Velorex clinches its first Super GT victory at Fuji Speedway, showcasing Yokohama’s Advan tyre performance in Japan’s top touring car series.
Advan’s Excellent Performance Helped Velorex Win the Race
Yokohama Rubber‘s flagship brand, Advan, took centre stage at the 2025 AUTOBACKS Super GT Series as Velorex’s Yoshiaki Katayama and Roberto Merhi Muntan won the GT300 class at the Fuji Speedway, Shizuoka, Japan.
The victory for Katayama and Muntan, who drove a Uni-Robo Bluegrass Ferrari in the three-hour race, happened in Round two of Japan’s ultimate touring car racing series, earlier this month.
Velorex’s Ferrari started from the 27th grid with Merhi as the first driver before handing the wheel to Katayama. Racing quickly and without trouble, Katayama moved up among the leaders before turning the car over to Merhi again for the final stint.
With ten minutes remaining in the three-hour race, Merhi ran second after the final round of pit stops. Though the gap to the leader seemed insurmountable, Merhi kept pushing, relentlessly closing in on the car ahead. His perseverance paid off dramatically on the final lap when the leading car suffered a mechanical failure and came to a halt.
Seizing the moment, Merhi surged into the lead and crossed the finish line, securing a remarkable come-from-behind victory — the first-ever SUPER GT win for Team Velorex. Meanwhile, the fourth-place Carguy Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Zak O’Sullivan, Rikuto Kobayashi, and Keita Sawa, also competed on Yokohama tires.
For Yokohama, Velorex’s maiden victory was a special occasion as it displayed the quality of its Advan tyre brand in a competitive setting. “Yokohama looks forward to winning a second consecutive series championship in the GT300 class this year as part of its Advan Challenge, which seeks to maximise sales of Advan tyres. Advan tyres’ excellent performance supported the winning car as it raced to victory,” the company wrote in an official statement.
Yokohama’s three-year medium-term plan, Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), targets stronger sales of high-value-added tyres by boosting its flagship Advan and Geolandar brands, alongside winter tyres and larger-diameter products (18-inch and up). A key part of this strategy is the company’s ongoing investment in motorsports, which Yokohama sees as essential to reinforcing brand strength. From elite racing series to grassroots competitions, the Japanese tyremaker continues to maintain a global motorsports presence to elevate its brands’ visibility and reputation.
