PCCJ Season Opener

On April 13th and 14th, my family and I went to watch the season opener of the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan (hereafter PCCJ) held at Okayama International Circuit. PCCJ mainly runs as a support race for SUPER GT, but it is also known as the “world’s fastest one-make race (a race where all participants drive identical racing machines).”

This was our second time visiting Okayama International Circuit to watch PCCJ. The last time, our kids were still small, so it was just my husband and me. But this time, we were able to go as a family of four for the first time.

We had just been to a driving event at Fuji Speedway recently, and in the past, we’ve also gone to watch WEC races, so readers might think that I’m a big racing fan, but I actually had no interest in racing before. Even when my husband watched F1 or WEC races on our home TV, I used to scoff,

“What’s so interesting about watching cars just driving around endlessly?”

I was always a bit dismissive.

However, after going to several races with my husband, I started to feel that watching a race live is completely different from watching it on TV (I guess that’s true for any sport), and recently, I’ve gradually become more interested in racing.

Also, this time at Okayama International, one of the Carrera Cup pilots (they call them pilots rather than drivers in Carrera Cup) I had interviewed for the blog before was participating, so I was even more excited than usual.

Heading to PCCJ Okayama

The weather was clear on departure day, Saturday. However, since heavy rain was forecast for Sunday, I decided to just wear rain boots from the start to avoid hassle (lol).

Last month, we drove about 450 km and 6 hours one way to Fuji Speedway, but this time, Okayama International Circuit was only about 140 km and 2 hours away. Super close. Two hours by car might be considered a long distance by most people, but… I feel like I’ve been brainwashed by my husband and my sense of distance is getting warped.

There was no significant traffic on the way, but when we were just a few kilometers from the circuit, I noticed the cars ahead were crawling along slowly. “Why are they driving so slowly here?” I wondered, and then I saw a speed trap ahead. I see… they do that even here.

Anyway, we arrived safely, checked in at the entrance, received our passes, and parked near the paddock.

Walking from the parking lot, we headed to the Porsche Lounge behind the Carrera Cup car pits. The cup cars were already lined up in the pits, and engineers were busy working on them.

It was rare to see cup cars without tires on yet. Then, a racer I know made an offer:

“Want to try sitting in a cup car? Normally, that’s absolutely not allowed, but since it’s a special occasion, please have a seat in the driver’s seat.”

I thought, “No way… it’d be terrible if I scratched a race car before the race…” but since opportunities like this might only come once in a lifetime, I accepted the kind offer.

Opening the door, I was surprised. The door was incredibly light and thin. Maybe because I was still feeling the heavy doors of the Panamera from the drive here, it felt unreal how light it was. It looks like a Porsche, but it’s completely different from the production models. Carbon fiber is used extensively for thorough weight reduction, and the Carrera Cup car is about 300 kg lighter than a production GT3.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, everything was different from a production car — the steering wheel, the seat, everything. The seat held me deeply and firmly in place, and the pedals were three-pedal. Normally, paddle shifters are used for driving, but a clutch is used for starting, so everything was race-spec.

Thanks to their kindness, our two-year-old youngest daughter also got to sit in the driver’s seat, but she was totally bewildered by the sudden experience (lol).

Meeting the President of Porsche Japan…

After that, we went to the Porsche Carrera Cup Lounge.

This lounge is where staff and drivers come and go, and you can check the race status, times, and rankings on monitors. It’s also where a second awards ceremony is held exclusively for Porsche personnel after the usual podium ceremony.

We arrived at the lounge around 10 a.m., with some time before the PCCJ qualifying, so we watched the official SUPER GT practice session and wandered around a bit. The roaring engines were loud all around, but surprisingly, the kids weren’t scared and enjoyed watching the cars zoom past.

In the parking lot in front of the lounge was a GT2 RS… and it had the Weissach Package.

My husband said,

“Seeing it like this in person, it’s just insanely cool.”

and stared at it for quite a while (lol).

In the afternoon, Porsche personnel arrived one after another… among them was Mr. Yamazaki, an executive I had spoken with at Porsche Japan headquarters before…!

