BMW's Farfus gets all-clear for Okayama SUPER GT opener

Farfus had initially been expected to miss the curtain-raiser on April 16-17 owing to a clash with his European Le Mans Series programme with the BHK Motorsport team in the LMP2 class.

However, the Brazilian was present on an entry list for the Okayama race released by SUPER GT this week, and absent when the ELMS published its entry for its clashing Paul Ricard race.

Farfus posted on his Instagram account that he was still waiting for his visa to be processed to enable him to enter Japan to race at Okayama.

However, a BMW spokesperson has confirmed to Motorsport.com that this hurdle has now been cleared and that Farfus will take up his seat alongside Team Studie stalwart Seiji Ara aboard the squad's all-new M4 GT3.

Farfus was forced to miss both of last month's official pre-season tests at Okayama and Fuji, with his place alongside Ara being taken by Studie's designated third driver Tsubasa Kondo, who remains on standby for any races that Farfus is unable to attend.

 

The 38-year-old faces a potential clash between SUPER GT's May Suzuka race and the Nurburgring 24 Hours, while the Japanese series' visit to Autopolis falls on the same October weekend as both IMSA's Petit Le Mans finale and the Barcelona round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

The status of Farfus's involvement in ELMS remains unknown, with Markus Pommer taking his place aboard the BHK Oreca 07 alongside Francesco Dracone and Sergio Campana at Paul Ricard.

There is an additional clash between SUPER GT and ELMS in August, when the former series makes its second visit to Suzuka.

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