Yuhi Sekiguchi (関口雄飛, Sekiguchi Yūhi, born 29 December 1987 in Nakano, Tokyo) is a Japanese racing driver. He currently competes in the GT500 class of the Super GT Series for TGR Team SARD.[1]

Yuhi Sekiguchi
NationalityJapan Japanese
Born (1987-12-29) 29 December 1987 (age 36)
Tokyo, Japan
Super GT career
Debut season2007
Current teamTGR Team SARD
Car number39
Former teamsTGR Team au TOM'S, Racing Project Bandoh
MOLA
NDDP Racing
JLOC
Starts94
Championships1
Wins5
Podiums18
Poles4
Fastest laps2
Best finish1st in 2021
Super Formula career
Debut season2014
Current teamTeam Impul
Car number19
Starts63
Wins7
Poles5
Fastest laps6
Best finish3rd in 2016 & 2021
Previous series
2011
2009-10
2008–09
2008
2007-11
2007
2006
200406
2004
2003
All-Japan Formula Three
All-Japan F3 National Class
GP2 Asia Series
International Formula Master
Super GT
All-Japan Formula Three
Formula Challenge Japan
Formula Toyota
Asian Formula Renault
Asia-Pacific Championship ICA
Championship titles
2021
2011
2006
2006
Super GT GT500 Classbr />All-Japan Formula Three
Formula Challenge Japan
Formula Toyota<

Sekiguchi won the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 Championship and the 2021 Super GT GT500 class championship.

Career

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Sekiguchi made his single-seater debut in 2004 after winning a scholarship from Toyota to compete in the Japanese Formula Toyota series. He also raced part time in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge. In 2006, Sekiguchi won the Formula Toyota championship in his third season, and also won the inaugural Formula Challenge Japan championship.

All-Japan Formula Three

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Sekiguchi moved up to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship in 2007, driving for the Now Motor Sports team owned by Naohiro Fujita. He finished seventh overall in the points standings.

International Formula Master

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Sekiguchi moved to Europe in 2008 to compete in the International Formula Master championship. He finished sixteenth in the points standings, with two fourth-place finishes at Imola and Monza.

GP2 Series

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In late 2008, Sekiguchi competed in the first round of the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season for the David Price Racing team. His team-mate was Michael Herck.[2] He was the fourth Japanese driver in the championship, alongside Sakon Yamamoto, Kamui Kobayashi, and Hiroki Yoshimoto. However, he was then replaced by Giacomo Ricci from the second round onwards.[3]

Return to All-Japan Formula Three

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Sekiguchi returned to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship for 2009, finishing fifth in the National class with AIM Sports. He moved to ThreeBond Racing and finished second in the 2010 championship with three wins, then took part in his first Macau Grand Prix. In 2011, Sekiguchi moved to B-Max Engineering and won the series championship with six victories. He then went on to finish fourth in that year's Macau Grand Prix driving for Mücke Motorsport.

Afterwards, Sekiguchi would make part-time appearances in All-Japan F3 with B-Max in 2013 and 2015. He also returned to the Macau Grand Prix in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018.

Super GT (2007-)

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GT300 (2007-2012)

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Sekiguchi made his Super GT debut in 2007, partnering 2002 GT500 champion Akira Iida at Racing Project Bandoh. In just his fifth race at Sportsland Sugo, Sekiguchi drove from behind and passed Shigekazu Wakisaka with just a few laps remaining to take the win.[4] In doing so he became the youngest GT300 class winner at the time, at 19 years, 7 months of age (a record which would be broken in 2008 by Keisuke Kunimoto).

Sekiguchi made a one-off appearance for the Bandoh team during the 2008 Suzuka 1000km. After returning to Japan, he began driving for Hironori Takeuchi's SHIFT team in mid-2009. He drove for JLOC during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, recording a best finish of third in the 2010 season finale at Motegi.

 
Sekiguchi racing for NDDP in 2012

After winning the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship in 2011, and after a solid performance in that year's Macau Grand Prix, Sekiguchi joined NDDP (Nissan Driver Development Programme) Racing in 2012, driving their new Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 alongside newcomer Katsumasa Chiyo. Sekiguchi and Chiyo won at Sugo to give the GT-R its first GT300 race win.[5] Sekiguchi would later serve a one-race ban during the September round at Fuji for reaching ten penalty points under the Driving Moral Hazard Prevention System.

