Kimura Expects “Tough” Carrera Cup Japan Title Defense

Iori Kimura says he is braced for a “tough” Porsche Carrera Cup Japan title defense as the one-make series gears up for its first race of the season this weekend at Suzuka.

Russian-Japanese racer Kimura will twin his commitments in SUPER GT for the Kondo Racing team with a second campaign in Carrera Cup Japan for Sky Racing, having won last year’s championship for the same team.

The six-round campaign begins with a single race on the undercard of the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, and will conclude in late September with a place on the support bill for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Fuji round.

Among Kimura’s likely season-long rivals for Pro honors this season are Seven x Seven Racing pair Taichi Watarai and Robert de Haan – respectively champions in Carrera Cup Middle East and Germany – and Reimei Ito, who returns for Bingo Racing.

The 17-car entry list for the Suzuka opener is bolstered by Carrera Cup Asia champion Dylan Pereira in a second Sky Racing car, ex-Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi (NGR), Super Taikyu regular Jules Kazuki Treluyer (Bingo) — son of 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Benoit — and sometime SUPER GT GT300 champion Kohta Kawaai (Starrize).

“Watarai is really fast in qualifying and I think he has a lot of experience in the Cup car, he did the Middle East series,” Kimura told Sportscar365. “Also de Haan will be fast, and Reimei won races last year. So it will be a really tough season. 

“The reason I joined PCCJ in the first place is that SUPER GT has multi-make tires, many different types of car, so some tracks suit different cars. Some weeks you can win easily, some weeks you work really hard but you cannot win. That’s just how it is. 

“But in Carrera Cup, it’s all down to the driver. If you work well, you can get a good result. And the level of car equality is at a super-high level compared to formula cars.

“I think it’s a super-tough environment but it really helps to hone my driving skills, so that’s why I wanted to stay, as well as the fact the team asked me to.”

Carrera Cup Japan held its official test at Suzuka earlier this month, with Kimura setting the second-fastest time over the two days behind Kondo – who was present at the test coaching for another driver – ahead of Watarai and Ito.

It comes as Sky Racing forms a new alliance with NILZZ Racing to operate its entry this season, with the Nissan SUPER GT team replacing HAI Racing.

“We changed the maintenance garage and for NILZZ it was the first time to touch the 992 Cup car,” said Kimura. “So we are mainly focusing on learning the car and set-ups. 

“I was teaching the team how to set up the Cup car, so we were testing quite basic things. But the lap time was not bad,

“I was P2, with half a tenth difference to the top, and at the time the tyre pressure was not up to target. So we need to work on it more. 

“But even in that situation, I was almost at the same time as P1, which is not bad.”