Fujinami Explains Why He Stood Down for King at Fuji

Kiyoto Fujinami says Seven x Seven Racing wanted to provide Harry King with an opportunity to prove himself in this weekend’s Fuji SUPER GT sprint event as he explained the decision to stand down from driving duties in favor of the Briton.

Seven x Seven team director Fujinami is sitting out the weekend as a driver, as Tsubasa Kondo pilots the No. 666 Porsche 911 GT3 R in Saturday’s mixed race before King takes over for Sunday, which features GT500 and GT300 running separately.

It will mark King’s second appearance of the year for the team, following his debut at Round 2 at the same circuit in May, although on that occasion he was the registered third driver, with Fujinami and Kondo completing the race between them.

Asked about the decision to vacate the cockpit, Fujinami said the decision was driven by the team’s desire for King to show what he can do in Sunday’s 50-minute timed race.

“Simply, we wanted to give Harry a chance,” Fujinami told Sportscar365. “He is known around the world, he’s a great driver, and the team wants to see how far he can go.

“Even though I won’t be driving this time, I will be acting as team director, supporting the engineering staff. Hopefully we can get a good result.

“It’s not like I have been dropped or anything. It’s a chance for Harry to show himself. He is not a works driver, but we want to see him do well in Europe too.”

Fujinami added that the fact King was unable to take part in what should have been his race debut at Fuji in the second round of the season was also a factor.

“Last time we weren’t able to run Harry during the race because of the contact I was involved in, which changed the strategy, and that’s also a factor,” he admitted.

This weekend marks King’s third visit to Fuji of the year, after the pre-season test at the Toyota-owned track in March and the second round of the season in May.

The British driver is hoping that extra engineering support from Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific will allow the team to enjoy a competitive showing.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be back again,” King told Sportscar365. “The testing in March was sufficient and we’ve done a lot of work since the last time we were here.

“I am motivated and excited to show what the Porsche can do because the previous time wasn’t a good representation of that.

“The work we’ve done should put the car in a better window. We have extra people who are familiar with how the car should operate to fast-track our understanding.

“It’s an honor to be trusted to steer the car in the race on Sunday. It’s something I’m familiar with. It takes me back to my Carrera Cup roots, so it should be fun.”

King’s regular program this year is in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, which has two more rounds at the Nürburgring in late August and in Barcelona in October — neither of which clash with SUPER GT rounds.

Asked whether King will participate in further races for Seven x Seven this season beyond this weekend, Fujinami replied: “It partly depends on how this weekend goes and what Harry’s schedule looks like, but nothing is decided yet.”