GT500 (2013-)

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Sekiguchi made his debut in the GT500 class for the 2013 season, joining the defending series champion MOLA and partnering three-time GT500 champion co-driver Satoshi Motoyama. Sekiguchi led the opening laps of the fourth round at Sugo but would finish seventh after a puncture. Their best finish was fourth at Autopolis.

 
Sekiguchi racing for Racing Project Bandoh in 2014

In 2014, Sekiguchi transferred from Nissan to Lexus and reunited with Racing Project Bandoh, who had made the step up to GT500 in 2011. He drove alongside another three-time GT500 champion, Juichi Wakisaka. Sekiguchi and Wakisaka finished in the points in every race during the 2015 season. Yuji Kunimoto became Sekiguchi's new teammate in 2016 after Wakisaka retired from driving in Super GT during the off-season.

At Buriram International Circuit in Thailand, Sekiguchi and Kunimoto won from pole position. It was Sekiguchi's first career GT500 win and the first GT500 win for the Bandoh team in six years;[6] Racing Project Bandoh would not win again in GT500 until the June 2023 race at Suzuka. Sekiguchi finished every race in the points for the second year in a row, and was fourth in the standings alongside Kunimoto.

Sekiguchi moved to TOM'S Racing in 2018, and won the 2018 Fuji GT 500 Mile Race and 2019 Suzuka round alongside co-driver Kazuki Nakajima. In 2020, he and GT500 newcomer Sacha Fenestraz finished fourth in the championship, driving the new Toyota GR Supra GT500.

For 2021, Sekiguchi was joined by Sho Tsuboi at TOM'S. Sekiguchi and Tsuboi went into the final round at Fuji trailing championship leader Naoki Yamamoto by 16 points. They won the race from fourth on the grid, and after Yamamoto was involved in an accident with Honda GT300 driver Ren Sato, Sekiguchi, Tsuboi, and TOM'S would win the GT500 championship after overcoming the largest point deficit in the final round of the season.[7]

Sekiguchi joined TGR Team SARD in 2022, reuniting with his former co-driver Wakisaka, who was now the team director. He and Yuichi Nakayama finished eighth in the standings in 2022, and ninth in the standings in 2023.

Super Formula (2016-2023)

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Sekiguchi racing for Team Impul in 2016

Sekiguchi spent eight seasons in the Super Formula Championship with Team Impul. He made his series debut in 2016, as one of two rookies in the field alongside reigning GP2 Series champion Stoffel Vandoorne. He finished third in the 2016 championship with two wins, at Twin Ring Motegi, and at Sportsland Sugo. At Sugo, Sekiguchi won from pole position after building up a 14-second lead when the safety car was deployed following a spin by teammate João Paulo de Oliveira. Once the safety car was withdrawn, Sekiguchi lapped over a second per lap faster than the field to build a 35-second lead before making his pit stop. He left the pits ahead of second-place Daisuke Nakajima and won by over 14 seconds without relinquishing the lead.[8][9]

He held off another GP2 Series champion and Formula One prospect, Pierre Gasly, by 0.243 seconds to take his second consecutive win at Sugo in 2017.[10] In the 2019 round at Autopolis, he won from 16th on the grid, setting the record for the lowest starting position by a race winner in series history.[11] And in 2022, Sekiguchi fought off team-mate Ryo Hirakawa to win the second race of a double-header at Motegi, for his first victory in over three years, and his last in the series.[12]

Sekiguchi finished as high as third in the championship standings twice, in 2016, and in 2021 when he helped Impul win the Teams' Championship. He was dropped from the Toyota Super Formula roster in 2024 after failing to score any points in the previous season.[13] In total, Sekiguchi recorded seven victories, six pole positions, and 13 podiums in 65 races.

