Craft-Bamboo Racing enjoys impressive start to Super Taikyu championship challenge

A flawless race saw Craft-Bamboo Racing take second place within an eight second margin
On the way to the podium, the team set the fastest lap of the five hour race
The result marks a strong start to the team’s championship challenge after being runner-up in 2024

A faultless Super Taikyu race for Craft-Bamboo Racing has seen the team open its 2025 championship title chase in style, claiming second place in Sunday’s five hour race at Suzuka.

The event marked round two of the 2025 Super Taikyu season, and after missing out on the championship trophy by just 4.5 points last season, the Craft-Bamboo Racing team is focused on claiming the honours this season.

With drivers Jeffrey Lee (TPE), Kakunoshin Ohta (JPN), and Jayden Ojeda (AUS) working seamlessly together, the #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 was in top form all weekend in the ST-X class.

Thanks to Lee and Ohta’s performances in qualifying, the #33 would start in pole position for Sunday’s five hour race, with Lee tasked with the responsibility of greeting the starter in what was Craft-Bamboo Racing’s first Super Taikyu race of the 2025 season.

After delivering an impressive opening stint for his team, Lee handed over to Ojeda, who would later drive a second stint to finish the race after taking over from Ohta.

The BoP clearly favored the leading car, and despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to close the gap – putting in an incredible drive to close a gap that with two hours to go was as large as 40 seconds, to be within just eight seconds of the winners at the finish line.

This remarkable effort over the five hour enduro was further highlighted by the fact that the #33 laid claim to the fastest lap of the race, with Ojeda laying down a blistering 2m 02.339s lap around the Suzuka circuit on lap 100.

With an impeccable performance by both drivers and crew, it was truly a faultless weekend for the Craft-Bamboo Racing line-up and sees them now sitting 4th on the points standings, ensuring their title aspirations remain on-point heading to round three, the Fuji 24 Hours (May 30 – June 1).

Shuichi Hatakeyama
General Manager Japan | Craft-Bamboo Racing

“The team and drivers delivered an outstanding performance throughout the weekend. Even when challenges arose, we came together and quickly got things back on track. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we were able to secure pole position.

“In the race, the drivers showed strong pace, with Jeffrey in particular delivering an exceptional performance. Our pit stops were also executed perfectly.

“Although we narrowly missed out on victory due to the strong pace of our competitors, I am proud of our second-place finish.

“The team will continue to grow and will give everything to fight for victory at the Fuji 24 Hour race!

“Thank you all for your continued support. Let’s aim for the best possible result at Fuji!”

Jeffrey Lee
Driver | #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“It was a great weekend to mark our return to the Super Taikyu series. To put the car on pole and then bring it home on the podium was very satisfying. I am really proud of our team for how we worked together to overcome any obstacle thrown our way. With great car pace and good team work, we had a very strong package out there and if we can keep doing what we are doing, I think we can go one better next time we hit the track.”

Kakunoshin Ohta
Driver | #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“Happy to finish at P2 for our first race of the season. The team did a great job all weekend and we showed some impressive pace, especially in qualifying. If we continue to work hard like this, I am sure we will win the next race. Thank you for all your support.”

Jayden Odeja
Driver | #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“A strong weekend for us to collect pole position and come home second in the race are results we can be proud of! We executed well in the race with no mistakes but unfortunately we just did not have the pace of the winning Porsche. Nonetheless a great return for Craft-Bamboo Racing to the Super Taikyu Series so a thank you to them as well as my great teammates in Kaku and Jeffery for an enjoyable weekend.”

2025 Super Taikyu Championship Calendar