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| Kenta Yamashita | |
|---|---|
 Yamashita at the podium of the2024 Super Formula Motegi round | |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Born | (1995-08-03)3 August 1995 (age 30) Chiba, Japan |
| Super GT - GT500 career | |
| Debut season | 2017 |
| Current team | TGR Team au TOM'S |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 1 |
| Former teams | Racing Project Bandoh,Team LeMans,SARD,Rookie Racing |
| Starts | 60 |
| Wins | 9 |
| Podiums | 20 |
| Poles | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| Best finish | 1st in2019,2024,2025 |
| Super Formula career | |
| Debut season | 2017 |
| Current team | Kondo Racing |
| Car number | 3 |
| Starts | 73 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 8 |
| Poles | 3 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 5th in2019 |
| Previous series | |
| 2019-20 2015-17 2014–16 2013 2012 | FIA WEC - LMP2 Super GT - GT300 Japanese Formula 3 Championship Formula Challenge Japan Motegi Championship Formula Super FJ |
| Championship titles | |
| 2019,2024-25 2016 2013 2012 | Super GT Japanese Formula 3 Championship Formula Challenge Japan Motegi Championship Formula Super FJ |
Kenta Yamashita (山下 健太,Yamashita Kenta; born 3 August 1995) is a Japanese racing driver forToyota Gazoo Racing who is currently competing inSuper GT forTOM'S and inSuper Formula forKondō Racing. He won the GT500-class Super GT championship title in 2019, 2024 and 2025. He previously won the2016 All-Japan Formula 3 Championship and the2013 Formula Challenge Japan titles.
Yamashita competed in karts before graduating to single-seater cars in 2012.[citation needed]
Yamashita began his racing car career in the 2012 Motegi Championship Formula Super FJ, which he won in his first season. In all four starts, he took the pole, fastest lap, and race win.[1] In 2013, he progressed to theFormula Challenge Japan series, which was a racing category intended for drivers between entry level and Formula 3. He scored 7 podiums and in 12 races, including 4 wins, and took the championship title.[2]
In2014, Yamashita graduated to theAll-Japan Formula Three Championship with thePetronas Team TOM'S. He finished runner-up in the championship to the more experiencedNobuharu Matsushita.[3]
In2015, Yamashita continued to race in theAll-Japan Formula Three Championship withTOM'S, he managed to clinch runners up, just lose out toNick Cassidy the eventual champion.2016, Yamashita won the title in the final round, pips outJann Mardenborough to the title.
In 2015, Yamashita made his debut in GT300 class with Porsche Team KTR alongsideAlexandre Imperatori. Then he made one off appearance the next season withTsuchiya Engineering. Then he stayed with the team for full time. That season he won his first race alongsideTakamitsu Matsui.
Yamashita made one off appearance withRacing Project Bandoh in Fuji Speedway.[4] Then for 2018 he steps up to GT500 with Bandoh, as he replacesYuhi Sekiguchi.[5] Yamashita then transferred to Lexus Team Wako's LeMans, replacing Felix Rosenqvist, who left Super GT to compete in the IndyCar Series.[6] He then withKazuya Oshima won the title at the final race of the season. That would beTeam LeMans final title as the team discontinued their campaign in GT500. For 2020, Yamashita initially did not listed to compete in Super GT as he was focused to do WEC. But because of the pandemic happened, he did couple of races in that year. He covered up forHeikki Kovalainen atTeam SARD for Round 1 because Kovalalinen unable to enter Japan. Then Yamashita do 2 rounds to replaces Nick Cassidy, as Cassidy began preparations for his debut in the 2021 FIA Formula E World Championship.
Yamashita then returns to the series full time in 2021 with newRookie Racing with his former champion pair Oshima.[7] During his time with the team he won 2 races, and couple of podiums. For 2024, he moves to 2023 champion teamTeam au TOM'S to pair withSho Tsuboi as he replacesRitomo Miyata.[8]
Yamashita made his Super Formula debut in 2017 withKondo Racing alongside his 2015 title rival Cassidy.[4] Yamashita stayed with the same team for over seven years, and he managed only to win once.
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Yamashita made his international racing debut in the2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship, driving in theLMP2 class for Danish teamHigh Class Racing alongsideAnders Fjordbach and amateur driverMark Patterson.[9] Yamashita would impress in qualifying sessions throughout the season, outmatching more experienced opponents on a regular basis, but the team would ultimately achieve little success in races and ended the season as the last-placed LMP2 team. Yamashita reached the Hyperpole session in qualifying for the2020 24 Hours of Le Mans before the team was forced to retire with a gearbox problem.
