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Katsumasa Chiyo

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Katsumasa Chiyo
Chiyo winning the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour with teammates Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss
NationalityJapan Japanese
Born9 December 1986 (1986-12-09) (age 37)
Tokyo, Japan
GT Racing career
Current teamNissan GT Academy Team RJN
FIA GT World Cup career
Debut season2017 FIA GT World Cup
Current teamNissan GT Academy Team RJN
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number23
Former teamsKCMG
Starts23
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps2
Best finish12th in 2019 FIA GT World Cup
Finished last season12th
Previous series
2018–2019
2011–2019
2020-21
2010–2012
2008–2011
2012
2013		GT World Challenge Asia
Super Formula
All-Japan Formula Three Championship
FIA GT Championship
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Various GT championships
Bathurst 12 Hour

Katsumasa Chiyo (千代勝正, Chiyo Katsumasa, born 9 December 1986 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese factory racing driver, currently competing in the Autobacs Super GT Series as a factory driver for Nissan. He is a graduate of the Nissan Driver Development Program (NDDP), and a past champion of the Bathurst 12 Hour race, and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

Career

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Early career

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Chiyo began racing cars in 2007, competing in the Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ) series after earning a scholarship from the NDDP. He finished third in the 2008 FCJ series, before moving into the National Class of the All-Japan Formula Three Championship in 2009. Chiyo won the National Class title in 2011 with NDDP Racing, winning five races to defeat Honda prospect Tomoki Nojiri on a tie breaker.

Chiyo returned to All-Japan F3 in 2013, competing in the main class with the B-Max Racing Team. He finished third in the championship, with two victories.[1] Chiyo took part in the 2013 Macau Grand Prix, finishing in 15th place.[2] In 2015, Chiyo made a one off return to F3 at Fuji Speedway. In 2016, Chiyo returned to F3 to contest the full season with B-Max Racing. He won one race, and finished sixth in the championship, after missing four races over two rounds due to a back injury.

Super GT (2012-present)

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The Nissan GT-R of Chiyo, Couto and Tomita which won the GT300 class at the 2015 1000 km Suzuka.
The race-winning Nissan GT-R of Chiyo, Reip and Strauss at the 2015 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

After winning the All-Japan F3 National Class title in 2011, Chiyo stepped up to the Autobacs Super GT Series, racing a Nissan GT-R GT3 in the GT300 class for NDDP Racing. He took his first victory at Sportsland SUGO with Yuhi Sekiguchi, and went on to finish the season in fourth place.[3][4] With NDDP prospect Daiki Sasaki moving up to GT300, Chiyo moved to pro-am team Dijon Racing for the 2013 season. He finished 28th in the standings after taking just one points-scoring finish.[1]

After missing the 2014 season due to his new commitments in Europe, Chiyo returned to Super GT in 2015, this time with Gainer in their new Nissan GT-R alongside André Couto. Chiyo and Couto won the second round of the championship, the Fuji 500km.[5] Then in the Suzuka 1000km, Chiyo, Couto, and third driver Ryuichiro Tomita won the GT300 class, despite carrying 88 kilogrammes of Success Ballast.[6] Chiyo finished the season second in the championship, despite missing two races due to his ongoing commitments in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

His performances in Japan and Europe secured a promotion to the GT500 class for the 2016 season, joining three-time GT500 champion Satoshi Motoyama at MOLA. Chiyo and Motoyama finished third at Okayama International Circuit in their first race together. Chiyo suffered a spinal injury after a crash in the summer race at Fuji,[7] which forced him to miss over a month of competition including the Suzuka 1000km. He finished the season twelfth in the standings in 2016, and again in 2017, where Chiyo nearly took his first premier class victory at Sugo after a last-lap battle between Motoyama and Kohei Hirate.[8]

Chiyo and Motoyama remained team mates in 2018, as MOLA were replaced in GT500 by the new NDDP Racing with B-Max team. They finished 17th in the championship that season. After the season, Chiyo was assigned to drive in the Intercontinental GT Challenge for Nissan and KC Motorgroup (KCMG), resulting in his second sabbatical from Super GT. At the sixth round of the season in Autopolis, Chiyo was called on as a last-minute replacement for James Rossiter at Calsonic Team Impul, after Rossiter was diagnosed with acute tinnitus.[9]

Chiyo returned to full-time GT500 competition in 2020, returning to NDDP Racing with B-Max alongside Hirate. They ranked 13th in the championship in 2020, and both drivers were retained for 2021.

