TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Presents its 2025 motorsport team setups in Japan

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) announced its 2025 motorsport activities plan for on December 25.

  • In the top categories in Japan, SUPER GT and the Japanese Super Formula Championship, TGR will strengthen industry collaboration to promote racing in Japan further while aiming for consecutive championships in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ categories.
  • A new team called “KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC” will be established in the Japanese Super Formula Championship to develop talent. Based on the systems of training engineers and mechanics created for making ever-better motorsports-bred cars through ROOKIE Racing, which MORIZO initiated, TGR will actively engage in human resource development at the forefront of motorsport, under the planning and supervision of MORIZO, with the cooperation of KDDI. Led by ROOKIE Racing and the new team, TGR will accelerate human resource development in the motorsport field.
  • In the Japanese Rally, in addition to the GR Yaris MT that will participate in the MORIZO Challenge Cup for young driver development in the JN2 class starting in 2024, TGR will also enter the commercial model of the GR Yaris equipped with a high-performance 8-speed AT (GR-DAT) in the same class in 2025 to expand the base of motorsport. Furthermore, TGR will welcome Mr. Tomoyuki Shinkai, who served as a TGR driver until last year, as the new director, and implement human resource development with engineers and mechanics, primarily employees.
  • In the Super Taikyu series and Nürburgring, TGR will conduct activities with the purpose of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and developing human resources through motorsport. In the Super Taikyu series, in addition to the above, TGR will continue to take up the challenge of expanding new options to achieve carbon neutrality with “purposeful passion and action”. Additionally, at the Nürburgring, TGR will challenge its car and team by making spot entries in the NLS series and preparing for its entry in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race.
  • In the KYOJO CUP, TGR aims to make motorsport sustainable by increasing the number of competitors and motorsport fans and promoting diversity, with plans to increase support starting in 2025. TGR will work to create an environment where female drivers can thrive in motorsport, supporting each team while promoting the activities of affiliated female drivers.
  • In driver development, TGR aims to develop athletes who can excel in top categories both in Japan and abroad, broadening their potential and promoting an environment where they can maximize their abilities.
  • In participatory motorsport, TGR will work to expand the motorsport base through initiatives like the TGR Yaris Cup and TGR Rally Challenge, collaborating with circuits and local governments across the country to ensure safer race and rally operations.

TGR will continue its practice of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and pursuing activities to enhance the appeal and sustainability of motorsports.

■ Major Results for the 2024 Race Season

Championships in Japan SUPER GT TGR TEAM au TOM’S wins the season championship
•Team Champion
•Drivers’ Champion (Sho Tsuboi / Kenta Yamashita)
Japanese Super Formula Championship Sho Tsuboi (VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S) wins the Drivers’ Championship
Japanese Rally Championship The Tomoyuki Shinkai and Yuichi Ando team finishes 10th in the JN-1 class with the GR YARIS GR4 Rally DAT

<SUPER GT>

GT500 Class

  • The team will compete again in 2025 with the GR Supra GT500.
  • Support will be provided to 6 teams and 6 cars through Toyota Gazoo Racing Development (TGR-D).
  • Sasha Fenestraz will join the team as a new member.
Team Vehicle No. Driver Tires
TGR TEAM ENEOS ROOKIE ENEOS X PRIME GR Supra 14 Kazuya Oshima (Japan) BS
Nirei Fukuzumi (Japan)
TGR TEAM WedsSport BANDOH WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra 19 Yuji Kunimoto (Japan) YH
Sena Sakaguchi (Japan)
TGR TEAM au TOM’S au TOM’S GR Supra 1 Sho Tsuboi (Japan) BS
Kenta Yamashita (Japan)
TGR TEAM Deloitte TOM’S Deloitte TOM’S GR Supra 37 Ukyo Sasahara (Japan) BS
Giuliano Alesi (France)
TGR TEAM KeePer CERUMO KeePer CERUMO GR Supra 38 Hiroaki Ishiura (Japan) BS
Toshiki Oyu (Japan)
TGR TEAM SARD DENSO KOBELCO SARD GR Supra 39 Yuhi Sekiguchi (Japan) BS
Sacha Fenestraz (Argentina)

Tires: BS = Bridgestone, YH = Yokohama

<Japanese Super Formula Championship>

  • Toyota Gazoo Racing Development (TGR-D) will supply the teams with a two-liter in-line four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline turbo engine (TRD 01F).
  • Tires will be a one-make from Yokohama Rubber.
  • New drivers joining include Zach O’Sullivan, Mitsunori Takaboshi, Oliver Rasmussen, and Sacha Fenestraz.
  • A new team will develop drivers, engineers, and mechanics.
Team No. Driver
KONDO RACING 3 Kenta Yamashita (Japan)
4 Zak O’Sullivan (UK)
Kids com Team KCMG 7 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan)
8 Nirei Fukuzumi (Japan)
docomo business ROOKIE 14 Kazuya Oshima (Japan)
TEAM IMPUL* 19 Oliver Rasmussen (Denmark)
20 Mitsunori Takaboshi (Japan)
VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S 1 Sho Tsuboi (Japan)
37 Sacha Fenestraz (Argentina)
SANKI VERTEX PARTNERS 38 Sena Sakaguchi (Japan)
39 Toshiki Oyu (Japan)
KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC 28 Kazuto Kotaka (Japan)
29 Hibiki Taira (Japan)
Seita Nonaka (Japan)

