K-tunes Racing to Field Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Japan Cup

K-tunes Racing will field a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in this year’s SRO Japan Cup, marking the first time the car will contest a full season on Japanese soil.

The Okayama Toyopet-run team revealed plans for a two-car entry in the series’ top Pro-Am class on Saturday, with the new Corvette complementing its existing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo for the four-round campaign that begins at Sportsland Sugo in May.

It was announced that the No. 96 Corvette, which essentially replaces the team’s previous Lexus RC F GT3, will be driven by Toyota SUPER GT regulars Nirei Fukuzumi and Sena Sakaguchi, who will take it in turns to act as the car’s Pro driver.

Sakaguchi will be at the wheel alongside a yet-to-be-named FIA Bronze-rated driver for the Sugo opener and the final round at Suzuka in September, while Fukuzumi takes over for the second and third rounds at Fuji and Okayama respectively.

Fukuzumi contested the full season in the K-tunes Lexus last year with Kazunori Suenaga but faces clashes with a potential program around the Nürburgring 24 with Toyota.

Meanwhile, the No. 98 Ferrari will be driven for the full season by team mainstay Shinichi Takagi and Betty Chen, the Taiwanese female driver who steps up from the GT4 class.

Although K-tunes will no longer use its RC F GT3 in regular SRO competition, it will field the car in the Suzuka 1000km, with Sakaguchi the only confirmed driver so far.

Bridgestone Tires, Ex-ARTA Engineer for K-tunes GT300 Effort

K-tunes will continue to campaign a Lexus in SUPER GT’s GT300 class this year for Takagi and Morio Nitta, while also switching from Dunlop to Bridgestone tires.

The team previously ran Bridgestones, finishing second in the 2019 standings with Nitta and Sakaguchi before making the move to Dunlop the following year.

Additionally, the team has recruited former ARTA Mugen GT500 man Kaito Tsuji as its new track engineer, a move that follows Tsuji defecting from Team Mugen to the newly-created Delightworks Racing squad in Super Formula.

Tsuji joins chief engineer Toshihiro Ichise, another former member of the ARTA outfit, who stays on at the team for a second season.

K-tunes’ Lexus, which will feature a bold new red-and-black livery this year, is set to participate in next week’s GT Entrants’ Association (GTE) test at Fuji Speedway.