In 2022, Mitsunori Takaboshi, a fellow NDDP graduate, replaced Hirate at NDDP Racing alongside Chiyo, coinciding with the debut of the new Nissan Z GT500. At long last, Chiyo won for the first time as a GT500 driver when he and Takaboshi won the Suzuka GT 300km Race. It was also the first win for the new Z in GT500.[10] Chiyo scored his second career win at Sugo in September, winning in a wet race. Chiyo and Takaboshi would finish second in the GT500 championship standings, a career-best for both drivers.

Both drivers remained at NDDP Racing for the 2023 season. Chiyo and Takaboshi were leading the Suzuka GT 450km Race on 4 June when the race was red-flagged following a severe accident involving NISMO driver Tsugio Matsuda. Because they had not made two pit stops to fulfill the sporting regulations for the event, they were dropped from first to fourth in the final classification.[11]

International GT racing

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Chiyo began racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series (now the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup) in 2014, driving a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 for RJN Motorsport. He scored a podium finish at Circuit Paul Ricard. Along with Alex Buncombe and Wolfgang Reip, Chiyo won the 2015 series. The trio won the 1000 km Paul Ricard and finished third in the final race of the series at the Nürburgring, taking the title by three points over the Bentley M-Sport entry of Steven Kane, Andy Meyrick and Guy Smith.[12] In doing so, Chiyo became the first Japanese driver to win a championship in a top-level sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation, and the first to win a major sports car racing championship of any kind outside of Asia.

Chiyo competed in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour as part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange, driving a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 with Buncombe and Reip. Chiyo was involved in a crash in the early stages of the race, ending the team's chances after 58 laps.[13] Chiyo returned to the race in 2015, this time paired with Reip and Florian Strauss. The trio won the race after Chiyo took the lead with two laps remaining.[14] In the 2016 race, Chiyo finished a close second driving with Kelly and Strauss.[15]

In 2017, Chiyo participated in the Blancpain Endurance Series with Alex Buncombe and Lucas Ordonez with RJN who retired the Nissan GT Academy program to run a new program with Motul forming Motul Team RJN Nissan. Chiyo, Buncombe and Ordóñez withdrew the first race after Bentley Team M-Sport's driver Guy Smith caused a severe multi-car pileup accident which involved Chiyo. The team went on to finish twenty-third in the championship talley. Chiyo returned to the sport in 2019, driving for KCMG after RJN Motorsport withdrew the Nissan marque. He was teamed with Tsugio Matsuda and Josh Burdon. Chiyo was set to debut the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour with Burdon and Matsuda but withdrew the race after he crashed in the first practice which caused major damage to the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.

Super Formula (2018)

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Chiyo competed for one season in the Japanese Super Formula Championship, driving for B-Max Racing Team in 2018. His best finish was tenth place at the season-ending JAF Grand Prix Suzuka.

