On Friday, Japanese driver Kiyoto Fujinami issued a public apology after the revelation that he had physically attacked one of the drivers of his grassroots KF Motorsport racing team.
“I would like to express my deepest apologies to all concerned parties and fans for the great concern this incident has caused,” Fujinami said in a statement posted to his social media accounts.
“As part of my role as a driving instructor, I am acutely aware of my immaturity in having caused this situation.”
“I will be disciplined and diligent to ensure that this does not happen again in the future. Thank you for your continued support.”
https://twitter.com/fujinamikiyoto/status/1626522032849707013
Nissan and NISMO have yet to make an official statement about the incident, but the two-time and reigning champion of the Autobacs SUPER GT Series’ GT300 class was not announced as part of their 2023 motorsports activities earlier today.
DSC has learned from multiple sources within the Japanese motorsports paddock that Fujinami, 27, struck one of the drivers from his eponymous team which competes in the Vita Race series at Fuji Speedway.
While the exact date of the incident nor the other party involved is not known, rumours first began to circulate within anonymous Japanese bulletin boards around the time that Fujinami was at Suzuka Circuit testing the #24 Realize Corporation Advan Nissan Z for Kondo Racing.
The expectation was that Fujinami – who’d also taken part in a winter GT500 audition test at Fuji Speedway – would be announced as a Nissan GT500 driver later that day, taking the place of two-time GT500 champion Kohei Hirate.
However, Nissan’s announcement of their GT500 drivers was delayed until 27 January, where it was revealed that Hirate would continue to drive the #24 Realize Z in 2023 – and it soon became apparent that there was indeed truth to the rumours, which led to Nissan’s decision not to promote Fujinami.
The seat that Fujinami previously occupied in the double title-winning #56 Realize/Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R GT3, originally announced as ‘TBN’ on 27 January, was later taken by Teppei Natori.
Together with co-driver Jõao Paulo de Oliveira, Fujinami had won two championships at Kondo Racing since joining the team in 2020. A graduate of the Nissan Driver Development Programme (NDDP), Fujinami had also taken a record three overall wins in the Super Taikyu Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours and two championships as a driver for GTNET Motor Sports.
