Fenestraz Linked With SARD as Toyota Confirmation Nears

Sacha Fenestraz has been tipped to join Team SARD for the 2025 SUPER GT season as confirmation of his return to Japanese racing with Toyota looms.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Fenestraz is poised to renew his relationship with Toyota following two years away racing for Nissan in Formula E.

The Franco-Argentine racer is set to embark on a double program in SUPER GT’s top GT500 class and Super Formula, the two series that he contested in parallel during his previous stint as a works Toyota driver between 2020 and 2022.

While last week’s Super Formula post-season test at Suzuka provided a heavy hint that Fenestraz will race for TOM’S in the single-seater series, it now appears he is unlikely to race for the reigning champion team in SUPER GT next season.

Instead, his most likely destination is now believed to be SARD, where he could be reunited with his TOM’S teammate from his debut season, Yuhi Sekiguchi.

TOM’S is looking increasingly likely to retain all four drivers across its pair of GR Supras, with Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita poised to defend their 2024 title in the No. 36 car and Ukyo Sasahara and Giuliano Alesi staying aboard the No. 37 car.

Cerumo (Hiroaki Ishiura/Toshiki Oyu) and Rookie Racing (Kazuya Oshima/Nirei Fukuzumi) are also near-certain to go into 2025 with unchanged lineups, while Racing Project Bandoh appears likely to retain Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi.

That would leave no space in Toyota’s GT500 roster for Sekiguchi’s current teammate at SARD, Yuichi Nakayama, a three-time race winner in GT500.

Nakayama’s future remains unclear at this point in time, but there is a possibility he could return to the GT300 division with Toyota’s backing.

Prior to joining SARD in 2019, Nakayama was a regular title contender in the lower class, spending two seasons campaigning a Toyota Prius for apr in 2015-16 before switching to drive a Lexus RC F GT3 for LM Corsa in 2017-18.

Apr will need at least one new driver for the 2025 season as Jin Nakamura, who drove the No. 31 Lexus LC500h alongside Kazuto Kotaka this year, is set to exit SUPER GT in favor of a drive in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.

Another Toyota junior, Miki Koyama, could be among the candidates to join apr after driving for the team in Super Taikyu this year, alongside selected appearances for Mercedes-AMG squad R’Qs Motor Sports in GT300.

Apr is set to continue fielding its LC500h for a third season alongside the No. 30 Toyota GR86 GT driven this year by Rikuto Kobayashi and gentleman driver Hiroaki Nagai.

Toyota is likely to announce its SUPER GT lineups before the end of the year.