SUPER GT Rd.1 Okayama: Starting from 4th on the grid with new Prelude GT, scoring points in season opener
The opening round of the SUPER GT 2026 season, the “OKAYAMA GT 300km RACE,” was held at Okayama International Circuit in Okayama Prefecture from April 11 (Sat) to 12 (Sun).
For Astemo REAL RACING, this event marked the long-awaited race debut of the new Honda HRC Prelude GT. Expectations were high for a strong first outing, and the team delivered a promising performance by qualifying fourth.
April 11 (Sat): Official Qualifying / Weather: Sunny / Track: Dry
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In the 9:30 morning session, the team steadily refined the setup and recorded the second-fastest time.
Q1, delayed by 10 minutes due to a red flag, was handled by Nomura, who joined the team this season. Despite the challenging situation with only four minutes remaining, he delivered a committed lap to secure eighth and advance to Q2.
In Q2, Tsukakoshi set a 1:17.697, the fastest among the Honda entries, earning fourth on the grid and positioning the team well for the race.
April 12 (Sun): Race / Weather: Sunny / Track: Dry
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Race day also saw clear skies. During the 11:50 warm-up session, both drivers reported that the car “felt decent,” and the team made minor adjustments before the start.
Nomura took the start. Although he held position on the opening lap, he dropped to fifth early on. Once mixed traffic with the GT300 class began, he maintained a consistent pace despite losing touch with the lead pack, and pitted on lap 30. Tsukakoshi took over and rejoined in tenth.
In the second stint, Tsukakoshi began closing the gap to the cars ahead, but heavy GT300 traffic made overtaking difficult. Additionally, front-tire pickup hindered pace, preventing further progress.
Despite his efforts to defend position, Tsukakoshi slipped back in the closing stages and ultimately took the checkered flag in tenth, securing points in the season opener.
Although the team finished tenth, the race showcased the potential of the new Prelude GT and the competitiveness of Astemo REAL RACING .
The next round will be held at Fuji Speedway in May. Stay tuned for further progress from Astemo REAL RACING and the Prelude GT.
■Comments from Team Director and Drivers
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- Team Director: Katsutomo Kaneishi
During practice, Tsukakoshi started the session and immediately showed strong pace, setting the fastest time. In the GT500-exclusive session, Nomura improved his time and finished second, giving us confidence heading into qualifying.
In Q1, Nomura drove well despite the red flag situation, and he managed to advance in eighth. In Q2, Tsukakoshi delivered a strong attack. We couldn’t take pole, but the momentum felt good.
In the warm-up on race day, the drivers reported that the car balance was reasonably good. Nomura started the race and, although he lost a position, he fought hard. After switching to Tsukakoshi, severe front-tire pickup prevented him from increasing pace, and we dropped to tenth.
It was a frustrating race, but our qualifying speed shows we are competitive. At Fuji, we want to carry that speed into the race result. -
- Driver: Koudai Tsukakoshi
The opening round of 2026 is now complete. Thanks to the extensive testing we’ve done with car No.17, we were able to qualify as the top Prelude entry in fourth. Nomura did a great job in Q1 despite the red flag, and that allowed us to capitalize in Q2. The car felt good, and I was able to put in a strong lap.
In the race, although we checked long-run performance in warm-up, the balance changed significantly during my stint, and I couldn’t extract the pace I needed. I tried everything I could, but we couldn’t improve and finished tenth.
Our qualifying pace was encouraging, but we still have areas to uncover for long-run performance. We’ll analyze everything thoroughly and aim to run at the front in both qualifying and the race at Fuji. -
- Driver: Yuto Nomura
In qualifying, I handled Q1. The red flag made things difficult, but I managed to set my best lap after the restart and advance, which was good. In the race, I drove the first stint. Being overtaken by car No.12 early on was frustrating, but my pace afterward wasn’t bad, so I feel I did what I needed to do.
However, the tire pickup that affected the second stint is something we need to review for the next round. Overall, this event gave me valuable experience and many takeaways. I’ll keep pushing for the next race.