*Tentative

<Japanese Rally Championship>

  • Starting in 2024, the GR Yaris MT will participate in the JN2 class under the young driver development category MORIZO Challenge Cup. Additionally, in 2025, aiming to broaden the motorsports base, a GR Yaris commercial model equipped with a high-performance 8-speed automatic transmission (GR-DAT) will also compete in the same class.
  • Tomoyuki Shinkai, who served as a TGR driver until last year, will be welcomed as the new supervisor, and will implement employee-centered human resource development through engineers and mechanics.
Team name TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – WRJ
Vehicle/class GR YARIS MT / JN2 (MORIZO Challenge Cup)
GR YARIS DAT / JN2 (MORIZO Challenge Cup)
Main specifications Engine 1.6-liter in-line three-cylinder intercooler turbo
Drive system “GR-FOUR” sport 4WD system
Driver/Co-driver Nao Otake / Misaki Hashimoto
Mako Hirakawa / Shizuka Takehara

<Super Taikyu series / Nürburgring>

  • We will participate in endurance races in Japan and abroad with a mixed team that includes the professional drivers listed below and our company employee drivers.
Driver line-up Hiroaki Ishiura (Japan)
Kazuya Oshima (Japan)
Tatsuya Kataoka (Japan)
Naoya Gamo (Japan)
Masahiro Sasaki (Japan)
Kazuto Kotaka (Japan)
Sho Tsuboi (Japan)
Giuliano Alesi (France)
Yuichi Nakayama (Japan)
Takamitsu Matsui (Japan)
Kenta Yamashita (Japan)

<KYOJO CUP>

  • Starting in 2025, we will expand our support for the KYOJO CUP, a women’s category promoting diversity.
  • We will support the activities of female drivers affiliated with each team.
Team Driver
docomo business ROOKIE Mako Hirakawa (Japan)
TOM’S (tentative) Aimi Saito (Japan)
Hana Burton (America)
ITOCHU ENEX TEAM IMPUL with Dr.DRY (tentative) Rio Shimono (Japan)
Kids com Team KCMG Miki Onaga (Japan)
Rami Sasaki (Japan)
CERUMO・INGING Riona Tomishita (Japan)
Kokoro Sato (Japan)
AIWIN Re-Kobe Itsumo Shiraishi (Japan)

<Driver Development>

1) TGR Driver Challenge Program (TGR-DC)

  • We will continue the program to develop drivers who can excel in top categories in Japan and abroad.
  • We will proceed to create an environment that broadens the athletes’ potential and enables them to maximize their abilities through various challenges.
  • In 2025, we will support the activities of the following drivers as TGR-DC drivers:
    Ritomo Miyata and Jin Nakamura will be based overseas. Miyata will participate in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with ART. At the same time, Nakamura will compete in the Formula Regional Championship by Alpine (FRECA) and the Formula Regional Middle East Championship (FRMEC) with R-ace GP.
  • Hitech and TGR will collaborate in the development category and support Miyata’s activities as Hitech TGR.
  • Esteban Masson will participate in the Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship and the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class as a newly appointed TGR-DC development driver.
  • Yuki Sano will compete in the Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship as a TGR-DC development driver.

[2025 TGR-DC Drivers]

Driver Category Team (Provisional name)
Ritomo Miyata (Japan) FIA Formula 2 Championship ART
Kazuto Kotaka (Japan) Japanese Super Formula Championship KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC
SUPER GT (GT500) Reserve
Hibiki Taira (Japan) SUPER GT (GT300) INGING MOTORSPORT (tentative)
Japanese Super Formula Championship KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC
Seita Nonaka (Japan) Japanese Super Formula Championship Reserve
SUPER GT (GT300) Green Brave
Esteban Masson (France) Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship TOM’S
European Le Mans Series (LMP2) TBD
Miki Koyama (Japan) SUPER GT (GT300) apr
Rikuto Kobayashi (Japan) Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship TOM’S
Super Taikyu Series (ST-X) apr
SUPER GT (GT300) TBD
Jin Nakamura (Japan) Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine R-ace GP
Formula Regional Middle East Championship R-ace GP
Yuki Sano (Japan) Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship TOM’S
Kiyoshi Umegaki (Japan) Formula Regional Japanese Championship TOM’S
Tokiya Suzuki (Japan) Formula Regional Japanese Championship TOM’S

2) TGR-DC Racing School (TGR-DC Racing School)

  • We will conduct training to develop drivers who can excel as professional drivers through the FIA-F4 Championship series in Japan.
  • Details of the school selection process for 2025 will be announced at a later date. Among the participants in the selection process, we will support promising and outstanding drivers for participation in races in the following year and beyond.

