Team UpGarage Set for Final Race With Honda NSX GT3

The Honda NSX GT3 looks set for its farewell SUPER GT race in this weekend’s season finale at Suzuka as Team UpGarage looks certain to switch manufacturers in 2025.

UpGarage is the last team on the SUPER GT grid still running the NSX GT3 Evo22, following Yogibo Racing’s withdrawal from the series ahead of the start of the season.

Amid Honda’s plans to end support for the car at the end of the season, in line with its North American subsidiary HRC USA, a change of machinery for UpGarage now looks certain, with a switch to Mercedes-AMG believed to be a strong possibility.

Contacted by Sportscar365 for comment on the future of the NSX GT3 in SUPER GT, a spokesperson for HRC Japan said: “We are not in a position to answer [whether it is the final race for the car] because it is decided by the team.”

UpGarage has run the NSX GT3 in the GT300 class since 2019, upgrading to the latest Evo22 spec two years ago.

The Servus Japan-run operation has endured a tough season amid difficulties adapting the NSX GT3 to the carbon-neutral fuel that was introduced to the lower GT300 class this year, as well as Balance of Performance difficulties.

Drivers Takashi Kobayashi and Shun Koide heading into the title-decider down in 14th in the GT300 points with a single podium finish from last month’s Motegi round.

Kobayashi is a strong candidate to stay on at the new-look UpGarage outfit for 2025, while Koide has been linked with a promotion to the Honda GT500 roster.

The news raises doubts over Honda’s presence in SUPER GT’s lower division, where it has had a constant presence since the NSX GT3’s 2018 introduction, which could have knock-on implications for its young driver program.

On whether Honda’s relationship with UpGarage could continue even without the team using the NSX, the HRC spokesperson said: “We have a very good relationship with UpGarage, but it is too early to provide any details.”

A spokeperson for Team UpGarage was also contacted by Sportscar365.

PONOS Racing Poised for Dunlop Switch

Elsewhere on the GT300 grid, another expected change for the 2025 season is PONOS Racing changing from Michelin to Dunlop tires.

PONOS, which began the year with support from Gainer but now operates out of its own factory near Fuji Speedway, joined the grid at the start of the year with its all new Ferrari 296 GT3 shared by Kei Cozzolino and Lilou Wadoux.

However, with the exception of the rain-affected Sugo round in September, the team has suffered a tough season, leading to frustrations with current tire supplier Michelin.

Sportscar365 has learned that a deal for PONOS to switch to Dunlop tires starting in 2025 has been finalized in recent days.

Michelin has insisted that its commitment to SUPER GT would not be jeopardized by the potential loss of one of its three customer teams, the other two being BMW squad Team Studie and Shade Racing, which runs a Toyota GR86 GT.

Contacted for comment by Sportscar365, Michelin Japan motorsports director Hiroaki Odashima described supplying two cars only as “acceptable” even if three is considered the optimal number from a financial and resource point of view.

He added: “There are some other GT300 teams looking to join to us, so we are not anxious for continuity of this activity in 2025. Also we are confident to improve our tire performance in 2025 based on what we learned in 2024.”