Maezawa Racing Joins Suzuka 1000km Field, Signs Neubauer

Ferrari squad Maezawa Racing has announced plans to participate in the Suzuka 1000km in September, with factory driver Thomas Neubauer joining the team’s lineup for the revived Intercontinental GT Challenge fixture.

Neubauer will join entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his regular driving partner in SRO’s Japan Cup, Naoki Yokomizo, for an assault on the Bronze Cup class aboard the No. 555 Ferrari 296 GT3 for the fourth round of the IGTC season.

Maezawa Racing was formed in 2023 to tackle the Japanese rounds of the GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS with a Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020.

That was followed by a one-off outing at the end of 2024 in the newly spun off Japan Cup at Okayama, with Maezawa himself driving for the first time, and then a full campaign in the series this year with a Ferrari 296 GT3.

Maezawa and Yokomizo, a veteran with experience of SUPER GT as well as GTWC Asia, sit eighth in the standings after scoring a podium last weekend at Fuji.

Neubauer’s main program this year is with AF Corse in the Sprint Cup element of GTWC Europe, although he has also raced a 296 GT3 in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, also with AF, and in the Nürburgring 24 with Kondo Racing.

The 26-year-old Frenchman will be making his Suzuka debut.

Maezawa’s announcement clarified that the team will be participating in the Japan Cup support races at Suzuka as well as in the main event.