Porsche Team EBI has become the latest Japanese outfit to confirm its entry for Blancpain GT Series Asia’s upcoming round at Fuji Speedway this August.
Naoya Yamano and Yuya Sakamoto will drive the squad’s 991 GT3 R, which contested last season’s Super GT GT300 class. They join a Fuji grid already featuring three Super Taikyu teams – ARN Racing, CarGuy Racing and D’station Racing – all of whom made their championship debuts at Suzuka last weekend.
Former Gymkhana and Super Taikyu champion Yamano finished 10th in 2016’s GT300 standings driving the team’s Porsche alongside Joerg Bergmeister, while Sakamoto also made several appearances as part of the same driver crew.
Sakamoto’s career began in Europe before moving back to his native Japan for stints in Super GT and Porsche Carrera Cup. He currently competes in Super Taikyu with another Blancpain GT Series Asia team, HubAuto Racing.
While Blancpain GT Series Asia’s 25+ full-season entry list originally surpassed all expectations, championship organisers – SRO Motorsports Group – continued working to attract regional teams and drivers eager to sample their first taste of pan-continental GT racing and globally recognised Balance of Performance regulations on home soil. No doubt Porsche Team EBI will be encouraged by the success of their fellow Japanese teams at Suzuka, and particularly ARN Racing who claimed a fastest lap and GT3 Pro/Am class podium on their series debut.
Porsche Team EBI’s commitment means at least eight Japanese drivers will be on the grid at Fuji on August 19/20.
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