Racing record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2004 Formula Toyota 10 1 ? ? ? ? 3rd
Asian Formula Renault Challenge Asia Racing Team 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2005 Formula Toyota 10 0 0 0 3 68 5th
Asian Formula Renault Challenge Asia Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 N/A* N/P
2006 Formula Challenge Japan 10 3 3 4 7 106 1st
Formula Toyota 12 ? 8 0 ? 155 1st
2007 Japanese Formula 3 Championship Now Motor Sport 20 0 0 0 1 101 7th
Super GT - GT300 Racing Project Bandoh 9 1 0 ? 1 32 10th
2008 International Formula Master Euronova Racing 14 0 0 0 0 12 16th
Formula Master Italia 2 1 1 1 1 11 10th
Super GT - GT300 Racing Project Bandoh 1 0 0 1 0 1 31st
2008-09 GP2 Asia Series DPR 2 0 0 0 0 0 32nd
2009 Japanese Formula 3 Championship - National AIM Sports 14 3 4 3 5 57 5th
Super GT - GT300 Shift 4 0 0 0 0 3 22nd
2010 Japanese Formula 3 Championship ThreeBond Racing 16 0 0 3 11 81 2nd
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 20th
Super GT - GT300 JLOC 7 0 0 0 1 30 9th
JAF GP Nippon Fuji Sprint Cup GT300 1 0 0 0 0 N/A N/P
2011 Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-MAX Engineering 12 6 7 8 10 100 1st
Macau Grand Prix Mücke Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th
Super GT - GT300 JLOC 4 0 0 1 0 N/A N/P
2012 Super GT - GT300 NDDP Racing 7 1 0 0 2 51 6th
2013 Macau Grand Prix Mücke Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 11th
Super GT MOLA 8 0 1 1 0 28 12th
Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-MAX Engineering 2 0 0 0 1 7 8th
2014 Super GT Lexus Team WedsSport BANDOH 8 0 0 0 0 17 15th
2015 Super GT Lexus Team WedsSport BANDOH 8 0 0 0 0 27 11th
Japanese Formula 3 Championship B-MAX Engineering 4 0 0 0 0 2 11th
2016 Super GT Lexus Team WedsSport BANDOH 8 1 1 0 2 58 4th
Super Formula Itochu Enex Team Impul 9 2 2 2 3 28.5 3rd
2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series - GT VS Racing 2 0 0 0 0 12 13th
2017 Super GT Lexus Team WedsSport BANDOH 8 0 0 0 0 23 12th
Super Formula Itochu Enex Team Impul 7 2 1 0 3 25 4th
2018 Super GT Lexus Team au TOM'S 8 1 0 0 2 55 5th
Super Formula Itochu Enex Team Impul 6 1 1 0 2 18 4th
2019 Super GT Lexus Team au TOM's 8 1 2 1 2 38 7th
Super Formula Itochu Enex Team Impul 7 1 0 1 1 16 8th
2020 Super GT TGR Team au TOM'S 8 0 0 0 4 56 4th
Super Formula Itochu Enex Team Impul 7 0 0 0 1 17 14th
2021 Super GT TGR Team au TOM'S 8 1 0 1 3 64 1st
Super Formula Carenex Team Impul 7 0 1 1 2 55 3rd
Super Taikyu - ST-Z B-Max Engineering 3 0 0 0 0 14‡ 13th‡
2022 Super GT TGR Team SARD 8 0 0 0 1 33 8th
Super Formula Carenex Team Impul 10 1 1 2 1 43 7th
Super Taikyu - ST-Q ORC ROOKIE Racing
Super Taikyu - ST-5 Love Drive Racing 1 0 0 0 0 22.5‡ 10th‡
2023 Super GT TGR Team SARD 8 0 0 0 2 38 9th
Super Formula Itochu Enex Team Impul 9 0 0 1 0 0 21st
Super Taikyu - ST-Q ORC ROOKIE Racing
2024 Super GT TGR Team SARD
Super Formula Kids com Team KCMG Reserve driver
  • † - As Sekiguchi was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
  • ‡ - Team standings

Complete Japanese Formula 3 results

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

Year Team Engine Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Pts
2007 Now Motor Sports Toyota FUJ
1

