With the conclusion of the 2026 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Official tests at Okayama and Fuji, the opening round of the season at Okayama is fast approaching (held on April 11th and 12th).
With this, we interviewed some of the drivers who will be the focus of special attention, as well as rookie drivers and newly added drivers. As we look forward to the start of the series we offer their messages to the SUPER GT fans.
In this 19th edition, we will be talking with Iori Kimura, who last year helped lead his team to a dramatic first win in the No. 5 86MC in the final round, and this season will drive the No .56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R.
* Interviewed at the Official Tests at Fuji
Iori Kimura No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R (GT300 class – transferred team)
– This year you will be driving for a team that has experience winning the GT300 championship title, won’t you. To begin with, please tell us as much as you feel you can about how you came to join this team. After seeing my victory at the final Round of last year at Motegi (No. 5 MACHSYAKEN AIR BUSTER MC86 MACH GO), KONDO RACING invited me to race for them this year. The Manager of the No. 5 team, (Tetsuji）Tamanaka, also accepted my transfer with kind words, saying, “It has been one of my dreams to have our drivers step up to the GT500 class. If you want to join a team with that kind of opportunity, I will support you.” I am certainly grateful for this consideration by Manager Tamanaka!
– So, you will be getting a fresh start with a new team and competing with a new teammate, won’t it. Now that you have finished the tests, how do you feel about the atmosphere on the team? Since I hadn’t imagined that I would be joining a distinguished team with Kondo-san as the Manager, first of all I am very happy and I think this is a great opportunity for me. Because it is a team that is competing for the title almost every year, there are numerous areas where its activities are on a high level that I can learn a lot from. Also, since JP (Joao Paulo de Oliveira) has been driving this car since 2019, his understanding of the machine is very high-level, which makes him a driver who can run faster than anyone. I believe that competing together with him will improve my capabilities as well. In terms of communication, since English is also best for me, that is surely a positive aspect.
– This is your third season in the GT300 class, and in each season you have been driving a different car, so have you gotten used to driving this year’s NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3? Since I have experienced driving the GT-R GT3 in the Intercontinental GT Challenge and Super Taikyu, with regard to things like the machine’s characteristics and behavior, I already had some degree of understanding of them. In the tests in March, I was able to experience matching with the Yokohama tires, so I feel that am well prepared for the opening round.
– In closing, would you please tell us about your enthusiasms for the opening round at Okayama and for the new season? Since I have confidence in my speed, I first of all want to get through the opening round without making any mistakes. And as the season progresses in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, I want to improve my level of performance steadily. Of course, I will be competing with the goal of winning in all the races, and I also want to make this a year in which I concentrate on the preparations necessary to win races.
In the next interview we will talk with Daniil Kvyat, a former F1 driver who made his SUPER GT debut driving the No. 88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 for the 2024 championship team. We hope you will look forward to it.
