From the floor of the Osaka Auto Messe, Osaka Toyopet Group and its racing subsidiary LM corsa have confirmed plans for the upcoming Autobacs SUPER GT Series and GT World Challenge Asia seasons.
The biggest revelation from LM corsa’s Friday stage event at International Exhibition Centre Osaka is that Giancarlo Fisichella will drive in the 49th annual Suzuka 1000km, sharing the cockpit of the #60 Ferrari 296 GT3 with two-time Suzuka 1000km overall winner Shigekazu Wakisaka, and a gentleman driver to be named later.
Best known for his 14-year career in Formula 1, Fisichella went on to have a successful second career in endurance sports car racing with Ferrari. He took two LMGTE Pro class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 and 2014, podium finishes at the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours, and two class wins at the Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. He has since added two Italian GT Endurance Championships in the last two years, driving for Ferrari customer team Scuderia Baldrini.
In 2005, Fisichella led the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka until a memorable overtake from Kimi Räikkönen on the final lap left him to finish second.
His co-driver, Wakisaka, has been part of LM corsa’s GT World Challenge Asia programme since 2019 and continued after the series returned to action in 2022. He won the Suzuka 1000km in 2001 and 2002, the latter as a co-driver to his older brother, three-time SUPER GT GT500 Champion Juichi Wakisaka – and Akira Iida, LM corsa’s current SUPER GT team director.
Wakisaka is set to race full-time in GT World Challenge Asia again this season, sharing the #60 Ferrari with the team’s to-be-announced Bronze driver.
On the SUPER GT side, LM corsa also confirmed that in addition to full-time drivers Hiroki Yoshimoto and Shunsuke Kohno, Reimei Ito has been announced as the third driver of the new #60 Lexus LC 500 GT300.
The 24-year-old has been associated with OTG Motorsports since his debut in Japanese F4, but made his SUPER GT debut in 2023 with Yogibo Racing. Ito was just one win away from an undefeated Porsche Carrera Cup Japan season last year driving for OTG-run Showa Auto, while also running full-time in Super Taikyu for Endless Sports and winning the ST-2 class at the Fuji 24 Hours.
In addition to a partial SUPER GT schedule in the V8-powered LC500, Ito will also run full-time in Super Formula Lights for LM corsa.
Images © Dailysportscar.com, SRO Motorsports Group, Osaka Toyopet Group (OTG)