[2025 TGR-DC RS Drivers]

(All drivers are from Japan)

Driver Category Team
Kiyoshi Umegaki FIA-F4 Championship in Japan TGR-DC Racing School
Tokiya Suzuki
Yuzuki Miura
Takahiro Kikuchi
Megumu Suzuki
Masana Muto

<Participatory Motorsport>

We will collaborate with circuits and local governments nationwide to provide opportunities to enjoy the true appeal of cars, regarding topics such as controlling cars and enjoying driving. We will also implement support for those who aim to take on the challenge of participatory motorsport, prioritizing the safety of all participants.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup

The TGR GR86/BRZ Cup is a one-make race using the GR86/SUBARU BRZ (model: ZN8/ZD8). The participating vehicles are the GR86 Cup Car Basic and SUBARU BRZ Cup Car Basic, which can be purchased at Toyota and Subaru dealerships nationwide. Expect exciting competition with minimal performance differences typical of one-make races. The 2025 series is scheduled to take place at seven major circuits across the country, with seven events.
Detailed URL: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup

Event Date Location
1st Event April 6 (Sun) Autopolis
2nd Event May 24 (Sat) – 25 (Sun) Mobility Resort Motegi
3rd Event June 14 (Sat) – 15 (Sun) Sportsland SUGO
4th Event July 12 (Sat) – 13 (Sun) Tokachi Speedway
5th Event September 6 (Sat) – 7 (Sun) Fuji Speedway
6th Event October 4 (Sat) – 5 (Sun) Suzuka Circuit
7th Event November 29 (Sat) – 30 (Sun) Okayama International Circuit

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Cup

The TGR Yaris Cup’s participating vehicle is the Yaris Cup Car, based on the 1.5-liter engine Yaris, available in both manual and CVT configurations. In 2025, we will hold events divided into five series nationwide, allowing participants to choose a series based on their location and providing a robust support system for those new to motorsports.
Detailed URL: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Cup

Series Round Date Location
Hokkaido 1st June 8 (Sun) Tokachi Speedway
2nd July 13 (Sun) Tokachi Speedway
3rd October 19 (Sun) Tokachi Speedway
Tohoku 1st June 14-15 (Sat-Sun) Sportsland SUGO
2nd, 3rd October 25-26 (Sat-Sun) Sportsland SUGO
Kanto 1st May 24 (Sat) Mobility Resort Motegi
2nd August 31 (Sun) Mobility Resort Motegi
3rd November 15-16 (Sat-Sun) Fuji Speedway
Kansai 1st May 10-11 (Sat-Sun) Suzuka Circuit
2nd September 28 (Sun) Okayama International Circuit
3rd November 30 (Sun) Okayama International Circuit
Kyushu 1st April 6 (Sun) Autopolis
2nd July 26 (Sat) Autopolis
3rd November 9 (Sun) Autopolis
Special Event December 20 (Sat) Fuji Speedway

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge

The TGR Rally Challenge is an entry-level rally designed with a beginner-friendly course, making it safe and easy to enter. With a B-class license in Japan, participants can compete in GR Yaris and GR86 and hybrid vehicles and AT cars like Yaris and Aqua, making it attractive for beginners and women. In 2025, we plan to hold 12 events nationwide, enhancing support systems to ensure that those new to motorsports can participate with confidence.
Detailed URL: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge

2025 Series Event Schedule

Rd Date Event Name Location Format
1 March 15-16 Okinawa Okinawa Prefecture Standalone
2 April 5-6 Miyoshi Tokushima Prefecture Standalone
3 April 19-20 Yatsugatake Chino Nagano Prefecture Standalone
4 May 10-11 Mt. Fuji Area Shizuoka Prefecture Standalone
5 May 31-June 1 Rifu Miyagi Prefecture Standalone
6 June 14-15 Yoshinogari Saga Prefecture Cup Event (Regional)
7 June 28-29 Shibukawa Ikaho Gunma Prefecture Standalone
8 July 19-20 Ishikari Hokkaido Cup Event (Regional)
9 August 30-31 Lake Biwa Takashima Shiga Prefecture Standalone
10 September 27-28 Dinosaur Katsuyama Fukui Prefecture Standalone
11 October 11-12 Takaoka Manyo Toyama Prefecture Standalone
Special Event November 22-23 Toyota Aichi Prefecture Standalone

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