Racing record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles FLaps Podiums Points Position
2007 Formula Challenge Japan ? 12 0 0 0 0 28 15th
2008 Formula Challenge Japan NDDP 16 3 1 1 6 136 3rd
2009 Japanese Formula 3 Championship - National Team Nova 16 0 0 0 5 48 6th
2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship - National Denso Team Le Beausset 16 1 1 1 7 66 3rd
2011 Japanese Formula 3 Championship - National NDDP Racing 14 5 5 3 10 89 1st
2012 Super GT - GT300 NDDP Racing 8 1 0 0 2 53 4th
2013 Super GT - GT300 Dijon Racing 8 0 0 0 0 2 28th
Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-MAX Engineering 15 2 1 2 8 72 3rd
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th
2014 Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am Nissan GT Academy Team RJN 5 0 0 0 1 25 12th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
GT Asia Series B-Max Racing Team 3 0 0 0 0 11 46th
2015 Super GT - GT300 Gainer 6 2 1 0 3 74 2nd
Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-MAX Racing Team 2 0 0 0 0 4 10th
Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro Nissan GT Academy Team RJN 5 1 0 1 2 62 1st
2016 Super GT - GT500 MOLA 7 0 0 0 1 23 12th
Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-MAX Racing Team with NDDP 13 1 0 2 3 34 6th
2017 Super GT - GT500 MOLA 8 0 0 0 1 29 12th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Motul Team RJN Nissan 5 0 0 0 0 12 23rd
Intercontinental GT Challenge Nissan Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Motul Team RJN Nissan 1 0 0 0 0
2018 Super GT - GT500 NDDP by B-Max Racing 8 0 0 0 0 14 17th
Super Formula B-MAX Racing Team 6 0 0 0 0 0 18th
2019 Super GT - GT500 Team Impul 1 0 0 0 0 0 16th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup KCMG 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Intercontinental GT Challenge 5 0 0 2 0 8 31st
24H GT Series - A6-Pro 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Super Taikyu - ST-TCR Waimarama Kizuna Racing Team 5 0 0 1 2 78.5‡ 5th‡
2020 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing with B-Max 8 0 0 0 0 29 13th
Super Taikyu - ST-TCR Waimarama Kizuna Racing Team 5 2 0 1 4 102.5‡ 2nd‡
2021 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing with B-Max 8 0 0 0 1 39 10th
Super Taikyu - ST-Z Porsche Team EBI Waimarama 6 1 0 0 1 52.5‡ 7th‡
2022 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing 8 2 0 1 2 66 2nd
Super Taikyu - ST-Z Porsche Team EBI Waimarama 5 0 0 2 1 80‡ 5th‡
2023 Super GT - GT500 NDDP Racing 7 1 0 0 3 63 2nd
Super Taikyu - ST-Z Porsche Team EBI Waimarama 6 0 2 2 1 50‡ 8th‡
2024 Super GT - GT500 NISMO
Super Taikyu - ST-Q

* Season still in progress.

‡ Team standings.

Complete Super GT results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Pts
2012 NDDP Racing Nissan GT-R GT300 OKA
19 		FUJ
18 		SEP
4 		SUG
1 		SUZ
2 		FUJ
9 		AUT
19 		MOT
6 		4th 53
2013 Dijon Racing OKA
9 		FUJ
11 		SEP
13 		SUG
11 		SUZ
16 		FUJ
Ret 		FUJ AUT
17 		MOT
18 		28th 2
2015 GAINER OKA
7 		FUJ
1 		CHA FUJ
6 		SUZ
1 		SUG AUT
2 		MOT
6 		2nd 74
2016 MOLA Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 GT500 OKA
3 		FUJ
7 		AUT
13 		SUG
Ret 		FUJ SUZ
12 		CHA
8 		MOT
7 		12th 23
2017 OKA
Ret 		FUJ
11 		AUT
4 		SUG
2 		FUJ
11 		SUZ
14 		CHA
10 		MOT
6 		12th 29
2018 NDDP by B-Max Racing OKA
7 		FUJ
10 		SUZ
7 		CHA
13 		FUJ
15 		SUG
8 		AUT
13 		MOT
9 		17th 14
2019 Team Impul OKA FUJ SUZ CHA FUJ AUT
12 		SUG MOT 16th 0
2020 NDDP Racing with B-Max FUJ
7 		FUJ
8 		SUZ
6 		MOT
7 		FUJ
Ret 		SUZ
4 		MOT
15 		FUJ
6 		13th 29
2021 OKA
9 		FUJ
5 		MOT
6 		SUZ
2 		SUG
Ret 		AUT
4 		MOT
14 		FUJ
8 		10th 39
2022 NDDP Racing Nissan Z GT500 OKA
5 		FUJ
15 		SUZ
1 		FUJ
12 		SUZ
4 		SUG
1 		AUT
7 		MOT
4 		2nd 66
2023 OKA
2 		FUJ
5 		SUZ
4 		FUJ
1 		SUZ
12 		SUG
9 		AUT
3 		MOT
13 		2nd 63
2024 NISMO OKA
 FUJ
 SUZ
 FUJ
 SUZ
 SUG
 AUT
 MOT

