Katsumasa Chiyo


Katsumasa Chiyo is a Japanese racing driver, currently driving for RJN Motorsport in the Blancpain Endurance Series and for Gainer in the Super GT series. He is a part of Nissan's GT Academy program.

Career

Open-wheel racing

Chiyo began racing cars in 2007, competing in the Formula Challenge Japan series. He finished third in the 2008 series before moving into the National Class of the All-Japan Formula Three Championship in 2009. Chiyo won the National Class in 2011 and moved on to GT racing. However, he returned to the championship in 2013, finishing third in the outright class and winning two races. Chiyo took part in the 2013 Macau Grand Prix, finishing in 15th place.

GT racing

Following his National Class win in the 2011 All-Japan Formula Three Championship, Chiyo switched to the Super GT series, racing a Nissan GT-R in the GT300 class for NDDP Racing. He took victory at Sportsland SUGO with Yuhi Sekiguchi and went on to finish the season in fourth place. Chiyo moved to Dijon Racing for the 2013 series and finished 28th in the standings after taking just one points-scoring finish. He didn't race in the series in 2014, but returned in 2015, driving for Gainer in the GT300 class. He won at Fuji with teammate André Couto and at Suzuka with Couto and Ryuichiro Tomita. Chiyo will step up to the GT500 class in 2016, driving the S Road MOLA Nissan GT-R alongside Satoshi Motoyama.
Chiyo began racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series 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. 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, Reip and V8 Supercar driver Rick Kelly. Chiyo was involved in a crash in the early stages of the race, ending the team's chances after 58 laps. 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. In the 2016 race, Chiyo finished a close second driving with Kelly and Strauss.

Racing record

Career summary

* Season still in progress.

Complete Super GT results

YearTeamCarClass123456789DCPts
2012NDDP RacingNissan GT-RGT300OKA
19		FUJ
18		SEP
4		SUG
1		SUZ
2		FUJ
9		AUT
19		MOT
6		4th53
2013Dijon RacingNissan GT-RGT300OKA
9		FUJ
11		SEP
13		SUG
11		SUZ
16		FUJ
Ret		FUJAUT
17		MOT
18		28th2
2015GainerNissan GT-RGT300OKA
7		FUJ
1		CHAFUJ
6		SUZ
1		SUGAUT
2		MOT
6		2nd74
2016MOLANissan GT-RGT500OKA
3		FUJ
7		AUT
13		SUG
Ret		FUJSUZ
12		CHA
8		MOT
7		12th23
2017MOLANissan GT-RGT500OKA
Ret		FUJ
11		AUT
4		SUG
2		FUJ
11		SUZ
14		CHA
10		MOT
6		12th29
2018NDDP by B-Max RacingNissan GT-RGT500OKA
7		FUJ
10		SUZ
7		CHA
13		FUJ
15		SUG
8		AUT
13		MOT
9		17th14
2019Team ImpulNissan GT-RGT500OKAFUJSUZCHAFUJAUT
12		SUGMOT16th0
2020NDDP RacingNissan GT-R Nismo GT500GT500FUJ
FUJ
SUZ
MOT
FUJ
SUZ
MOT
FUJ
**

* Season still in progress.

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results