Miyata, Alesi Switch Cars as Toyota Names GT500 Pairings

Toyota has announced its GT500 driver lineups for next year’s Super GT campaign with Ritomo Miyata and Giuliano Alesi switching cars within the TOM’S team.

Miyata will move across to the No. 36 Toyota Gazoo Racing Team au TOM’S entry alongside 2021 champion Sho Tsuboi, whose former co-driver Alesi has transferred to the No. 37 Toyota GR Supra that Miyata shared with Sacha Fenestraz this year.

Miyata’s partner is the only member of the 12-person Toyota crew that is still to be announced, after Fenestraz signed with  Nissan for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Toyota is again tackling Super GT’s top class with six lineups spread across five teams, which are TOM’S, Rookie Racing, Cerumo, Racing Project Bandoh and SARD.

Kazuya Oshima and Kenta Yamashita, who were the highest-placed Toyota crew in this season’s standings, will continue to share the TGR Team Eneos Rookie machine.

Oshima and Yamashita won the Okayama season-opener and finished fifth in the drivers’ championship as Bertrand Baguette and Kazuki Hiramine won the title for Nissan.

Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi will stay on as drivers of the TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh Toyota, while Yuji Tachikawa and Hiroaki Ishiura remain at TGR Team ZENT Cerumo.

TGR Team SARD has retained Yuhi Sekiguchi and Yuichi Nakayama, meanwhile.

The only entry name change in the Toyota camp is a new title sponsorship from financial company Deloitte on the No. 37 TOM’S car which previously ran under the KeePer banner. Deloitte had a minor presence on the No. 36 au-backed Toyota this year.

There are no adjustments to the tire suppliers for Toyota’s GT500 squad, with all cars except the Yokohama-shod Bandoh Supra running on Bridgestone rubber.

The next Super GT season is due to start at Okayama on April 15-16.