Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing brings five Kyojo Cup regulars for first Dubai 24 Hour appearance

Super GT regulars Rookie Racing will race in the 2026 Dubai 24 Hour in the TCE class, fielding Rio Shimono, Miki Onaga, Aimi Saito, Kokoro Sato and Rami Sasaki, who are all set to make their debuts in international endurance competitions.

Ph: Kyojo Cup

Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing, a race winning team in Super GT led by Akio Toyoda, will expand their operations in 2026 by entering the Dubai 24 Hour in the TCE class with a de-tuned "B-spec" version of the Toyota Supra GT4 Evo.

The car will be driven by the top five finishers in this year's Kyojo Cup standings. Reigning Kyojo Cup champion Rio Shimono, who has also competed in the MEC120 series this year, will lead the charge as she will race abroad for the first time in her career. Runner-up in points for the third year in a row, Miki Onaga will return to international racing after racing in select races of last year's Toyota GR Cup North America season.

Last year's Kyojo Cup champion Aimi Saito join the two in her second ever 24 hour event, having taken the ST-Q win at the Fuji 24 Hours, as well as Kokoro Sato and Rami Sasaki, who will complete the lineup. Sato, the youngest driver of the team at 17, will compete in her first ever endurance event as well as her first race abroad, after clinching fourth in the standings in Kyojo Cup by finishing all but two races in the top five. Sasaki meanwhile, secured fifth in points following a very strong second half, in which she took her only podium of the season and also achieved her best-ever starting position of second in the penultimate round. All five drivers will also race in next year's Kyojo Cup season, which will once again feature five rounds at Fuji Speedway, with the starting in May and ending in November.

The 2026 Dubai 24 Hour will be held on 17–18 January and will be live-streamed on Creventic's YouTube channel.