Porsche Carrera Cup Japan 2026 – Round 6 (Sugo) Race Report
The starting grid for the PCCJ Round 6 race was determined by the drivers’ best lap times recorded during the official qualifying session held on Saturday morning, August 8. Overall pole position went to #66 Robert de Haan, the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champion. 2024 PCCJ champion #60 Reimei Ito qualified second, while 2025 PCCJ champion #78 Iori Kimura took third, putting the Japanese and German champions at the front of the grid.
Although #66 de Haan had missed Rounds 4 and 5 of the previous event, he had won all three races he entered in Rounds 1 through 3 from pole position. All eyes were therefore on whether he would once again demonstrate a pace capable of dominating his rivals.
At 4:10 p.m. on August 8, the formation lap for the Round 6 race got underway amid concerns about possible thunderstorms as clouds began to build overhead. The drivers completed the formation lap while assessing the track conditions, before lining up once again on the grid for the race start.
Pole-sitter #66 de Haan led the field into Turn 1, while #78 Kimura, starting third, made an excellent getaway to overtake #60 Ito and move into second. Meanwhile, #12 Lachlan Broxham, starting fourth, made a slow start, while #99 Taichi Watarai, who started fifth, gained two positions to move up to third.
From the lead, #66 de Haan immediately began to pull away from the cars behind. On lap 5, when he set the fastest lap of the race at 1:22.549, he had extended his advantage to 4.360 seconds. Continuing to demonstrate a consistent pace, #66 de Haan ran alone at the front and, by the end of the 18-lap race, had built a 13.753-second advantage over second place to take the chequered flag.
With this victory, #66 de Haan completed a perfect record of four pole-to-win victories in all four races he has contested since the opening round.
“It is thanks to the team for preparing such a fantastic Cup Car that I was able to build a gap to the drivers behind and win again today. I am truly grateful. I will do my best to make it another consecutive victory tomorrow,” said de Haan modestly.
Behind him, #78 Kimura, #99 Watarai, #12 Broxham and #60 Ito engaged in a close battle for second, running nose-to-tail throughout the race. The intense battle continued all the way to the finish, but there were no changes in position as the four drivers took the chequered flag.
Finishing second for his best result of the season so far, #78 Kimura said:
“SUGO is a circuit I know very well, so I think I was able to defend my position all the way to the finish.”
Third-placed #99 Watarai commented:
“It was good to start from fifth on the grid, overtake two cars and make it onto the podium. I will start second tomorrow, so I will do my best to battle with de Haan.”
#12 Broxham finished fourth in his first-ever PCCJ race.
“I made a mistake at the start, which really hurt. I didn’t have an opportunity to make a move during the race, so it was disappointing that I couldn’t improve my position,” he reflected.
In the Pro-Am class, #88 Tiger Wu and #16 Hiro fought a two-way battle throughout the race. #88 Tiger Wu held off the charging #16 Hiro until the finish to take victory.
“The battle was just as hot as the weather today. I’m glad I was able to hold onto my position all the way to the end,” said #88 Tiger Wu with a smile.
In the Am class, #17 IKEDA delivered an impressive drive from the back of the grid to take victory.
“I was tired from the extreme heat, but I’m very happy to win. I’ll do my best to achieve the same result tomorrow,” said IKEDA, already looking ahead to the next race.
The grid for Round 7, which will be held tomorrow, Sunday, August 9, will be determined by the drivers’ second-best qualifying times recorded on August 8. #66 de Haan will start from overall pole position, while #88 Tiger Wu will take Pro-Am class pole and #27 SOUICHIROU MANO will start from pole in the Am class.
The Round 7 race is scheduled to start at 10:50 a.m. on Sunday, August 9, with the race distance set at 18 laps or 30 minutes plus one lap. The race will be streamed live on the official Porsche Japan YouTube channel.
Round 7 Live Stream
Scheduled broadcast: August 9, from 10:45 a.m.
Weather: Cloudy Track Conditions: Dry Air Temperature: 28°C Track Temperature: 35°C (at race start)
