{{short description|Japanese racing team}} {{Infobox motor racing team | name = K2 R&D LEON Racing | logo = File:LEON RACING LOGO.png | base = [[Gotemba]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture]] | founded = 6 April 1994 | founder = [[Motoharu Kurosawa]] | principal = [[Haruki Kurosawa]] | current series = [[Super GT]] | current drivers = {{plainlist| * [[Naoya Gamou]] * [[Togo Suganami]] }} | former series = [[Asian Le Mans Series]] | team titles =[[2018 Super GT Series|2018 Super GT]]<br>[[2025 Super GT Series|2025 Super GT]] | driver titles = [[2018 Super GT Series|2018 Super GT]]<br>[[2025 Super GT Series|2025 Super GT]] | website = }}

'''K2 R&D''' is a Japanese racing team that competes in the GT300 class of [[Super GT]] together with lifestyle brand Leon, under the name '''K2 R&D LEON Racing'''.

The team has won the GT300 class championship two times, in [[2018 Super GT Series|2018]] and [[2025 Super GT Series|2025]].

==History== ===Super GT=== In 2012, LEON Racing first participated in the GT300 class of SUPER GT jointly with [[Hironori Takeuchi]]'s SHIFT Team. The team manager was [[Motoharu Kurosawa]], and the car was the [[Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG#Motorsport|Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG]]. The team competed under the banner of Green Tec & LEON with SHIFT. The drivers were Takeuchi himself, and [[Haruki Kurosawa]] who is the manager's son, along with Akihiko Nakatani as the third driver for Round 5. LEON Racing ended their partnership with SHIFT following the 2012 season. The team joined forces with by K2 R&D Co. Ltd., and fielded the number 62 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for [[Haruki Kurosawa]] and Masanobu Kato. In 2014, the car number was changed to 65 and the main driver remained [[Haruki Kurosawa]], while the second driver was changed in quick succession to [[Kyosuke Mineo]] (Rounds 1–2), Tsubasa Kurosawa (Rounds 2–7), and [[Naoya Gamou]] (Round 8). The team achieved a podium finish in the 4th race in SUGO. In 2015, the director changed from [[Motoharu Kurosawa]] to Daisuke Endo. [[Haruki Kurosawa]] retained the seat, and the second driver became [[Naoya Gamou]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=63437|title=LEON RACINGが体制発表。黒澤×蒲生のコンビに|publisher=as-web.jp|date=February 27, 2015|language=Japanese|accessdate=February 27, 2015|trans-title=Leon Racing announce their team structure, a combination of Kurosawa and Gamou}}</ref> Both finished on the podium in 2nd place at the second race at [[Fuji Speedway]]. [[File:No.65 LEON PYRAMID AMG after 2024 Suzuka GT 3 Hours Race (2).jpg|thumb|The [[Mercedes-AMG GT#AMG GT3 (2015–2019)|Mercedes AMG GT3]] raced by LEON Racing from 2016 onwards.]] Beginning in 2016, the team began racing the new [[Mercedes-AMG GT|Mercedes-AMG GT3]]. The team switched from Yokohama to Bridgestone tyres in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.as-web.jp/supergt/81761|title=LEON RACINGが17年体制発表。ドライバー変更なしもタイヤはBSにスイッチ！|date=2017-01-11|newspaper=AUTO SPORT web|access-date=2017-01-11}}</ref> Both Kurosawa & Gamou took pole position in the opening race and placed 2nd in the race. At the 6th race, the Suzuka 1000&nbsp;km, they made a trick of pitting on the first lap, which turned out to be a good idea, and excellent pace allowed them to overtake [[Tsuchiya Engineering]]'s VivaC 86 MC to win the race and take the top spot in the points rankings once again. However, in the next race in Thailand, the team made the mistake of lowering the jack while changing tires during pit work, and [[Goodsmile|GOODSMILE RACING]] & [[Ukyo Katayama|Team UKYO]], allowing the latter to lead by a large margin. In the final race, two front wheels were changed, and in the final stages Gamou caught [[Autobacs Racing Team Aguri|ARTA]]'s no-stopping car and took the lead, winning the race, but GOODSMILE RACING & Team UKYO finished in 3rd place, so they missed out on the title. They finished 2nd in the championship, the highest in team history that time. [[File:No.65 LEON CVSTOS AMG vs No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT.jpg|left|thumb|LEON Racing during their [[2018 Super GT Series|2018 Super GT]] championship-winning season]] In [[2018 Super GT Series|2018]], the team entered the final race in 2nd place in the standings, but there was a 12-point difference from car No. 55 in first place in the rankings. The conditions were tough, with the difference in points between 3rd place and lower, depending on the winning position and the No. 55 car. However, in qualifying, car No. 55 sank to 10th place, while it took 2nd place. In the race, they had trouble with car No. 0 right after the start, which caused them to drop in the rankings, but they were helped by the troubles of car No. 88, which was running in the lead, and were able to take the lead by staying in front of car No. 0 through a strategy of not changing tires. They overcame cars No. 31 and No. 0, which were also competing for the title, to take their first win of the season, while car No. 55 finished in 8th place, making them both the team's first to win the double titles of Driver's Champion and Team Champion, with drivers [[Haruki Kurosawa]] and [[Naoya Gamou]].

