TOM’S Toyota Fastest in Snow-Impacted Okayama Test

Photo: Uncredited

Toyota’s flagship TOM’S team set the pace across two days of GT500 testing this week at Okayama International Circuit ahead of the new SUPER GT season.

Sho Tsuboi registered the quickest time of 1:15.904 at the wheel of the No. 1 TOM’S Toyota GR Supra during the morning session of the second day on Friday as eight GT500 cars gathered for the first test of the year on Japanese soil.

That was 0.542 seconds faster than the time with which Katsumasa Chiyo topped the opening day aboard the No. 23 NISMO Nissan Z, the manufacturer’s sole representative at the test alongside four Honda Civic Type R-GTs and three Toyota GR Supras.

Testing was originally scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, but was pushed back to Thursday and Friday following the onset of snow on the opening day, although the Real Racing Honda did not take part on the second day.

Second-fastest on Friday, setting an identical time to Chiyo’s opening-day benchmark, was Sacha Fenestraz in the No. 39 SARD Toyota, joining his 2025 team for the first time after sampling the marque’s development car at Sepang last month.

Third-fastest on Friday and fourth across the two days was the No. 8 ARTA Honda Civic Type R-GT in which all four of the team’s drivers spent time at the wheel, with Nobuharu Matsushita setting the fastest time of 1:16.547.

Tomoki Nojiri reportedly suffered a crash during the day’s afternoon session which led to running being cut short by 30 minutes.

The Cerumo Toyota in which Hiroaki Ishiura set the fastest time of 1:16.672 was fifth ahead of the three remaining Hondas, the No. 99 test car, the No. 64 Nakajima Racing car that had been air-freighted back from Sepang and the No. 17 Real Racing car.

Team Kunimitsu pair Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino took turn at the wheel of the No. 99 car.

The test notably marked GT500 rookie Shun Koide’s first laps for Real, although he previously drove the Civic during last year’s official Fuji test for Team Kunimitsu.

GT500 testing continues later this month with two more days of running at Fuji Speedway on Feb. 27-28, the final on-track activity before the official Okayama test that will feature a full field of GT500 and GT300 cars on March 15-16.