Fuji Summer 450km Entry List: Matsuda Returns, Kimura Set For GT500 Debut (Updated)

After two long months, the Autobacs SUPER GT Series returns to action on 6 August with round four of the 2023 season, the Fuji GT 450km Race (not to be confused with the Fuji GT 450km Race, held on 4 May during Golden Week).

The reveal of the provisional entry list provides two significant developments on the GT500 front.

Tsugio Matsuda will return to the cockpit of the #23 Motul Autech Nissan Z alongside Ronnie Quintarelli, two months after suffering one of the worst accidents in the history of the SUPER GT Series at Suzuka Circuit when his car blew over and impacted the catchfence exiting the treacherous 130R corner.

After 45 days of recovery and rehabilitation in hospital, Matsuda was released on 19 July with the aim of returning to racing as soon as possible.

In a video message posted to his social media accounts last week, Matsuda said: “The time I spent in hospital was painful and difficult, to the point I was almost in despair. But in that situation, the warm messages I received from fans helped me through a tough period of training and rehabilitation. Now, I want to focus on my rehabilitation and training with the fourth round of the season at Fuji in mind, so I can race well in front of all of the fans. I’m looking forward to being able to meet the fans again.”

The two-time GT500 Champion and all-time GT500 class win leader has not missed a race since the 2008 round at Sportsland Sugo – where he was sidelined due to a high fever just before the start of the weekend. Including non-championship events, this will be Matsuda’s 190th career race.

The other significant change is the addition of a third driver to the #8 ARTA Mugen Honda NSX-GT – as Iori Kimura is on standby to make his GT500 debut.

Kimura (pictured left, with ARTA founder Aguri Suzuki and former co-driver Hideki Mutoh) is entered alongside Tomoki Nojiri and Toshiki Oyu, the regular drivers of the #8 ARTA NSX.

Oyu sustained a broken collarbone two weeks ago in a non-motorsport training injury, and was forced to miss the most recent Super Formula race at Fuji. If Oyu is not cleared to drive in time, Kimura will replace him in the 100-lap race.

Kimura, 23, won last season’s finale at Mobility Resort Motegi to cap off his rookie year in GT500. The 23-year-old prospect of the HFDP (Honda Formula Dream Project) did not return to SUPER GT this year to concentrate on winning the Super Formula Lights championship. He currently ranks second in the standings in a close battle with TGR-DC prospect Hibiki Taira.

SUPER GT Sporting Regulations allow teams to enter up to three drivers for a 450km race weekend, yet only have two of their three drivers run during the race itself. However, any third driver must complete 50 kilometres worth of driving in the race to be eligible for championship points.

There are fewer surprises in the GT300 entry list, but with the summer break now complete, JLOC will upgrade one of its cars to the newest Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 specification as planned.

First spotted on the official SUPER GT website, the #88 JLOC Lamborghini GT3 (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima) will run with the EVO2 kit for the first time at Fuji. The #87 Bamboo Airways Lamborghini GT3 (Kosuke Matsuura/Natsu Sakaguchi) will run in “EVO1” configuration, with a new chassis after Matsuura was involved in the race-ending accident at Suzuka.

On the driver front, Roberto Merhi returns to the cockpit of the #6 Dobot Audi R8 LMS for Team LeMans following his Formula E debut in Jakarta, next to Yoshiaki Katayama and Seiya Jin. Ryo Ogawa is back in the #30 apr Toyota GR86 as the third driver, and Yuki Tanaka, likewise, is back in the #48 Shokumou/K’s Frontier Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 for NILZZ Racing.

Images © GTA, Lamborghini