* Season still in progress.

Complete Super Formula results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DC Pts
2018 B-MAX Racing Team SUZ
14 		AUT
C 		SUG
Ret 		FUJ
17 		MOT
19 		OKA
15 		SUZ
10 		18th 0

Complete Intercontinental GT Challenge results

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Year Manufacturer Car 1 2 3 4 Pos. Points
2016 Nissan Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 (2016) BAT
3 		SPA
2 		SEP
1 		1st 58
2017 Nissan Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 (2017) BAT
Ret 		SPA
4 		LAG
DNS 		10th 12
2018 Nissan Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 (2018) BAT
5 		SPA
Ret 		SUZ
10 		LAG 19th 12

* Season still in progress.

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2014 Japan NISMO Athlete Global Team United Kingdom Alex Buncombe
Belgium Wolfgang Reip 		Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 A 58 DNF DNF
2015 Japan NISMO Athlete Global Team Belgium Wolfgang Reip
Germany Florian Strauss 		Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 AA 269 1st 1st
2016 Japan NISMO Athlete Global Team Australia Rick Kelly
Germany Florian Strauss 		Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 AP 297 2nd 2nd
2017 Japan Nissan Motorsport United Kingdom Alex Buncombe
Australia Michael Caruso 		Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 APP 174 32nd 8th
2019 Hong Kong KCMG Australia Josh Burdon
Japan Tsugio Matsuda 		Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 APP 301 15th 10th

References

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  1. ^ a b "Katsumasa Chiyo". Driver Database. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Star River‧Windsor Arch Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix - Final Race Classification" (PDF). Macau Grand Prix. 17 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Tears and joy in the pole-to-win! ENEOS SUSTINA SC430 gets first victory in nine years". Super GT. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  4. ^ "2012 Results - Driver Ranking GT300". Super GT. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  5. ^ "GT300 winner also a GT-R, as GAINER TANAX GT-R triumphs". Super GT. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. ^ "In GT300, GAINER TANAX GT-R score second win of the season". Super GT. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Reigning BES champion Katsumasa Chiyo injures spine in Super GT crash". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  8. ^ "A Dramatic Last Lap Gives the DENSO SARD KOBELCO LC500Its First Win of the Season!". SUPER GT Official Website. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Chiyo Substitutes For Ailing Rossiter At Autopolis | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  10. ^ "NDDP Racing Wins At Suzuka, Scores Nissan Z's First GT500 Victory | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  11. ^ "It's Official, TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh Wins At Suzuka | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  12. ^ "McLaren wins iRacing.com GT500 at the Nürburgring - Chiyo, Reip, Buncombe take 2015 Blancpain Endurance drivers title". Blancpain GT Series. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Nissan trio returns for Bathurst 12H 'revenge'". Speedcafe. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  14. ^ "NISMO Godzilla claims tense Bathurst 12 Hour". Speedcafe. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  15. ^ "SVG leads McLaren to Bathurst 12 Hour victory". Speedcafe. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour
2015
(with Wolfgang Reip & Florian Strauss) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Blancpain Endurance Series
Champion
2015 with:
Alex Buncombe
Wolfgang Reip 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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