The TCR Japan championships kicks off at Fuji Speedway

Two weeks after the pre-season test at Fuji Speedway, TCR Japan competitors return to the track for the opening event of the new season.

'Hirobon' of Birth Racing Project has swapped the CUPRA he drove last year for a new CUPRA Leon Competitición in his attempt to defend the titles he won in the Saturday and Sunday series.

'Hirobon's teammate Kenji Suzuki has also switched to a new car and will race a second-generation Audi RS 3 LMS.

Last year's vice-champion Masanobu Kato and newcomer Satoshi Takikawa will drive a pair of first-generation Audi cars for Team Mars and Team Motoyama respectively.

The Honda contingent is led by Team G/Motion's Resshu Shioya who claimed his maiden TCR Japan victory in last year's season finale at Suzuka. The other Civic Type R cars are in the hands of Anna Inotsume for DOME Racing and 'Mototino' for 55Moto Racing.

The field is completed by two Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars run by M-Prototyping Stile Corse for Mineki Okura and J'S Techcen Racing for Shinsuke Umeda.

TCR Japan – entry list
17 Kenji Suzuki (Birth Racing Project, Audi RS 3 LMS TCR)
19 'Hirobon' (Birth Racing Project, CUPRA Leon Competición TCR)
24 Satoshi Takikawa (Team Motoyama, Audi RS 3 LMS)
55 'Mototino' (55 Moto Racing, Honda Civic FK8 TCR)
62 Resshu Shioya (Team G/Motion, Honda Civic FK8 TCR)
65 Masanobu Kato (Audi Team Mars, Audi RS 3 LMS)
73 Mineki Okura (M-Prototyping Team Stile Corse, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR)
88 Shinsuke Umeda (J'S Techcen Racing, Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR)
98 Anna Inotsume (DOME Racing, Honda Civic FK8 TCR)

Picture: TCR Japan