Riki Okusa
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| Riki Okusa | |
|---|---|
 Okusa at the 2025 Super GT Malaysia Festival | |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Born | 25 November 1999 |
| Super GT - GT500 career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Current team | Nakajima Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver |
| Car number | 64 |
| Starts | 8 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 13th in 2025 |
| Previous series | |
| 2023 2022-2023 2021 2020-22 2018 | Super Formula Championship Super GT - GT300 Porsche Carrera Cup Japan Formula Regional Japanese Championship Japanese Formula 3 Championship |
Riki Okusa (大草 りき, Ōkusa Riki) (born November 25, 1999) is a Japanese racing driver. He currently competes in the GT500 class in Super GT for Nakajima Racing for the 2024 season and previously in the GT300 class in for GAINER, partnered with Hironobu Yasuda.[1]
Early career
In 2018, Okusa made his formula racing debut in the final round of the Japanese Formula 3 Championship, finishing fifth in his first race.[2] The following year, he contested the shootout for Honda's Suzuka Circuit Racing School scholarship, but lost out to current Formula 2 driver Ayumu Iwasa. After spending 2019 starring in Super Taikyū, where he claimed the championship title in the ST-3 class, Okusa returned to formula racing in the inaugural season of the Formula Regional Japanese Championship, claiming the first podium of his formula racing career by finishing third in a one-off appearance at Fuji Speedway. In Super Taikyū, he switched to the ST-TCR class, ultimately finishing as championship runner-up alongside Katsumasa Chiyo and mentor Hironobu Yasuda. He returned to the Formula Regional Japanese championship in 2021 with his personal sponsor's eponymous team, PONOS Racing. Although he only competed in three rounds, Okusa managed to clinch third place in the standings, with two wins and seven podiums to his name. Okusa made another two cameos again at 2022 Formula Regional Japanese Championship with Sutekina Racing, claiming a win, a pole position, and three podiums.
Super GT
Okusa made his debut in Super GT's GT300 class with GAINER, paired up alongside Ryūichiro Tomita and third driver Yūsuke Shiotsu.[3] Okusa made an immediate impact, qualifying in third on debut in Okayama and taking his first win at the next round at Fuji Speedway. He would ultimately take his maiden pole position and two more podiums throughout the season to finish third in the standings, three points behind the championship-winning car of Kondō Racing. In 2023, Okusa paired up with his longtime mentor and 2008 GT300 class champion Hironobu Yasuda.[1]
In 2024, Okusa moved to GT500, as he moved to Nakajima Racing alongside Takuya Izawa.[4]
Super Formula
In 2023, Okusa made his Super Formula debut with TGM Grand Prix, replacing the outgoing Toshiki Oyu at Suzuka Circuit.[5] He performed admirably on debut, finishing ahead of full-time teammate Cem Bölükbaşı in both races.