Nirei Fukuzumi Secures GT500 Victory at Fuji
Nirei Fukuzumi of TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE achieved a remarkable redemption in Sunday’s GT500-exclusive Fuji GT Sprint Race, clinching victory from pole position after suffering a DNF in Saturday’s race.
Fukuzumi’s win marks the first for the #14 Eneos X Prime Toyota GR Supra since the 2022 Okayama round and extends Toyota’s record to nine consecutive GT500 victories. The GR Supra claimed a dominant presence in the race, with a top-four sweep following a Saturday lockout of the top five positions.
The sprint race, lasting 50 minutes, was notable for featuring GT500 cars exclusively for the first time in a championship points round. Practice sessions showed Toyota’s strength, with reigning champion Kenta Yamashita leading the morning session in the #1 au TOM’S GR Supra, ahead of Fukuzumi.
In Qualifying, Fukuzumi captured his seventh career pole position, edging Yamashita by two-tenths. Hiroaki Ishiura qualified third, ensuring an all-Toyota top five that also included Yuji Kunimoto and Yuhi Sekiguchi.
At the start, Fukuzumi maintained the lead, with Yamashita and Ishiura in hot pursuit. Kunimoto began to lose ground early on, falling to fifth on lap two as Kazuki Hiramine’s #12 TRS Impul Nissan Z NISMO GT500 moved past. The top two began to create a gap, while Sekiguchi held off Hiramine in the battle for fourth.
Fukuzumi’s steady lead increased to two seconds over Yamashita, who pushed hard in the final minutes but finished 0.728 seconds behind. This victory is particularly significant for Fukuzumi, who expressed his gratitude and confidence gained from the win, stating, “This has given great confidence to the team and to me.”
Yamashita celebrated his 30th birthday with a second-place finish and the highest cumulative points from the two races, extending his championship lead to 19 points. Ishiura, in his final GT500 outing, secured third place, marking a poignant end to his successful career.
Sekiguchi finished fourth, while Hiramine managed fifth despite a ten-second penalty for contact with Sekiguchi earlier in the race. Teppei Natori’s sixth-place finish was later revised to tenth due to a penalty for forcing another driver off the course.
Giuliano Alesi improved significantly, concluding the race in seventh after starting 15th. Riki Okusa and Katsumasa Chiyo rounded out the top ten, with Okusa being the sole Honda driver to score points.
Looking ahead, Toyota teams occupy the top four positions in the championship standings as they prepare for the upcoming Suzuka GT 300km Race on August 24.
GT500 Race Results:
- N. Fukuzumi (Toyota)
- K. Yamashita (Toyota)
- H. Ishiura (Toyota)
- Y. Sekiguchi (Toyota)
- K. Hiramine (Nissan)
- A. Miyake (Nissan)
… - T. Natori (Nissan)
Images © GTA
