Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Super GT: Second Audi R8 LMS ultra arrives in Japan for Hitotsuyama Racing


By Johan Laubscher

An Audi R8 LMS ultra has arrived at Narita International Airport in Japan this week. The car is heading to Hitotsuyama Racing for the 2015 Japanese Super GT.

Hitotsuyama Racing's plans for the 2015 season have not yet been formally announced, but the news of the delivery of a second Audi R8 LMS ultra is good news, as it means that the Japanese Audi Sport Customer racing team will be continuing with Audi GT3 machinery in Japan for the fifth consecutive year.

This specific Audi R8 LMS ultra is one of the ex-Belgian Audi Club Team WRT cars from Europe.


Hitotsuyama Racing's primary Audi R8 LMS ultra has been seen in the Super GT for the previous two seasons and it was on display with Audi Japan at the Tokyo Auto Salon last week. This #21 Audi R8 LMS ultra was fielded in the GT300 class. The driver line-up for the 2014 season included the full-season duo of  Richard Lyons and Tomonobu Fujii, along with Christopher Haase and Carlo Van Dam also sharing driving duties at selected events.

Currently it is unclear whether Hitotsuyama Racing will be fielding a two-car entry in the 2015 Super GT, or if this ex-WRT Audi R8 LMS ultra will be replacing their car from the previous two years for a single-car entry. More news regarding the team's plans for 2015 is expected in the coming weeks.

Photo credit: Hitotsuyama Racing