotive manufacturer

5ZIGEN International Inc. is a Japanese automotive manufacturer which produces wheel parts, exhaust systems, which mostly involved in the motorsport industry. The company also runs a racing team, Team 5ZIGEN

LM corsa is a racing team based in Osaka Prefecture and the team is run by Osaka Toyopet Group's OTG Motor Sports.

The 2025 Autobacs Super GT Series is a planned 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 will be the thirty-third season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the twenty-first season under the Super GT name. It will be also the forty-third overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.

Reimei Ito is a Japanese racing driver currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Japan. He is also competing in Super GT as a third driver, and also competed in Super Formula Lights for the last two rounds of the 2024 season.

Yugo Iwasawa is a Japanese racing driver currently competing in the Super Taikyu - ST-Z.

References

  1. "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  2. "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  3. "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  4. "2021 Inter Proto Series 第3大会 エントリーリスト" (PDF).
  5. "エントリーリスト:2024-第1戦・第2戦-富士" (PDF). fiaf4.wordpress.com. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  6. "Nissan/NISMO announces teams for 2023 Super GT and GT4 programs". NISMO. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. Euwema, Davey (30 November 2023). "Wadoux to Pilot PONOS 296 GT3 in GT300 Class". sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  8. Klein, Jamie (5 December 2024). "Team UpGarage Set for Final Race With Honda NSX GT3". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 December 2024.