Porsche to Make GT300 Return With Seven x Seven Racing

Photo: Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific

Porsche will have representation on the SUPER GT grid this season for the first time since 2021 as Kiyoto Fujinami’s Seven x Seven Racing outfit joins the GT300 class.

Two-time GT300 champion Fujinami will share the No. 666 Porsche 911 GT3 R with Tsubasa Kondo for the eight-round season that begins at Okayama in April.

It marks the first Porsche effort in the Japanese series since Tsuchiya Engineering ran a previous-generation 911 GT3 R in 2020 and ‘21.

Seven x Seven makes the step up to SUPER GT after contesting last year’s Porsche Carrera Cup Japan as well as the Okayama round of last year’s SRO Japan Cup. The team also contested the Michelin 24H Dubai in January in the 992 Cup class.

The team’s No. 666 car entry will run on Yokohama tires. Fujinami will serve as team director, with veteran Hitoshi Iyoki serving as chief engineer.

“We’re delighted to be working with Seven x Seven and returning to SUPER GT for the first time since 2021,” said Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific managing director Alexandre Gibot. “It’s a special moment to be competing again in such a high-level championship.

“This is the next step in the partnership with Seven x Seven Racing, after their entries in Japan Cup, Dubai 24 Hour as well as Porsche Carrera Cup Japan and Middle East. 

“They’ve named an experienced driver line-up who we’re excited to see race in such a strategic and competitive series.”

Fujinami scored GT300 titles in 2020 and ‘22 at Kondo Racing together with Joao Paulo de Oliveira, and was poised for a promotion to Nissan’s GT500 roster for 2023 until his involvement in an alleged violent altercation prompted him to be benched.

He then returned to action last season driving Team Mach’s Toyota 86 Mother Chassis alongside Yusuke Shiotsu, although the pair were unable to score points.

Kondo, a four-time champion of Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, makes his return to SUPER GT having last appeared in 2022 for BMW Team Studie as a stand-in for Augusto Farfus and winning that year’s Suzuka round.

The previous year, he was a race winner at Suzuka for Audi squad Hitotsuyama Racing.

19 Cars Set for Fuji GT300 Test

Seven x Seven’s Porsche is one of 19 cars to appear on a provisional entry list for next week’s two-day GTE (GT Entrants’ Association) test at Fuji Speedway on Feb. 6-7.

Other participants in the test include Inging, Goodsmile Racing, Gainer, Team UpGarage, Shade Racing, Tsuchiya Engineering, apr, PONOS Racing, Kondo Racing, R&D Sport/Subaru, JLOC, K-tunes Racing, Tomei Sports and D’station Racing.

Team UpGarage’s car remains unconfirmed, meaning it’s unclear if the Fuji test will mark the track debut for its new Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

Oliver Rasmussen is set for his first outing with apr after being confirmed alongside Miki Koyama as one of the two primary drivers for the No. 31 Lexus LC500h GT.

Apr has entered its old Prius PHV GR Sport as an additional test car, while one of the two JLOC Lamborghini Huracan EVO2s is set to run as a Yokohama test mule, along with a Ferrari 488 GT3 operated by an unknown team.