ポルシェ ジャパン本社を訪問してきた！−社内の様子や社員さんのお話をご紹介

After greeting him, he introduced me to Porsche Japan’s motorsports representative, and though briefly, I was able to hear some valuable insights. I also joined a pit tour guided by the PR team, which I’ll cover in a separate article later.

Additionally, I was introduced to last year’s PCCJ scholarship driver Yuta Uemura,

and even Porsche Japan’s President, Mr. Shichigosanoki… I was truly honored.

President Shichigosanoki was smiling and very approachable throughout. When I think of a “president,” I imagine someone sitting back in the corner giving orders, but he was constantly greeting many people, checking outside, and chatting with drivers and staff.

I guess he wants to see the scene firsthand because of opportunities like this. (Mr. Yamazaki kindly gave permission to publish photos of Mr. Uemura and President Shichigosanoki on the blog.)

PCCJ Final Race Start

Finally, the time for the final race arrived. The starting grid (the position/order at the race start in motorsports) was decided by the qualifying time attack, and the Uemura, whom I had just photographed, started from pole position (the front-most starting position in the final race). During the grid walk, we got to see the cars and drivers up close just before the start, and the atmosphere was filled with an indescribable tension.

Knowing someone on the track made the race feel completely different and made my heart race. By the way, PCCJ races at Okayama International are either 15 laps or 30 minutes long.

Michelin Man was on the grid,

＊Image source: CS CRAFT Sports “SUPER GT Opening Race Okayama! Race Report ★③”

but the kids immediately called him “Poop Man,” and our youngest even pointed and said “Poop! Poop!” Well, I can’t blame them — to kids, that’s all he looks like (lol).

The main final race started, but soon after, a collision caused a yellow flag. The driver we were cheering for, Mr. T, passed six cars from the outside and climbed from 9th in class to 2nd place, but due to a penalty at the start, he had to serve a drive-through, making the race a nail-biting thriller from start to finish.

The race ended with a pole-to-win victory by Uemura, second place went to this year’s PCCJ scholarship driver Sasahara, and third place was Otaki, who stood on the podium in his first PCCJ race. (For detailed race developments and overall and gentleman class results of PCCJ Round 1, see here.)

Later, at the pit, we saw the car involved in the collision being lifted by a crane.

It looked pretty damaged… I’m sure the engineers will spend the night repairing it. Also, since the race is only 30 minutes, the tires get completely worn out and are replaced each time.

What a fascinating world…

The next morning, the grid for the second final race was set by the second-best qualifying time from the first day. The weather was cloudy and holding up, but just before the start, heavy rain began.

Then, each team lifted their cars with aero jacks on the grid and switched to wet tires. I didn’t realize tire changes could happen so last-minute.

Despite the rain, the race started, and there was intense back-and-forth battling without any crashes or contacts, and the race finished safely. Everyone’s driving was incredible (of course). To compete so closely without collisions, especially in rain with poor traction and visibility, is truly amazing.

The 15 laps flew by in no time.

We attended the awards ceremonies in the lounge both days, and hearing the drivers’ comments was truly moving. Spectators only see the “driver and car,” but behind the scenes, teams, families, and everyone involved provide incredible support. The drivers race carrying all those hopes.

So winning a race is not just a personal achievement but also a way to give back and show gratitude to those who support them daily. It’s very profound.

After the PCCJ races ended, we headed home, feeling fully satisfied and having had many valuable experiences — truly unforgettable two days.

PCCJ Live Streaming

After watching the Okayama opener, my husband said,

“Everyone is really amazing. When I race in games, I can get a good lap time once, but to do that every lap requires incredible concentration and skill. It’s really impressive. Also, I realized there are so many people better than me out there — I need to earn more and work harder!”

Our daughters also seemed to have taken a lot from the experience and want to go again next time.

Also, starting this year, J SPORTS On Demand began live streaming PCCJ. Until now, you had to go to the circuit to watch, but now, with free membership registration, you can watch online immediately and catch up on missed races. At home, my husband tried it out right after we got back and had no issues. The editing made it easy to follow the detailed race developments, which was fun.

I imagine some Porsche owners might not even know that the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan (PCCJ) exists. But it’s really exciting to watch, and it strongly reminds you that Porsche is a true sports car manufacturer. If you’re interested, I highly recommend checking it out on J SPORTS On Demand.