5
FUJ
2

9
SUZ
1

6
SUZ
2

7
MOT
1

7
MOT
2

7
OKA
1

6
OKA
2

6
SUZ
1

7
SUZ
2

5
AUT
1

7
AUT
2

6
AUT
3

5
FUJ
1

8
FUJ
2

12
SEN
1

Ret
SEN
2

6
SEN
3

5
MOT
1

7
MOT
2

2
7th 101
2009 Aim Sports Toyota N FUJ
1

8
FUJ
2

7
OKA
1

3
OKA
2

5
SUZ
1

12
SUZ
2

14
FUJ
1

15
FUJ
2

Ret
SUZ
1

11
SUZ
2

12
MOT
1

10
MOT
2

12
AUT
1

Ret
AUT
2

12
SUG
1
SUG
2
5th 57
2010 ThreeBond Racing Nissan SUZ
1

5
SUZ
2

4
MOT
1

2
MOT
2

3
FUJ
1

2
FUJ
2

3
FUJ
1

2
FUJ
2

4
MOT
1

2
MOT
2

2
OKA
1

3
OKA
2

2
SUG
1

Ret
SUG
2

11
AUT
1

3
AUT
2

2
2nd 81
2011 B-MAX Engineering Toyota SUZ
1
SUZ
2
FUJ
1

1
FUJ
2

3
FUJ
3

12
FUJ
1

1
FUJ
2

7
MOT
1

1
MOT
2

1
OKA
1

2
OKA
2

3
SUZ
1

C
SUZ
2

C
SUG
1

3
SUG
2

1
SUG
3

1
1st 100
2013 B-MAX Engineering Toyota SUZ
1
SUZ
2
MOT
1
MOT
2
MOT
3
OKA
1
OKA
2
FUJ
1
FUJ
2
MOT
1
MOT
2
SUG
1
SUG
2
FUJ
1

5
FUJ
2

3
8th 7
2015 B-MAX Engineering Toyota SUZ
1
SUZ
2
MOT
1
MOT
2
MOT
3
OKA
1
OKA
2
FUJ
1
FUJ
2
OKA
1
OKA
2
FUJ
1
FUJ
2
MOT
1

5
MOT
2

Ret
SUG
1

7
SUG
2

9
11th 2

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
2007 Racing Project Bandoh Toyota Celica GT300 SUZ
14
OKA
19
FUJ
Ret
SEP
9
SUG
1
SUZ
12
MOT
18
AUT
4
FUJ
16
10th 32
2009 Shift Lexus IS350 OKA SUZ FUJ SEP SUG SUZ
9
FUJ
13
AUT
13
MOT
10
22nd 3
2010 JLOC Lamborghini Gallardo SUZ
7
OKA
4
FUJ
16
SEP
15
SUG
10
SUZ
5
FUJ
C
MOT
3
9th 30
2011 OKA
Ret
FUJ
8
SEP
4
SUG
10
SUZ
15
FUJ
4
AUT
12
MOT
5
13th 26
2012 NDDP Racing Nissan GT-R GT3 OKA
19
FUJ
18
SEP
4
SUG
1
SUZ
2
FUJ AUT
19
MOT
6
6th 51
2013 MOLA Nissan GT-R GT500 OKA
10
FUJ
9
SEP
6
SUG
7
SUZ
8
FUJ
7
AUT
4
MOT
14
12th 28
2014 Lexus Team WedsSport BANDOH Lexus RC F OKA
11
FUJ
7
AUT
8
SUG
12
FUJ
11
SUZ
Ret
BUR
6
MOT
6
15th 17
2015 OKA
10
FUJ
7
CHA
9
FUJ
10
SUZ
4
SUG
5
AUT
9
MOT
10
11th 27
2016 OKA
9
FUJ
8
SUG
5
FUJ
10
SUZ
5
CHA
1
MOT
5
MOT
3
4th 58
2017 Lexus LC 500 OKA
6
FUJ
10
AUT
8
SUG
12
FUJ
7
SUZ
4
CHA
12
MOT
15
12th 23
2018 Lexus Team au TOM'S OKA
13
FUJ
4
SUZ
5
CHA
10
FUJ
1
SUG
12
AUT
2
MOT
13
5th 55
2019 OKA
9‡
FUJ
Ret
SUZ
1
CHA
9
FUJ
Ret
AUT
10
SUG
10
MOT
3
7th 38
2020 TGR Team au TOM'S Toyota GR Supra GT500 FUJ
2
FUJ
2
SUZ
3
MOT
11
FUJ
12
SUZ
7
MOT
13
FUJ
3
4th 56
2021 OKA
2
FUJ
13
MOT
3
SUZ
5
SUG
4
AUT
10
MOT
8
FUJ
1
1st 64
2022 TGR Team SARD OKA
8
FUJ
13
SUZ
4
FUJ
6
SUZ
3
SUG
6
AUT
10
MOT
Ret
8th 33
2023 OKA
8
FUJ
8
SUZ
15
FUJ
9
SUZ
2
SUG
3
AUT
14
MOT
7
9th 38
2024 OKA
FUJ
SUZ
FUJ
SUZ
SUG
AUT
MOT

