24h Le Mans
Kenta Yamashita, a driver from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's programme dedicated to identifying new talent, is gearing up for his first participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He will compete in the 2019-2020 season with Danish team High Class Racing in the LMP2 class under the watchful eye of the Japanese marque.
At 23 years old, Japanese driver Kenta Yamashita is heading into his rookie FIA World Endurance Championship season. As a recruit from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's programme dedicated to identifying young talent, he will share the wheel of Danish team High Class Racing's ORECA 07-Gibson with Mark Pattersen and Anders Fjordbach. Yamashita is taking on endurance racing after winning the Japanese Formula 3 Championship in 2016, and is currently in first place in Super GT, the championship he takes part in with Team LeMans Wako’s Lexus. His move into the FIA WEC is an important step for his career and development: driving prototypes, competing at some of the most legendary circuits in the world - including Le Mans - and going up against world-class drivers. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of two TOYOTA GAZOO Racing drivers who also came from the Toyota Young Drivers programme: Kazuki Nakajima (2018 and 2019 24 Hours winner) and Kamui Kobayashi (second at the 2018 and 2019 24 Hours).
The 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been a huge draw in Japan, as much for teams as for drivers. At this year's running in June, six Japanese drivers took the start. Since the first edition in 1923, three have claimed the top step on the overall podium. The first was Masanori Sekiya in 1995 at the wheel of a McLaren G1 GTR, eight years after actually getting married at the 24 Hours circuit! The second was Seiji Ara in 2004 with Audi Sport Japan Team Goh's Audi R8 he shared with Tom Kristensen (win record-holder with nine) and Rinaldo Capello. Lastly, Kazuki Nakajima won the race in 2018 and 2019 at the wheel of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, becoming the only Japanese driver to win twice. Kamui Kobayashi holds the lap record in qualifying at the 13.629 km-circuit in 3:14.791 at an average 251.882 kph clocked in 2017.
Kenta Yamashita will take the wheel of High Class Racing's #33 ORECA 07-Gibson on 23-24 July for the FIA WEC Prologue, the first official tests of the eighth season of the championship, in Barcelona. The first 2019-2020 round will take place 31 August-1 September at Silverstone.
PHOTO: Kenta Yamashi, a Japanese driver from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's Toyota Young Drivers programme, is a new recruit with Danish team High Class Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
