Goodsmile Sub Okumoto: “I Had One Race to Change My Life”

Goodsmile Racing super-sub Shunji Okumoto says he took the approach of having one chance to “change his life” with his stand-in appearance in last weekend’s SUPER GT round at Sepang, as he scored a podium on his GT300 debut.

Together with series veteran Yuhki Nakayama, Okumoto took the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to third in his first ever race in the Japanese series, coming out on top in a long battle with the JLOC Lamborghini of reigning champion Takashi Kogure.

Nakayama and Okumoto were chosen by Goodsmile to fill in for regular drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka, who skipped the Sepang event to compete in the clashing CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa together with Kamui Kobayashi.

Both drivers were well known to the team through their links to Kataoka, whose TKRI team they drive for in Super Taikyu, also in a Mercedes-AMG.

But while Nakayama is a former GT500 driver for Honda and GT300 title-winner, Okumoto, 26, was making his very first race outing in SUPER GT, having only previously taken part in a handful of tests for Subaru prior to last weekend.

“I didn’t think this kind of result would be possible [pre-weekend], but I also had the approach that I have this one race to change my life,” Okumoto told Sportscar365.

“After a race in another category [Super Taikyu], I came to Sepang just for the day to practice, so I feel like I did everything I could to prepare for this race.

“That meant coming into race week I didn’t feel nervous at all, and everyone in the team really backed me up, helping me to drive as fast as possible, and I also learnt a lot from Nakayama-san, who has had a long career.”

He added: “From free practice, I knew we were strong on the long runs, and I so had confidence, and finally, the pace was as good as I expected.

“Battling wheel-to-wheel is something I’m lacking experience of, and this being my debut race I was relatively cautious in battle, but I also believed in myself.

“To be on the podium on my debut, it’s unbelievable.”

Okumoto has had an unconventional career, only beginning racing in 2021 at the age of 21, and spending two years in Formula 4 Japan in 2022-23, earning Toyota’s support for the latter season only to be dropped after that year.

He then became Subaru’s de facto GT300 reserve driver in 2024, an opportunity that arose after he approached regular driver Takuto Iguchi during a private test, alongside his commitments in Super Taikyu.

While admitting that his star showing at Sepang has the potential to help him land a full-time drive in 2026, Okumoto pledged not to rest on his laurels.

“The only thing that will alter the trajectory of my career is what I do at the wheel,” he said. “So I don’t want to feel too satisfied with this result.

“I want to become a faster and stronger driver in future, and stand out even more. I will work hard and give it my all to further improve my performance.”

Although Goodsmile’s chances of winning the drivers’ title are much reduced with Taniguchi and Kataoka skipping Sepang, the squad now sits second in the teams’ standings, behind only fellow Mercedes-AMG outfit LEON Racing.