Fighting finish for Craft-Bamboo Racing's two-car Suzuka 1000km assault
16th September 2026
The #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Pro class entry was fastest in qualifying in Suzuka before being 2kg underweight sent the car to the rear of the grid in 28th
Maxime Martin, Kakunoshin Ohta, and Luca Stolz climbed 23 positions to finish fifth overall
The #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Pro-Am entry ran second in class for opening three hours before a mid-race technical issue dropped them down the order to finish 6th in class
It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for Craft-Bamboo Racing at the 50th edition of the Suzuka 1000km. The Hong Kong squad's #77 entry charging from the back of the grid to grab fifth overall, while a technical issue denied the #28 a second consecutive Pro-Am podium at what was round four of the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC).
The #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing entry of Maxime Martin, Kakunoshin Ohta, and Luca Stolz was fastest of all in qualifying at Suzuka, before coming in 2kg underweight at the post qualifying technical inspection. The resulting penalty saw the Hong Kong squad relegated to 28th on the starting grid for Sunday's six-and-a-half-hour race.
What followed was a masterclass in recovery. Martin took the start in mixed conditions and carved through the field in a brilliant opening stint, the #77 running seventh by the end of the first hour. Ohta took over on home soil for the second hour and moved the car up to sixth after driving a very rapid stint, before handing the Mercedes-AMG GT3 over to Stolz, who brought it into the top five by the end of the third hour. The three drivers repeated that rotation across the remainder of the race, with Stolz taking the chequered flag.
Holding fifth was anything but straightforward, with severe floor damage picked up around the midway point stripping the car of aerodynamic grip and with it, much of its pace. The crew and drivers managed the deficit for the final three hours, defending the position through the closing stages and crossing the line completing 183 laps and scoring valuable points for both the drivers and manufacturer title fights in the IGTC.
On the other side of the garage, the #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Pro-Am entry had been well in the hunt for a second consecutive class podium, with Kevin Tse, Joao Paulo de Oliviera, and then Daisuke Yamawaki all holding P2 in Pro-Am across the first three hours of the race. Soon after, disaster struck as a technical issue forced the car into the garage.
The diagnosis and repair cost several laps and unfortunately ended any hope of a class podium. Even so, Yamawaki returned to the race before handing back over to Tse where he completed his second stint of the race with blistering speed, recording the second-best stint average of any bronze driver in the race. Yamawaki then jumped back in to complete his second stint, where he continued to build his confidence and speed in the car, before de Oliveira took the #28 to the finish. With the drivers and crew recovering as much ground as the lost laps allowed, the car ultimately crossed the line sixth in class after completing 175 laps.
Aside from the racing, the team’s taxi-inspired liveries were a real fan favourite throughout the event, with the highly anticipated Tarmac Works model cars expected to be ready for pre-ordering soon. The green and yellow of the #77, a tribute to the classic taxis of Tokyo, made an immediate impression upon release and even inspired Tokyo taxi operator Tokyo Musen to come on board as a partner for the event, joining Tarmac Works and Motul in supporting the Pro entry. Tarmac Works also backed the #28 entry, alongside Contempo Concept, TMRM, and Cataclean.
Craft-Bamboo Racing now turns its attention back to the penultimate round of GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS, set to be held in Beijing across October 2-4. For more information on the team, visit www.craftbamboo.com.
Darryl O'Young | Director Craft-Bamboo Racing
"To start from the back of the grid after showing strong pace all weekend was a tough way to begin the race, but what the team did from there is something I am immensely proud of. Maxime, Kaku, and Luca drove superbly, the pit crew was faultless, and to come from 28th to 5th at a circuit like Suzuka, especially with the floor damage we picked up mid-way through the race, was nothing short of impressive. In the #28 we were right where we wanted to be in Pro-Am, so it was sad to see an electrical glitch cost the team its place on the podium. The way that crew kept going and brought the car to the finish deserves credit as well, despite their race being all but done from hour three. Overall, it was a tough weekend for us, but I truly appreciate the hard work and dedication the crew and drivers put into the weekend; we will come back stronger."
Maxime Martin | Driver - #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“It was definitely not the final result we were looking for, but we scored some very valuable points regarding the Championship. It was great to work with the team for the first time, and I look forward to racing with all of them in the future.”
Luca Stolz | Driver - #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3
"Suzuka is hard enough when everything is right with the car, so to be defending fifth in the closing stages with the damage we had was a real challenge. Maxime and Kaku did a brilliant job in the early hours to put us back in the top five, and from there it became about managing what we had left. Fifth from 28th is a credit to everyone in the team."
Kakunoshin Ohta | Driver - #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3
"The Suzuka 1000km didn’t end with the result we were aiming for, which was the win, so of course it was disappointing. But the whole team did an amazing job, and we were able to show great pace both in qualifying and throughout the race. I’m really happy that we could race flat out together with everyone at Craft-Bamboo, especially with such a special livery. Thank you to the whole team for all the hard work.”
Kevin Tse: Driver - #28 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“We came here to fight for the class win again and for three hours we were in exactly the right position to do that, so to lose it to a technical problem is disappointing for everyone in the team. The car felt good and the pace was there. I want to thank the crew, who worked hard to get us going again, and JP and Daisuke for the job they did in difficult circumstances”
Daisuke Yamawaki: Driver - #28 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“It was tricky conditions from Paid Practice through Qualifying, but we had good momentum throughout the weekend. The race was going well until we unfortunately had a technical issue but everyone in the team worked hard and gave their best. I learned a lot from this experience and hope to come back stronger for another challenge.”
Joao Paulo de Oliveira: Driver - #28 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“It was a great experience to be part of the Suzuka 1000km with Craft-Bamboo Racing. We were running P2 in class before a technical issue took us out of contention. A disappointing result, but that’s endurance racing. I really enjoyed the challenge and driving Suzuka into the night was something special.”
ABOUT CRAFT-BAMBOO RACING
Craft-Bamboo Racing is an official performance team of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, competing on motorsport’s world stage in sprint and endurance events around the year. Enjoying a multitude of successes through numerous race programs, Craft-Bamboo Racing’s achievements are a testament to the team’s ability to push its boundaries.
The team has years of world championship experience and is truly a unique company in the global motorsports industry, bridging motorsport between Europe and Asia. With its headquarters in Hong Kong and workshops in Sepang and Silverstone, the company is uniquely positioned to deliver global race programs and marketing activations.
