Porsche Carrera Cup Japan 2026 – Round 9 (Suzuka)

The starting grid for Round 9 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan (PCCJ) was determined based on the second-best times set during the official qualifying session held on the morning of Saturday, September 12. As in Round 8, overall pole position was claimed by #66 Robert de Haan, the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champion. In the Pro-Am class, #16 Hiro secured pole position, while #17 IKEDA took pole in the Am class.

Rain had been falling continuously since the morning of the 13th, leaving the track in fully wet conditions. The race held prior to the PCCJ had been interrupted by a red flag due to incidents, resulting in a slightly delayed schedule for the PCCJ. Although the rain had eased, a significant amount of standing water remained on the circuit, creating hazardous conditions. As a result, the Round 9 final race got underway at 10:55 a.m. behind the Safety Car.

The field circulated behind the Safety Car while assessing the track conditions, and the Safety Car lights were turned off on lap two, with racing beginning on lap three. From pole position, #66 de Haan accelerated away from second-placed #99 Taichi Watarai and swept through Turn 1 with an increasing advantage. As #99 Watarai struggled to gain speed, third-placed #78 Iori Kimura closed in. The two cars ran side by side into the chicane, and Kimura successfully overtook Watarai around the outside of the final corner to move into second place. On lap three, de Haan set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 2:16.922 and began to pull away from the field.

De Haan delivered a composed performance in the rain and claimed his seventh victory of the season without relinquishing the lead at any point. Excluding Rounds 4 and 5, which he missed while competing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Europe, he has achieved pole-to-win victories in all seven PCCJ races he has contested, maintaining a perfect 100 percent win rate.

“This was my first wet race in Japan, and it was really enjoyable,” said de Haan. “Driving in the rain is different, but I was able to understand the characteristics of the circuit very quickly, and I think we had a very good race.”

Kimura, who finished second for the second consecutive day, expressed his disappointment: “I wanted to pass Watarai early on and challenge de Haan for the win, but I wasn’t able to catch him.”

Third-placed Watarai commented, “We made several adjustments for the wet conditions, but they ended up working against us. We simply didn’t have the pace.”

As a result, de Haan moved to the top of the overall standings with 162.5 points. Watarai sits second on 158 points, followed by Kimura with 122 points and Reimei Ito in fourth with 120 points. Mathematically, all four drivers remain in contention for the championship heading into the final event.

In the Pro-Am class, #16 Hiro maintained the strong form he had shown in Round 8, displaying impressive pace in the rain to claim his third victory of the season. During the race, he even overtook #60 Reimei Ito from the Pro class, ultimately finishing fourth overall.

“It was a wet race, but I enjoyed battling with Ito as well,” said Hiro. “With these back-to-back wins this weekend, the championship title is starting to come into view.”

The battle for second place in Pro-Am between #77 Dai Hamasaki and #88 Tiger Wu ultimately went in favor of Hamasaki. As a result, Tiger Wu leads the Pro-Am standings with 166.5 points, while Hiro is second with 165 points, leaving just a 1.5-point gap heading into the final event.

In the Am class, #17 IKEDA secured his eighth consecutive victory of the season.

“The wet conditions were physically demanding, but I’m happy to have won,” said IKEDA. “It appears that I have also secured the Am class title, but I’ll continue to do my best to win the remaining races.”

The next visit to Fuji will mark the final event of the season, with PCCJ Rounds 10 and 11 taking place at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture on Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26. As this event serves as a support race for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Fuji 6 Hours, the PCCJ overall champion and Pro-Am class champion will be decided in front of a large crowd attending the world championship event. Attention now turns to who will emerge as this season’s champion.

Weather: Rain Track Conditions: Wet Air Temperature: 25°C Track Temperature: 27°C (at race start)