Honda Adds Okusa, Sato to GT500 Roster

Honda has revealed its GT500 driver lineups for the 2024 SUPER GT season, adding Riki Okusa and Ren Sato to its roster.

Just hours after rival manufacturer Toyota had announced its drivers on Tuesday, Honda issued a press release revealing who will pilot its five Civic Type R-GTs next year.

With both Nirei Fukuzumi and Toshiki Oyu crossing the floor to join Toyota, Honda has in turn signed Okusa from Nissan to drive the No. 64 Nakajima Racing entry alongside Takuya Izawa.

Okusa has spent the last two seasons in the GT300 ranks driving for Nissan customer outfit Gainer.

Sato meanwhile returns to SUPER GT after two seasons away, with his last appearance in the series coming back in 2021 with the now-defunct ARTA GT300 squad.

In his last race at Fuji Speedway, he infamously made contact with the GT500 car of Naoki Yamamoto, an incident which ended up costing the driver and Honda that year’s championship.

The eight penalty points he earned on that occasion are thought to be related to his absence in the years since, but SUPER GT penalty points expire after two years of inactivity.

Sato was seen in the garage with Nakajima Racing during last month’s Motegi season finale, but following Okusa’s signing it was decided he will race for the Team Mugen-run ARTA squad.

It’s understood Sato was picked over Iori Kimura, who instead misses out on a seat in the Honda GT500 stable.

Sato will partner Hiroki Otsu in the No. 16 ARTA car, while Nobuharu Matsushita moves over from Real Racing to join Tomoki Nojiri in the squad’s flagship No. 8 car.

Taking over Matsushita’s spot aboard the No. 17 car is Kakunoshin Ohta, who steps up to join Koudai Tsukakoshi after an impressive debut season in the top class with Nakajima.

The only Honda GT500 team going into 2024 with an unchanged lineup is Team Kunimitsu, which keeps Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino for a fifth successive season.

Honda’s all-new Civic Type R-GT was unveiled earlier this year as the successor to the second-generation NSX-GT, which has been in service since 2014.

The new machine will make its race debut in next year’s season opener at Okayama International Circuit on April 14.