Suzuka Friday Notebook

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO

***Teams took to Suzuka for the opening day of track action, in what was mixed weather conditions. Both paid test sessions were rain-soaked, although the heavy rains let up by the afternoon and allowed the track to dry out for Friday evening’s 90-minute night practice that was topped by the 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Mikael Grenier.

***Philip Ellis is making his first start with Kenny Habul’s SunEnergy1-backed squad since the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge season-ending Gulf 12 Hours, where the Mercedes-AMG factory ace drove eight hours of the race en route to the Pro-Am class victory.

***Ellis told Sportscar365: “I’m excited to be back with him and Mik have joined us in the car as well. It’s [also] been a long time since I’ve driven with Mik, I think it was in 2024 at the Nürburgring 24. I love this track.”

***When asked if he thinks the 75 Express outfit, which is entered in the Pro class and features FIA Bronze-rated Habul, could contend for the overall win, Ellis said: “I think so. Kenny is usually really on it, gets his time done, keeps the car clean. We usually have a really good car with that team as well. I’m excited for it and hoping for that overall win.”

***Habul revealed that his laps in Friday’s paid test session was his first since February’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with plans to contest the Nürburgring 24 and several GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup races having fallen through due to increased business commitments.

***The U.S.-based Australian, who is in the process of relocating 75 Express’ base to Connecticut to be closer to his SunEnergy1 business, told Sportscar365 that he hasn’t fully decided on his 2027 program but is likely to again start with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Bathurst 12 Hour.

***Laurin Heinrich is sporting a special blue helmet with graphics honoring the fifth anniversary of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, which was originally formed in 2017 but was established as an independent entity in 2021.

***PMAP has grown into the leading motorsport division of any sports car manufacturer in the Asian region, in supporting GT3 and GT4 customer teams as well as running operations of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, the latter which is in action this weekend as a support series.

***Chris Mies has been reunited with Melbourne Performance Centre, the team that took Mies to the 2015 Australian GT Championship title in an Audi R8 LMS ultra. Both the German and fellow Ford Racing factory driver Fred Vervisch have also driven for the team in the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

***Ford Racing is hoping to increase its IGTC presence next year according to its global sports car motorsports manager Alex Allmandinger, who said that it’s currently “really focused” on growing its Mustang GT3 customer base around the world.

***Allmandinger told Sportscar365: “IGTC is a special series. What you really need to lean on is in-region customers. We could fly our teams around the world and do it that way but what you really want to do is grow the customer base in each region to support those different races. All those races are special, so finding the right customers and teams to partner with and compete there is definitely a priority.”

***Ford Racing Junior Development Team member Cameron McLeod, winner of the inaugural Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational, is on-site this weekend embedded within the Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC Ford Mustang GT3 EVO effort to “observe and sit in on debriefs” according to MPC co-owner Troy Russell.

***McLeod currently sits fifth in the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series points standings and has also made starts in the GT4 European Series and Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia this year.

***PONOS Racing has entered into a tie-up with D’station Racing to field its Suzuka 1000km entry. The two SUPER GT squads are located across the road from each other, just outside Fuji Speedway, and it’s understood PONOS approached D’station about the deal to ease the strain on its personnel with a two-car effort across the Suzuka 1000km and SRO Japan Cup.

***Fellow Ferrari squad Maezawa Racing is also operating two cars this weekend, but the remaining teams committed to a double Suzuka 1000km/Japan Cup entry, Porsche outfit Bingo Racing and Norik Racing, only have a single car each for both competitions.

***Engineering the No. 9 Bingo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo is former GT3 racer Benji Hetherington, who has experience in categories such as British GT and the Blancpain GT Endurance Series before hanging up his helmet to work as an engineer.

***Bingo competed in the Suzuka 1000km last year with its fan favorite Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, which is now retired from competition despite still being in homologation after its swan song outing in last year’s Super Taikyu finale at Fuji.

***Norik Racing, which is run by Team LeMans, takes its name from team owner Norikazu Shibata, who races under the pseudonym ‘Norik’. He and Japan Cup co-driver Taku Bamba are joined for the 1000km by British driver David Tan, who previously raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans-supporting Porsche Sprint Challenge race last year.

***Shibata, Bamba and Tan raced together in the Michelin 6H Abu Dhabi this year, finishing 12th in the 992 Cup class under the Norik Racing by HRT Performance banner.

***Harmony Racing has an additional Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, the No. 13 car which was withdrawn from the most recent GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS round at Okayama, on-site as a spare chassis.

***A McLaren Artura Trophy Evo joined the field for SRO Japan Cup’s two paid test sessions on Friday. Tadao Uematsu, who competes in the series with a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo alongside Kenta Yamashita entered by his eponymous Team Uematsu outfit, is understood to have driven the car. It comes amid talk that a new McLaren Trophy Japan series could be launched for next season, potentially as a sub-category within Japan Cup.

***A McLaren spokesperson said they’re still in the early stages and just gauging interest at the time. “We’ve had a lot of interest in the Trophy car in the region, so we’re taking the opportunity to give some prospects a run in the car as we had a marketing car in Japan,” the spokesperson told Sportscar365.

***McLaren Automotive’s Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna is on-site this weekend.

***Ben Keating, who revealed to Sportscar365 that he will step away from full-time racing at the end of the WEC season, will be on the grid in next month’s Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS in a Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG alongside TF Sport teammate and fellow FIA Bronze-rated driver Peter Dempsey, contesting the Am class.

***Fellow Bronze driver Anthony McIntosh, who revealed plans to tackle a full IGTC campaign in the future, told Sportscar365 that he plans to return to FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 competition next year, although has yet to reach a deal with Team WRT, although the Belgian squad is likely to field a BMW for his planned Asian Le Mans Series’ ‘Winter Le Mans Series’ effort and is still figuring out plans for a possible European Le Mans Series effort as well.

***McIntosh, however, has ruled out a program for the Indy 8 Hour, meaning that three-time and defending overall winners WRT will be absent from the race for the first time in four years.

***Habul and 75 Express will skip the Indy 8 Hour as well as it falls on the same weekend as the Repco Bathurst 1000, where there will be a major off-track tribute to honor the 20th anniversary of Peter Brock’s passing. Habul, who got his start in the sport sweeping floors for Brock’s Supercars team, owns and restored a large collection of his race cars.

***Saturday’s action will kicks off with a 90-minute Pre-Qualifying session at 10:40 a.m. local time (Friday, 9:40 p.m. EST), followed by qualifying at 5:40 p.m. (4:40 a.m. EST), which will be determined by a three-driver average.

Jamie Klein contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John