Kobayashi Replaces Benched Suzuki in Rookie AMG for Fuji

Rookie Racing has revealed that Kamui Kobayashi has been lined up to replace the benched Tokiya Suzuki at the wheel of its Mercedes-AMG GT300 entry for this weekend’s second round of the SUPER GT season at Fuji Speedway.

Toyota junior Suzuki has been ruled out of action for the three-hour Golden Week race due to his road car license being suspended, which also forced him to skip last weekend’s second round of the Super Formula Lights season at Autopolis.

As a result, FIA World Endurance Championship star Kobayashi has been drafted in to take his place alongside Hiroaki Ishiura at the wheel of the No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo at Fuji in what will mark his first SUPER GT outing since 2018.

That year, Kobayashi drove in the GT500 class for the SARD Lexus team alongside fellow ex-Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen, winning a race at Buriram.

He has never driven in the GT300 ranks, but he has experience of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo from his Intercontinental GT Challenge outings with Goodsmile Racing last year, as well as, more recently, the NLS with the KCMG team.

The change in lineup remains subject to official approval.

Suzuki is expected to return to action in Super Formula Lights next month at Suzuka, so should be clear to participate in the remainder of the SUPER GT season from the third round of the season, also held at Fuji in August, onwards.

Despite showing well in pre-season testing, Ishiura and Suzuki endured a tough opener at Okayama earlier this month, finishing out of the points in 16th.

Suzuki’s fellow Toyota protege Kiyoshi Umegaki is set for this first outing of the year at Fuji as part of a three-driver lineup in the CarGuy MKS Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo alongside Zak O’Sullivan and Reimei Ito, who competed as a duo at Okayama.

Likewise, Charlie Wurz, the son of ex-Formula 1 driver and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alex, will make his SUPER GT race debut sharing apr’s No. 31 Lexus LC500h with Okayama podium finishers Kazuto Kotaka and Miki Koyama.

On the other side of the apr garage, Hiroaki Nagai is skipping Fuji to a clash with GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS’s Mandalika round, and so the No. 30 Toyota GR86 GT will be driven as a duo by Hibiki Taira and Manabu Orido.

Qualifying for the Fuji 3 Hours is slated for Sunday May 3, with the race taking place on Monday May 4 owing to Japan’s Golden Week holiday period.