Short-lived Super GT podium joy for Gloucestershire's Zak O'Sullivan in Fuji

Zak, from Withington, near Cheltenham, impressed in front of a huge raceday crowd of about 50,000 as the Super GT championship rolled into Fuji for one of the centrepiece events of the season.

The 20-year-old and team-mate Rikuto Kobayashi qualified the #7 CarGuy MKS Racing Ferrari third in class for the three-hour enduro at the famous Fuji Speedway, set in the foothills of Mount Fuji.

The duo were able to maintain that front-running pace throughout in what was also only the second race for the CarGuy MKS Racing team, with Kobayashi passing Yuui Tsutsumi with just six minutes of to go to secure the third step on the podium.

Sadly, the joy was short-lived as following the podium ceremony, the race stewards handed the #7 Ferrari a 10-second penalty for having too many mechanics working on the car during refuelling.

It meant Zak was classified fourth, an impressive result nonetheless for both driver and team.

Zak said: “It’s a weekend of mixed emotions – I’m happy with our pace and our results on track, especially considering this is a brand-new team and I’m racing on most of these circuits for the first time.

“However, there’s naturally some disappointment at losing our first podium finish for a technical infringement, which is all part of the highs and lows of motorsport.

“It was great to be back fighting at the sharp end of a race and I’ll take a lot of good learnings from this weekend into the next round.”

A packed campaign in both Super GT and Super Formula in 2025 means Zak will quickly be back on circuit after a weekend off, as the latter series takes to the track at Autopolis (May 17-18).

Both Super GT and Super Formula are available to watch live and on-demand on Motorsport TV.

For more information on Zak, visit www.zakosullivan.com or follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/zak.osullivan.