Syun Koide: Honda’s bright new hope in Japanese motorsport

With the reigning Super Formula Lights champion driving for the one-car San-Ei Gen with B-Max Racing Team, which has struggled for results over the past few years, expectations were relatively modest for Koide’s first weekend in the top flight, especially in a bumper rookie crop.

And yet, Koide stunned the paddock by qualifying seventh for his debut, not only making him best of the newcomers but giving B-Max Racing Team its best grid slot in over a year.

It was unfortunate that the loss of second gear on his way to the grid caused Koide to make a slow start, essentially ruining his race before it had even got going. But an assured drive to eighth in the following day’s second race put he and the team on the scoreboard, providing a solid foundation for what looks set to be a competitive season to come.

Koide, whose first name is pronounced ‘Shun’, arrives in Super Formula with impressive pedigree. Graduating from the Suzuka Racing School (now Honda Racing School Suzuka) in 2019 together with fellow Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa, he won the F4 Japanese championship in 2022, before stepping up to Super Formula Lights the next year.

He lived up to his status as pre-season favourite in the feeder series last year, winning eight races with B-Max Racing Team to cement his promotion to Super Formula this year.

“Up to now, I was able to get titles in Japan Formula 4 and Super Formula Lights, so I know that I have a reputation to live up to,” admits Koide. “But it’s also not something that I am putting any unnecessary pressure on myself to do.

“I know that if I make the most of my potential the results will naturally follow, so honestly I am approaching the season in a calm and relaxed way.”

That doesn’t mean that Koide isn’t setting himself some ambitious targets for the year ahead as part of a revamped B-Max structure. “I want to be Rookie of the Year, and beyond that, I would like to improve in the second half of the season and be on the podium,” he says.

“It’s a big step up from what the team achieved in the last couple of years, but the engineering system has changed a lot, so I don’t think it’s impossible.”

Not only is Koide racing in Super Formula this year, he is also a part of the Honda stable in the top GT500 class of SUPER GT, replacing Kakunoshin Ohta at Astemo REAL RACING this year.

After two years of driving a Honda NSX GT3 for Team UPGARAGE, Koide now steps up to partner veteran Koudai Tsukakoshi aboard the #17 Honda CIVIC TYPE R-GT, which he raced for the first time at Okayama after an intensive winter of testing.

Koide showed his potential by fighting for a podium finish until the very last lap, although an unfortunate clash with fellow Honda driver Nobuharu Matsushita resulted in Koide ending up in the gravel, restricting he and Tsukakoshi to an eighth-place finish.

Reflecting on the result, Koide says: “It’s very frustrating, especially after coming so close to the podium. But I also have to wonder if there was anything I could have done differently to avoid the clash. I’ll take this race as an important experience to help make sure I don’t make the same mistake again and show my full potential next time.”

It’s a sign of just how highly the 25-year-old is regarded by Honda, as he and Tsukakoshi bid to score the team’s first win of the CIVIC TYPE R-GT era and fight for the title.

“To be able to drive a GT500 machine at Astemo REAL RACING means a lot to me. It shows that HRC and the team really believe in me,” says Koide. “But also, I feel like it means that they are expecting me to deliver big results even in the first year. So I am really conscious of delivering on that.”

While Koide’s immediate focus is on doing well in both Super Formula and SUPER GT this season, he is not shy about his ambitions to take on challenges overseas should the opportunity arise in the future, with the IndyCar Series holding a particular attraction.

“Of course, I’d love to go to IndyCar in the future,” says Koide. “So I have in the back of my head what I need to do to be able to get a chance there.

“I think the overseas fans who are watching Super Formula and SUPER GT are aware of the high level of these championships, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity to one day get the chance to show the overseas fans what I can do on a global stage.”

There’s no doubt that Koide respects Takuma Sato, the two-time Indy500 champion. “Takuma-san is a great person and someone who I really respect, and someone who I would like to become like,” Koide adds. “I want to do my best to reach that goal in the future.”

If his flying start to the new Super Formula season at Suzuka is any guide, fans both in Japan and abroad will be hearing much more about Syun Koide in the years to come.