* Season still in progress.
‡ Team standings.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | FTRS FCJ | FUJ 1 5 | FUJ 2 3 | MOT 1 1 | MOT 2 6 | FUJ1 1 10 | FUJ1 2 3 | FUJ1 3 7 | FUJ2 1 7 | FUJ2 2 2 | SUZ 1 1 | SUZ 2 1 | SUZ 3 1 | 1st | 65 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | DC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Petronas Team TOM'S | Toyota | SUZ 1 1 | SUZ 2 3 | MOT 1 2 | MOT 2 2 | MOT 3 2 | OKA 1 5 | OKA 2 1 | FUJ 1 2 | FUJ 2 2 | MOT 1 3 | MOT 2 6 | SUG 1 6 | SUG 2 2 | FUJ 1 3 | FUJ 2 2 | 2nd | 90 | ||
| 2015 | Petronas Team TOM'S | Toyota | SUZ 1 Ret | SUZ 2 3 | MOT 1 2 | MOT 2 1 | MOT 3 1 | OKA 1 8 | OKA 2 1 | FUJ 1 1 | FUJ 2 3 | OKA 1 2 | OKA 2 2 | FUJ 1 5 | FUJ 2 1 | MOT 1 3 | MOT 2 2 | SUG 1 4 | SUG 2 3 | 2nd | 113 |
| 2016 | Zent Team TOM'S | Toyota | SUZ 1 1 | SUZ 2 1 | FUJ 1 5 | FUJ 2 2 | OKA 1 1 | OKA 2 6 | SUZ 1 Ret | SUZ 2 2 | FUJ 1 6 | FUJ 2 4 | MOT 1 5 | MOT 2 2 | OKA 1 1 | OKA 2 5 | SUG 1 1 | SUG 2 1 | SUG 3 1 | 1st | 113 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
(Number) Driver did not take part in this sprint race, points are still awarded for the teammate's result.
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | SUZ 14 | OKA 7 | OKA 6 | FUJ Ret | MOT 6 | AUT 13 | SUG 11 | SUZ C | SUZ C | 11th | 6.5 | |||
| 2018 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | SUZ 9 | AUT C | SUG 8 | FUJ 18 | MOT 6 | OKA 6‡ | SUZ 3 | 9th | 11.5 | |||||
| 2019 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | SUZ 3 | AUT 7 | SUG 6 | FUJ 17 | MOT 13 | OKA 1 | SUZ 9 | 5th | 21 | |||||
| 2020 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | MOT 23 | OKA | SUG 6 | AUT 5 | SUZ 9 | SUZ 6 | FUJ 10 | 7th | 34 | |||||
| 2021 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | FUJ 12 | SUZ 12 | AUT 11 | SUG 14 | MOT 15 | MOT 8 | SUZ 6 | 14th | 8 | |||||
| 2022 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | FUJ 11 | FUJ 4 | SUZ 162 | AUT 12 | SUG Ret | FUJ 7 | MOT 6 | MOT Ret | SUZ 14 | SUZ 13 | 15th | 19 | ||
| 2023 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | FUJ Ret | FUJ 3 | SUZ 5 | AUT 4 | SUG 8 | FUJ 17 | MOT 9 | SUZ 11 | SUZ 9 | 8th | 32 | |||
| 2024 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | SUZ 2 | AUT 7 | SUG 6‡ | FUJ 13 | MOT 21 | FUJ 10 | FUJ 8 | SUZ 8 | SUZ 9 | 7th | 48.5 | |||
| 2025 | Kondo Racing | Toyota | SUZ 9 | SUZ 11 | MOT 7 | MOT 131 | AUT 3 | FUJ 12 | FUJ 8 | SUG 9 | FUJ 10 | SUZ 11 | SUZ 14 | SUZ 14 | 11th | 27.5 |
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
* Season still in progress.
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | High Class Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SIL 7 | FUJ 4 | SHA 6 | BHR 7 | COA 7 | SPA 7 | LMS Ret | BHR | 13th | 47 |
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |  High Class Racing | Anders Fjordbach Mark Patterson | Oreca 07 | LMP2 | 88 | DNF | DNF |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Formula Challenge Japan Champion 2013 | Succeeded by None (Series ended) |
| Preceded by | Japanese Formula 3 Championship Champion 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Super GT GT500 Champion 2019 With:Kazuya Oshima | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Super GT GT500 Champion 2024-2025 With:Sho Tsuboi | Succeeded by Incumbent |