Ponos Racing
{{short description|Japanese racing team}}
{{Infobox motor racing team
| name = PONOS Racing
| logo = File:Ponos Racing logo.svg
| base = Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture
| founded = 2021
| founder = Yorikatsu Tsujiko
| principal = Koichi Ogawara
| current series = Super GT
F4 Japanese Championship
Formula Regional Japanese Championship
SRO Japan Cup
| current drivers = {{plainlist|
- Super GT GT300:
- Kei Cozzolino
- Lilou Wadoux
- SRO Japan Cup
- Kei Cozzolino
- Yorikatsu Tsujiko
- Formula Regional Japanese Championship:
- Kento Omiya
- F4 Japanese Championship:
- Ryota Horachi
- Ryuma Sako
}}
| former series =
| team titles =
| driver titles =
| website = {{URL|https://www.ponos-racing.jp/}}
}}
PONOS Racing is a racing team founded and owned by PONOS owner Yorikatsu Tsujiko. The team competes in the GT300 class of Super GT as well as in F4 Japanese Championship, and Formula Regional Japanese Championship.
History
Yorikatsu Tsujiko who owns gaming company PONOS created the team in the early 2020s. He also has sponsored other teams, such as Williams Racing in Formula One, and Rookie Racing in Super Formula.
=Formula Regional Japanese Championship=
The team made its debut in 2021 in the Formula Regional Japanese Championship with the help of TOM'S. Tsujiko raced in the first and third rounds, while Riki Okusa did the rest. Okusa won on debut at Fuji from pole, and then repeated the same feat in the third race of the same round.{{Cite web|title=Formula Regional Japanese Championship|url=https://frj.jp/2021/rd1.html|access-date=2021-06-16|website=frj.jp}}{{Cite web|title=Formula Regional Japanese Championship|url=https://frj.jp/news/2021/0809.html|access-date=2021-08-16|website=frj.jp}}{{Cite web|title=Formula Regional Japanese Championship|url=https://frj.jp/2021/rd2.html|access-date=2021-08-30|website=frj.jp}}{{Cite web|title=2021 Inter Proto Series 第3大会 エントリーリスト|url=https://www.fsw.tv/freeinfo/pdf-cms/6b6f91c0091ca119195683a1b65e26beacdb3af4.pdf}} Ponos Racing promoted their driver, Kento Omiya to race in 2025.{{Cite web |title=『PONOS RACING』2025年シーズン参戦体制のお知らせ |url=https://www.ponos.jp/news/2025/02/『ponos-racing』2025年シーズン参戦体制のお知らせ/|date=19 February 2025|access-date=19 February 2025|website=Ponos}}
=F4 Japanese Championship=
The team made its F4 Japanese Championship debut in 2023, with Kento Omiya as its driver. Omiya returned for 2024 and he was paired up with Rintaro Sato. Both drivers took podiums and finished 8th and 9th in the standings.{{cite web|url=https://fiaf4.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-fia-f4-e382a4e383b3e38395e382a9efbc88e382a8e383b3e38388e383aae383bcefbc89.pdf|title=エントリーリスト：2024-第1戦・第2戦-富士|date=24 April 2024|access-date=24 April 2024|website=fiaf4.wordpress.com}} 2024 F4 Japan runner-up Ryota Horachi and Ryuma Sako joins the team for 2025 season.{{Cite web |title=『PONOS RACING』2025年シーズン参戦体制のお知らせ |url=https://www.ponos.jp/news/2025/02/『ponos-racing』2025年シーズン参戦体制のお知らせ/|date=19 February 2025|access-date=19 February 2025|website=Ponos}}
=Super GT – GT300=
The team started its collaboration with GAINER in the 2023 season as a sponsorship deal. Hironobu Yasuda, and his teammate Riki Okusa drove the Nissan GTR in that season.{{cite news|url=https://www.nismo.co.jp/en/news_list/2023/motorsports_news/23005.html|title=Nissan/NISMO announces teams for 2023 Super GT and GT4 programs|date=17 February 2023|work=NISMO|access-date=17 February 2023}}
The former number 10 GAINER Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 was replaced by the number 45 Ferrari 296 GT3 entered by PONOS Racing, making its Super GT debut in 2024 entering the new Ferrari 296 GT3 with Michelin tyres. The team continued their partnership with GAINER for the first couple of rounds. Kei Cozzolino returned to the series for the first time since 2022, while Ferrari GT factory driver Lilou Wadoux made her series debut.{{Cite news|title=Wadoux to Pilot PONOS 296 GT3 in GT300 Class|url=https://sportscar365.com/other-series/super-gt/wadoux-to-pilot-ponos-296-gt3-in-gt300-class/|access-date=30 November 2023 |website=sportscar365|date=30 November 2023 |last=Euwema|first=Davey|publisher=John Dagys Media}} The team got their first podium in the wet SUGO race. As the season drew on, the team gradually started to run by themselves from their new base near Fuji Speedway.{{cite news|url=https://sportscar365.com/other-series/super-gt/upgarage-set-for-final-race-with-honda-nsx-gt3/|title=Team UpGarage Set for Final Race With Honda NSX GT3|date=5 December 2024|last=Klein|first=Jamie|website=Sportscar365|publisher=John Dagys Media|access-date=5 December 2024}}
The team retains their river line up, with Dunlop come as the tire supplier, to replace Michelin.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailysportscar.com/2025/02/19/ponos-racing-announces-super-gt-sro-programmes.html|title=PONOS Racing Announces SUPER GT & SRO Programmes|work=dailysportscar.com|last=O'Connell|first=RJ|date=19 February 2025|access-date=19 February 2025}}
=SRO Japan Cup=
Ponos Racing participate in SRO Japan Cup in 2025 with Cozzolino, and team owner Yorikatsu Tsujiko. They also to compete in Suzuka 1000Km with Yusuke Yamasaki.
=Complete Super GT results=
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |
| Year
! Drivers ! Car ! Class ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! DC ! Points |
|---|
| 2024
! {{flagicon|JPN}} Kei Cozzolino ! GT300 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| OKA |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| FUJ |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SUZ |style="background:#cfcfff;"| FUJ |style="background:#dfdfdf;"| SUG |style="background:#cfcfff;"| AUT |style="background:#cfcfff;"| MOT |style="background:#cfcfff;"| SUZ ! 11th ! 44 |
* Season still in progress.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.ponos-racing.jp/}}