Fukuzumi, Oyu to Leave Honda for Toyota in 2024

Nirei Fukuzumi and Toshiki Oyu will leave Honda to join the Toyota camp for the 2024 SUPER GT season.

The news, which has been an open secret in the paddock for weeks, was essentially confirmed by Monday’s release of the entry list for the Super Formula post-season test at Suzuka on December 6-8.

Both Fukuzumi and Oyu will drive for Toyota-powered teams at Suzuka, KCMG and Inging respectively, just days on from their final public appearance as Honda drivers at the brand’s Thanks Day event at Mobility Resort Motegi on Monday.

The pair have been recruited to fill the gaps in the GT500 roster left by Yuji Tachikawa, who has retired, and Ritomo Miyata, who is exiting SUPER GT to compete in Formula 2 and the European Le Mans Series in 2024.

Sportscar365 understands Oyu is in line to take over Tachikawa’s seat aboard the No. 38 Cerumo GR Supra alongside Hiroaki Ishiura, while Fukuzumi is on his way to join the No. 14 Rookie Racing Toyota to partner Kazuya Oshima.

It is expected Oshima’s current teammate Kenta Yamashita will partner Sho Tsuboi at the TOM’S squad in place of Miyata.

The departures of Fukuzumi and Oyu leave two-car Honda team ARTA in need of two new drivers, which are expected to be Nobuharu Matsushita and Ren Sato.

Matsushita makes the move across from fellow Honda outfit Real Racing, where he has spent the past two seasons, while Sato will make his GT500 debut, three years on from his one and only SUPER GT season with ARTA in the GT300 class.

It’s possible that ARTA newcomers Matsushita and Sato could form a pair with each other, with the team’s remaining drivers Tomoki Nojiri and Hiroki Otsu tipped to form a duo in 2024.

Replacing Matsushita alongside Koudai Tsukakoshi at Real Racing will be Kakunoshin Ohta, who steps up from Nakajima Racing following an impressive debut GT500 season.

In turn, Riki Okusa has been signed from Nissan to take the place of Ohta at Nakajima Racing, where he will partner Takuya Izawa. Okusa will also drive in the Suzuka Super Formula test with Nakajima.

Also of interest to sportscar fans on the entry list for the Suzuka test are Lexus IMSA regular Ben Barnicoat, who will drive for TOM’S on the rookies-only final day of the test, and JOTA WEC driver Oliver Rasmussen, who joins Team Impul for the third day.