PONOS Racing
 | |
| Founded | 2021 |
|---|---|
| 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 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.
History
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]The team started collaboration with GAINER in 2023 season. 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. 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 base near Fuji Speedway.[8]
Complete Super GT results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Drivers | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  Kei Cozzolino Lilou Wadoux
|
Ferrari 296 GT3 | GT300 | OKA 11 |
FUJ 9 |
SUZ 6 |
FUJ 11 |
SUG 2 |
AUT 24 |
MOT 15 |
SUZ 21 |
11th | 44 |
* Season still in progress.
References
[edit]- ^ "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ^ "Formula Regional Japanese Championship". frj.jp. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ^ "2021 Inter Proto Series 第3大会 エントリーリスト" (PDF).
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Nissan/NISMO announces teams for 2023 Super GT and GT4 programs". NISMO. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (30 November 2023). "Wadoux to Pilot PONOS 296 GT3 in GT300 Class". sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (5 December 2024). "Team UpGarage Set for Final Race With Honda NSX GT3". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 December 2024.