Reigning Am champions return to defend Japan Cup titles

Yusuke Yamasaki, Yorikatsu Tsujiko and Naohiko Otsuka are returning to defend their Am class titles next season when SRO’s Japan Cup becomes a standalone championship.

The four-round domestic sprint series begins with its own Sugo event before racing separately on the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS Fuji, Suzuka and Okayama weekends.

Yamasaki and Tsujiko again line up with Comet Racing but have swapped their Ferrari 488 GT3 for a new 296.

The duo scored maximum points in half of this year’s rounds but also sensationally became the first Am crew to win a Fanatec GT Asia race outright when they triumphed at Suzuka in 2022.

“The aim is simple: to defend the Am championship,” said Tsujiko. “The team already has experience of the 296 from last year so I’m hopeful that Yamasaki san and I can adapt quickly and be ready to score class wins from the start.”

His fellow Am, Otsuka, is also returning to defend his GT4 class title with Checkshop Caymania Racing and Porsche. He won the crown with Sho Kobayashi this year and will face a tough task to retain it in 2024 when the category expands and welcomes drivers from across Asia. His co-driver will be confirmed at a later date.

Sportsland Sugo hosts the opening round of 2024’s Japan Cup on June 7-9.