Kotaka Aiming for Full-Time Overseas Drive With Toyota

Photo: JRP

Toyota-contracted driver Kazuto Kotaka has stated he wants to race for the Japanese manufacturer overseas full-time in future after making his GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup debut earlier this month at Paul Ricard.

Kotaka was part of the lineup for the Nordique Racing Mercedes-AMG outfit in the six-hour Endurance Cup curtain-raiser, together with his fellow Toyota driver Yuichi Nakayama and Edoardo Liberati, the trio finishing 51st overall in the 60-car field.

The potential for further GTWC Europe outings adds to an already-busy schedule for the 26-year-old that includes his main program in Super Formula, the Suzuka 1000km and selected races in GTWC Asia and the Nürburgring Endurance Series.

He is also due to participate in next week’s second round of the SUPER GT season at Fuji in his capacity as Toyota GT500 reserve driver.

While Kotaka has GT3 experience from years of racing for the Toyota-aligned apr squad in Super Taikyu at the wheel of the Lexus RC F GT3, he said that getting more familiar with European racing culture, and especially using English in a team environment, are key to achieving his future goals of racing full-time on the global stage.

“It was my first time driving the Mercedes-AMG, and it was all decided at the last moment,” Kotaka told Sportscar365. “I had never driven the track before either.

“So more than aiming for results, the weekend was about learning the circuit and getting to know how the team works. It was a weekend to prepare for the future.

“Improving my English is also very important, especially as the radio is all done in English. But that’s something I’ll have to get used to if I want to race overseas.

“If it was my choice, I would race overseas, and I’ve told Toyota that. For next year, I don’t know exactly what form that would take, but basically I want to race abroad.”

Asked if his preference would be a full season in GTWC Europe or even the FIA World Endurance Championship, Gold-rated Kotaka replied: “Something like that, yes.”

Kotaka’s comments come as Toyota prepares to launch its long-awaited new GT3 car, which is likely to be known as the Lexus LFR, later this year ahead of a 2026 debut.

Further outings in the Nordique Mercedes-AMG this year are likely, although Kotaka said there is uncertainty surrounding whether the newly-formed team will be allocated a grid spot for the next Endurance Cup round at Monza on May 30-June 1.

“At the moment, the plan is to race in the Endurance Cup races when the team gets an entry, but there are so many cars on the grid and spaces are limited, so we don’t know yet exactly which races the team be able to do,” he explained.

Kotaka will gain further experience of GT3 machinery as he tackles the Mandalika, Fuji and Okayama rounds of the GTWC Asia calendar driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R for Porsche Center Okazaki, while he will also tackle the revived Suzuka 1000km.

On top of that, he is due for further outings in a Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 in the NLS after he and Nakayama finished second in the SP8T class in the opening round last month, although he and Nakayama won’t be present for this weekend’s NLS2.

“The Nürburgring program is completely separate,” said Kotaka. “It’s not fully decided, but the plan at the moment is that we will be doing the qualifying races for the 24 Hours [on May 23-25], and then participate in the 24 Hours itself.”