Bingo Racing Callaway Corvette Enters Suzuka 1000km, Japan Cup

Bingo Racing with LM corsa has announced it will enter the SRO Japan Cup and the 49th annual Suzuka 1000km with its long-serving Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R.

C7 GT3-R chassis #005 has raced intermittently since 2018 when it debuted in that year’s Suzuka 10 Hours. The car achieved its greatest feat in 2023 at Fuji Speedway, when Bingo Racing owner/driver Shinji Takei and Japanese racing legend Akira Iida drove the car to an overall race win in GT World Challenge Asia against bigger teams with robust factory support and drivers.

For the Japan Cup season, Bronze driver Takei – a past Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion – will join forces with Toyota Gazoo Racing factory driver Ukyo Sasahara.

Sasahara is coming off his most successful season in the Autobacs SUPER GT Series, where he and Giuliano Alesi won at Suzuka and Sportsland Sugo, on their way to finishing fifth in the GT500 Drivers’ Championship for TGR Team TOM’S. Sasahara was also a two-time race winner in the Super Formula Championship across parts of five seasons.

Last season, Sasahara and Takei drove the opening round of the Japan Cup at Sportsland Sugo, sweeping both races in the Bingo Racing Callaway Corvette. Takei went on to finish second in the Japan Cup GT3 Drivers’ standings behind champions Shinichi Takagi and Daisuke Yamawaki.

At the Suzuka 1000km, Takei and Sasahara will be joined by Reimei Ito, the reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion (all three drivers have won the overall title). 24-year-old Ito is the third driver of LM corsa’s #60 Lexus LC500 in the SUPER GT GT300 class, and is also driving in Super Formula Lights this season.

LM corsa will also field the #60 Ferrari 296 GT3 for Giancarlo Fisichella, Shigekazu Wakisaka, and a third driver to be named later.

It sets up the prospect of Bingo Racing’s C7 Corvette potentially racing against the newest Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Suzuka – we’ll see if that becomes a reality as more entries are announced leading up to the race on 14 September.