TCR / 24 March 2025

Super Taikyu victory for Civic Type R TCR at season-opener

M&K Racing and the Honda Civic Type R TCR picked up where they left off in 2024 as the new Super Taikyu season began at Motegi, Japan.

Mitsuhiro Endo, Shinji Nakano, Kento Omiya and Jack Young won the four-hour race by more than 90 seconds in their JAS Motorsport-built touring car to give the #97 crew an early series lead.

Endo and Nakano qualified on class pole position and ran second through most of the opening stint, but regained the advantage at the first driver change early in the second hour.

After that they pulled clear to an unchallenged win; Irishman Young – a graduate of the JAS Driver Development Programme – setting the fastest lap on his series debut.

The sister #96 entry was qualified fifth, but was leading by the time the first round of driver changes began after a storming opening stint by Koji Yamanishi.

A braking issue shortly afterwards lost the car 11 laps in the pits, but Yamanishi, Osamu Kondo and Yosuke Yamaki battled back to fourth place.