Yuji Kunimoto
| Yuji Kunimoto | |
|---|---|
 Kunimoto at the 2025 Super GT Malaysia Festival | |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Born | 12 September 1990 |
| Relatives | Keisuke Kunimoto (brother) |
| Super GT - GT500 career | |
| Debut season | 2012 |
| Current team | Racing Project Bandoh |
| Categorisation |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 19 |
| Former teams | Kraft, Team LeMans |
| Starts | 112 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Podiums | 14 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Best finish | 4th in 2016 |
| Previous series | |
| 2013–24 2011–12 2009–10 2009–10 2008 2007–08 2007 | Super Formula Formula Nippon Super GT - GT300 All-Japan Formula Three Formula BMW Pacific Formula Challenge Japan Formula Toyota |
| Championship titles | |
| 2016 2010 2008 | Super Formula All-Japan Formula Three Formula Challenge Japan |
Yuji Kunimoto (国本雄資, Kunimoto Yūji; born 12 September 1990) is a Japanese racing driver of Zainichi Korean descent who competes in Super GT for Racing Project Bandoh.[1] He is the champion of the 2016 Super Formula Championship and the 2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship.[2] He also drove for Toyota Gazoo Racing in LMP1 at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans.[3]
He is the younger brother of 2008 Macau Grand Prix winner Keisuke Kunimoto.
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Early career highlights
- 2008 Formula Challenge Japan, Series Champion; Formula BMW, Macau GP Support race, 5th position
- 2007 Formula Toyota, 10th Overall; Formula Challenge Japan, 4th Overall
- 2006 All Japan Kart Championship, FA Class, 8th Overall
- 2005 All Japan Kart Championship, ICA Class, 3rd Overall
- 2004 All Japan Kart Championship, ICA Class, 7th Overall; F-ARTA Arta Challenge Series
- 2003 All Japan Kart Championship, ICA Class; F-ARTA Arta Challenge Series
- 2002 All Japan Junior Kart Championship, 4th Overall
- 2001 All Japan Junior Kart Championship, 12th Overall
Career
From 2009 to 2010, Kunimoto competed in Japanese Formula 3 Championship with TOM'S where he clinched third place, and was champion the next year.
Super GT
Kunimoto made his debut in the series' GT300 Class with apr on 2009 with Takuto Iguchi. For the next two seasons, he paired with Morio Nitta. The latter pair clinched one win and four podium during two season in 2010 & 2011.
Kunimoto then stepped up to GT500 with Kraft in 2012 with Andrea Caldarelli new to the series, as the pair clinched one podium in the season. Kunimoto then moved to Team LeMans partnering Kazuya Oshima for three seasons. Both pairs only won once from 2013, and five podiums. For 2016, Kunimoto moved to WedsSport Bandoh alongside Yuhi Sekiguchi.[4] He won only once on that season. After that, he became the main driver for Bandoh for four seasons, with Kenta Yamashita, Sho Tsuboi, Ritomo Miyata, and Sena Sakaguchi as his teammate.[5][6][7][8] Kunimoto won again with Sakaguchi in 2-23 at Suzuka Circuit. For 2024, he stayed with the same team and teammate.[1]
Super Formula
Kunimoto made his debut in Formula Nippon in 2011 with Cerumo・INGING as a single car entry.[9] Kunimoto then won the series title in 2016 with his maiden two wins and four podiums, as he beat Andre Lotterer by three points. After that, he did not win another title, and race till now. After eight seasons with Cerumo INGING, he moved to Kondo Racing in 2019, then KCMG.[7] For 2024, Kunimoto moves to Team Impul with Theo Pourchaire.[1]
24 Hours of Le Mans
Kunimoto made a wildcard debut with Toyota Gazoo Racing for 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. He paired with Jose Maria Lopez, and Nicolas Lapierre. The car only completed 160 laps, and did not finish the race.[10]
Racing record
Career summary
‡ Team standings
Complete Super GT results
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
(Number) Driver did not take part in this sprint race, points are still awarded for the teammate's result.
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula Nippon/Super Formula results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
 José María López Nicolas Lapierre |
Toyota TS050 Hybrid | LMP1 | 160 | DNF | DNF |
References
- 1 2 3 "TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Presents its 2024 motorsport team setups in Japan". Toyota Gazoo Racing. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ↑ "TOYOTA GAZOO Racing announced its 2023 motorsport team setups". Toyota Gazoo Racing. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ↑ Watkins, Gary (28 March 2017). "Toyota confirms Lapierre and Kunimoto for third Le Mans car". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "Toyota GAZOO Racing Outlines 2016 Motorsports Activities". Toyota Global Newsroom. Toyota. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ↑ "Toyota Gazoo Racing Announces Super GT Programmes For 2018". dailysportscar.com. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ↑ "Toyota Gazoo Racing Announces 2019 Super GT Programmes". dailysportscar.com. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- 1 2 "Toyota Gazoo Racing Announces 2020 Super GT Programmes". dailysportscar.com. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ↑ "Toyota Announces 2022 Sportscar Racing Activities". dailysportscar.com. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ↑ "2011 Media Information" (PDF). Formula Nippon. Japan Race Promotion Company, Ltd. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ↑ "Lapierre & Kunimoto Complete 2017 Toyota LMP1 Lineup". dailysportscar.com. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
External links
- Yuji Kunimoto career summary at DriverDB.com
- Official website Archived 26 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Twitter Page
- Yuji Kunimoto on Instagram
- Living people
- 1990 births
- Japanese racing drivers
- Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers
- Japanese people of Korean descent
- Super GT drivers
- Formula Nippon drivers
- Super Formula drivers
- Racing drivers from Yokohama
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Formula Challenge Japan drivers
- Formula BMW Pacific drivers
- TOM'S drivers
- Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers
- Team LeMans drivers
- KCMG drivers
- Kondō Racing drivers
- FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
- 21st-century Japanese sportsmen
- Super Taikyu drivers
- SRO Japan Cup drivers
- Suzuka 1000 km drivers