* Season still in progress.

Complete Super Formula results

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(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
2016 Itochu Enex Team Impul SUZ
14
OKA
13
FUJ
3
MOT
1
OKA
13
OKA
9
SUG
1
SUZ
18
SUZ
8
3rd 28.5
2017 SUZ
12
OKA
2
OKA
1
FUJ
4
MOT
16
AUT
10
SUG
1
SUZ
C
SUZ
C
4th 25
2018 SUZ
2
AUT
C
SUG
13
FUJ
6
MOT
16
OKA
1
SUZ
8
4th 18
2019 SUZ
Ret
AUT
1
SUG
10
FUJ
8
MOT
15
OKA
13
SUZ
4
8th 16
2020 MOT
Ret
OKA
5
SUG
11
AUT
11
SUZ
DNS
SUZ
3
FUJ
DNS
14th 17
2021 carenex Team Impul FUJ
17†
SUZ1
4
AUT
10
SUG
3
MOT1
2
MOT2
4
SUZ2
4
3rd 55
2022 FUJ
4
FUJ
6
SUZ
11
AUT
16
SUG
15
FUJ
Ret
MOT
9
MOT
1
SUZ
6
SUZ
11
7th 43
2023 Itochu Enex Team Impul FUJ
11
FUJ
13
SUZ
19
AUT
18
SUG
Ret
FUJ
20
MOT
Ret
SUZ
12
SUZ
16
21st 0

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ "Yuhi Sekiguchi | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Sekiguchi joins DPR for Asia campaign". crash.net. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  3. ^ "Driver changes aplenty in Dubai". crash.net. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  4. ^ "An awesome battle! Three aces fight three-wide!". Super GT. 29 July 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  5. ^ "#1 S Road REITO MOLA GT-R takes third step on the podium GT300-class #3 S Road NDDP GT-R scores maiden victory". Global Nissan Newsroom. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  6. ^ "WedsSport ADVAN RC F Gets First GT500 Win in a Perfect Race from Pole Position! | SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE". supergt.net. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Victory And GT500 Championship Glory For TGR Team au TOM's at Fuji". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Race Review › 2016 Round6". SUPER FORMULA Official Website. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. ^ "関口雄飛 スーパーフォーミュラ第6戦SUGO レースレポート | スーパーフォーミュラ | autosport web". AUTO SPORT web (in Japanese). 29 September 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Super Formula Rd. 6 at SUGO Race Results | SUPER FORMULA Official Website". superformula.net. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Winner from furthest back on the grid: 2019 Rd.2 Autopolis, Yuhi Sekiguchi (16th)". X (formerly Twitter) (in Japanese). 9 May 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Yuhi Sekiguchi (carenex TEAM IMPUL) takes his first win of the season! | SUPER FORMULA Official Website". superformula.net. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  13. ^ Klein, Jamie (12 December 2023). "Toyota confirms 2024 Super Formula line-up / トヨタが来季のSFラインアップを発表しました". Japan Racing Insider. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Inaugural
Formula Challenge Japan
Champion

2006
Succeeded by
Preceded by Formula Toyota
Champion

2006
Succeeded by
Preceded by Japanese Formula 3 Championship
Champion

2011
Succeeded by
Preceded by Super GT
GT500 Champion

2021
With: Sho Tsuboi
Succeeded by