The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., is pleased to announce that a car fitted with its global flagship ADVAN brand tires finished first in the GT300 class in the FUJI GT 3Hours RACE GW SPECIAL, Round 2 of the 2026 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series, Japan’s ultimate GT (Grand Touring) car racing series. Round 2 was held on May 3–4 at the Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture. The ADVAN-equipped car raced to its first win of the season, supported by the excellent grip and durability provided by Yokohama Rubber’s ADVAN racing tires.
The victorious car was KONDO RACING’s No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R (drivers: Joao Paulo de Oliveira and Iori Kimura). No. 56 started the race from 6th position with Oliveira at the wheel and steadily moved toward the front. After a pit stop at the end of lap 41 and with about 2 hours to the race’s finish, Oliveira turned the wheel over to Kimura. Maintaining a steady pace without any trouble, Kimura took the lead at the race’s midpoint before making the team’s second pit stop on lap 78 (with about 45 minutes remaining). With Oliveira in the driver’s seat once again, car No. 56 maintained a high pace until receiving the checkered flag a full lap ahead of the rest of the pack. The GT300 class victory was the first for KONDO RACING and driver Oliveira since Round 2 in the 2023 season and Kimura’s first win with KONDO RACING in just his second race with the team.
The consumer tire strategy in Yokohama Rubber’s three-year (2024–2026) medium-term management plan, Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), aims to maximize the sales ratios of high-value-added tires by expanding sales of YOKOHAMA’s global flagship ADVAN brand, the GEOLANDAR brand of tires for SUVs and pickup trucks, winter tires, and 18-inch and larger tires. Yokohama Rubber positions participation in motorsports activities as crucial to its effort to further strengthen the ADVAN and GEOLANDAR brands. Yokohama Rubber therefore is again participating in a wide variety of motorsports events around the globe, from top-category to grassroots events
Featured Image: Joao Paulo de Oliveira (center right) and Iori Kimura celebrate their victory on the podium
