CarGuy MKS Explains Choice of Miyata as O’Sullivan Sub

Photo: SUPER GT

CarGuy MKS Racing has explained why it called on Ritomo Miyata for this weekend’s SUPER GT finale at Motegi, saying it felt it needed to sign a replacement driver of the same caliber as the absent Zak O’Sullivan to maximize its championship chances.

The second-year squad lies second in the GT300 teams’ standings ahead of the title-deciding double-header, with O’Sullivan a solo second in the drivers’ race, 17 points behind Kondo Racing Nissan pair Joao Paulo de Oliveira and Iori Kimura.

However, with the British driver electing to skip Motegi as he prepares for his upcoming Formula E commitments, 2023 GT500 champion Miyata has been recruited to partner Kiyoshi Umegaki in the team’s No. 7 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.

Team director Misato Haga said that the arrival of Miyata, who has spent the last two years racing exclusively in FIA Formula 2, has given the team fresh motivation as it aims to overturn Umegaki’s 20-point deficit in the two races on Saturday and Sunday.

“We are in the hunt for the title, and the points gap from second downwards is very tight, so it feels like any team can come out on top,” Haga told Sportscar365. “We’ve brought in Ritomo as ‘pinch hitter’ this time, so everyone is fired up to do well.

“Zak being part of the team has really helped move the team forward for the last two years, and he has been a big part of our success up until now.

“Of course I wanted him to drive with us until the end, but we are happy to see him move on to the world stage and we’ll do our best to win the title in his absence.

“I think we are in better shape than last year. Because the success weight will be removed for the final race, the competitive order will change during the weekend, but our focus is on finishing ahead of the specific teams we’re battling for the title.”

Miyata’s signing comes despite the team already having Reimei Ito signed as a third driver, with Ito having replaced Umegaki for the season opener at Okayama and also driven stints in the two three-hour races at Fuji and Autopolis this year.

Haga said she had no misgivings about Miyata’s recent lack of GT experience, highlighting that CarGuy boss Takeshi Kimura previously raced alongside him in the Fuji round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023.

“Normally we would have used Reimei, but because Zak has acted as a team leader, we felt we needed a like-for-like substitute, a ‘platinum’ driver on a similar level to Zak, in order to be able to fight for the championship,” said Haga.

“There are many international drivers we could have chosen, but because Kimura-san has raced with Ritomo in the WEC before, we had that connection, so we asked him.

“It’s been a long time since Ritomo last drove in SUPER GT, and the car is also new to him, but he is a professional driver who can adapt quickly, so I am not concerned at all.”

Looking ahead to next season, CarGuy MKS will need two fresh drivers as O’Sullivan moves on to Formula E, while Toyota junior Umegaki is also expected to depart the championship in favor of a switch to European single-seater racing.

Haga said the team will aim to assemble a lineup that “surprises people”, although she wouldn’t be drawn on whether it will continue to employ Toyota-aligned drivers.

“One of our defining characteristics as a team is that we are able to use interesting drivers, and that we can field compelling driver pairings that surprise people, and we want to do the same thing again next year,” said Haga.

“Up to now we’ve mostly used Toyota-linked drivers, and there’s a possibility it might be the case next year, but there are also other candidates and nothing is decided yet.

“Our priority is to sign drivers we believe can win.”

Source: Sports Car 365