PONOS, K2 R&D Join Forces to Field LMP2 Entry

SUPER GT squad PONOS Racing has announced a collaboration with K2 R&D to field an entry in the LMP2 class of the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series.

PONOS, which fields a Ferrari 296 GT3 in SUPER GT’s lower GT300 division, revealed the news via a brief statement on Friday, characterizing it as a “first step towards global expansion” for the team based near Fuji Speedway.

It has chosen to form a partnership with K2 R&D, best known in recent times for running the successful LEON Racing team in GT300 with Mercedes-AMG machinery.

The statement says that the car to be used and driver lineup remain undetermined.

K2 R&D has experience of running LMP2 machinery in the Asian Le Mans Series, having fielded an Oreca 07 under the ‘K2 Uchino Racing’ banner in 2019/20 for Haruki Kurosawa, who took over the running of K2 from his father Motoharu and is now LEON team director, and Hong Kong racer Shaun Thong (pictured top).

The announcement comes exactly two years on from PONOS announcing its involvement in the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans via a sponsorship agreement with Kessel Racing, with CEO Yorikatsu Tsujiko joining the driver lineup.

That was followed by a move into SUPER GT for 2024 with Kei Cozzolino and Lilou Wadoux, with factory Ferrari racer Wadoux dropping out of the team’s lineup on the eve of the current season, being replaced by Takuro Shinohara.