Yamashita Eyes Chance to Defy Success Handicap at Sepang

TOM’S driver Kenta Yamashita believes that the unpredictability of next month’s Sepang SUPER GT round offers a chance for the championship-leading Toyota team to shrug off the disadvantage of running a stage two fuel restrictor.

Yamashita and Sho Tsuboi kicked off their GT500 title defense with a victory in April’s opening round at Okayama aboard the No. 1 Toyota GR Supra, and followed that up with second place earlier this month at Fuji Speedway.

That was despite the fact the reigning champions were carrying 40 kg of success ballast, and Yamashita said post-race that choosing an overly soft compound of Bridgestone tire for his middle stint denied he and Tsuboi a shot at back-to-back wins.

However, their early success means that the No. 1 car heads to next month’s third round of the season at Sepang carrying a nominal 70 kg success handicap, which translates to a stage two fuel flow restrictor and 36 kg of physical ballast.

The next-heaviest cars in the GT500 field will be the Toyotas of Rookie Racing and Cerumo, each carrying 42 kg, but no fuel flow restrictor.

While such a handicap would normally leave the No. 1 car out of realistic contention, Yamashita says the fact the teams have no recent experience of racing at Sepang — plus the chance of adverse weather — makes a strong points haul more realistic.

“At Sepang, we will be carrying the stage two restrictor, so it’s going to be a tough weekend,” Yamashita told Sportscar365. “But it’s going to be the first time for everyone racing there, and it’s possible that some things out of the ordinary could happen.

“I’m sure we’ll be nowhere in qualifying but I think there will be chances to make up ground in the race like always. 

“Even though we tested there many times, we’ve never run with GT300 cars, and I think it will be hard to pass them. In the ‘S-Curve’ (Turns 5-6) and the following double right-hander (Turns 7-8), it will be easy to be caught up by them.

“Also, around 4-5 p.m. every day, we get ‘squalls’ [localized rain storms], so considering the race starts at 4:30 p.m., I think there’s a high chance of it being a wet race. That would be a big help for us. And anyway, the conditions are quite changeable.

“We have seen in the test that conditions change a lot from morning to evening, more so than at other circuits. How to handle this situation will be important. But anyway, as it’s the first time, there’s a high chance of unpredictable things happening.

“On a normal circuit, with a stage two restrictor, we would have basically no chance. I still don’t think we’ll be able to win, but if things go well, we can still aim to score big points.”

Yamashita’s Four Wins Goal Hinges on Fuji Sprint

After scoring victory at Okayama, a third in a row for the No. 1 crew following their wins in the final two races of the 2024 season, Yamashita set himself and Tsuboi the goal of winning four races in one year, one more than they managed last year.

At the time, Yamashita said this would involve winning the second round at Fuji, as well as the final two races at Autopolis and Motegi, which feature half success ballast and zero ballast respectively, as they did last year.

However, August’s Fuji sprint race could offer Tsuboi and Yamashita an additional chance to surpass their victory count of 2024, as success ballast is set not to be used, which would come as a major advantage to the No. 1 TOM’S Toyota.

“It really felt like we weren’t far away from winning at Fuji,” said Yamashita. “But we also have the sprint race, and although the format hasn’t been properly announced yet, it seems it will be a race without success weight. So for the No. 1, which is already very heavy, it’s a really good chance for us.

“There’s a chance we could win there and I think that’s one we have to win to be able to reach the goal of winning four times in a year.”

With the No. 1 car already looking like a clear favorite for a third championship in a row, with Tsuboi and Yamashita holding a 14-point lead over the opposition, Yamashita says he still feels pressure to meet the high expectations placed on TOM’S.

“Quite often I hear things like, ‘It’s obvious that the No. 36 [the previous number of the No. 1 car] will win’ or ‘you’ll definitely be champions again this year’, so it feels like we have to win,” said the 29-year-old, who joined the team in 2024.

“I always feel like I am racing while carrying the weight of expectations of people who expect us to win, so that is a form of motivation in itself. To be honest, when I win, I feel more relieved than happy. It’s like, ‘what they said became reality’.

“That kind of acts as a pressure and motivation to be able to run at the front of the field even in the most difficult of situations [in terms of ballast].”