For 2019, the team originally keep their same winning line up, but [[Togo Suganami]] replaced Kurosawa for the last two rounds of the season.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.as-web.jp/supergt/443045?all|title=GT300チャンピオンのK2 R&D LEON RACINGが新体制を発表。黒澤治樹／蒲生尚弥のコンビを継続|date=11 January 2019|work= autosport.web|language=ja |accessdate=11 January 2019}}</ref> From the 2020 season, the team race in the new AMG GT3 EVO. The team keept Gamou, and made Suganami the second driver.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailysportscar.com/2020/07/07/44-cars-on-entry-list-for-season-opening-super-gt-fuji-300km.html|title=44 Cars On Entry List For Season-Opening Super GT Fuji 300km|date=7 July 2020|work=dailysportscar.com|access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref> [[Takuro Shinohara]] transferred from Audi Team Hitotsuyama to K2 R&D LEON Racing, taking the place of Togo Suganami.<ref name="K2LEONAMG">{{cite news|url=https://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/12/20/gamou-shinohara-for-k2-rd-leon-racing-in-2022.html|title=Gamou & Shinohara For K2 R&D LEON Racing in 2022|date=20 December 2021|work= dailysportscar.com|access-date=20 December 2021}}</ref> Team director, [[Haruki Kurosawa]], entered the fifth round at Suzuka as the team's third driver. It marked Kurosawa's first Super GT appearance as a driver since the 2019 Fuji GT 500 Mile Race. [[File:Suganami Gamou Sepang 2025.png|thumb|LEON Racing's 2025 GT300 championship-winning drivers [[Togo Suganami]] and [[Naoya Gamou]]]] For 2025, Suganami returned, taking the place of Shinohara. The team won the season-opener at [[Okayama International Circuit|Okayama]], and later finished in the podium twice at both [[Fuji Speedway|Fuji]] Sprint races. K2 R&D LEON Racing won the [[2025 Super GT Series|2025 Super GT Championship]] in the GT300 class, with drivers Naoya Gamou and Togo Suganami.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O’Connell |first=R. J. |date=2025-11-02 |title=LEON Racing hangs on to win GT300 Championship |url=https://www.dailysportscar.com/2025/11/02/toms-dynasty-secured-in-motegi-tsuboi-and-yamashita-win-gt500-championship.html |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=www.dailysportscar.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Asian Le Mans=== K2 R&D made their other series debut outside Japan in 2019. They competed in [[2019–20 Asian Le Mans Series|Asian Le Mans Series]] under the ''K2 Uchino Racing'', where they field Haruki Kurosawa and [[Shaun Thong]] to compete in the LMP2 class.<ref name="K2UchinoLMS">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailysportscar.com/2019/11/07/k2-uchino-racing-enter-new-oreca-07-gibson-for-asian-le-mans-series.html|title=K2 Uchino Racing Enter New ORECA 07 Gibson For Asian Le Mans Series|work=dailysportscar.com|publisher=Dailysportscar|date=7 November 2019|access-date=7 November 2019}}</ref> The team would continue again the LMP2 program, where they would work together with [[Ponos Racing]] for [[2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series]] season.<ref name="K2R&DPONOS">{{Cite news|url=https://sportscar365.com/lemans/asian-lms/ponos-k2-rd-join-forces-to-field-lmp2-entry/|title=PONOS, K2 R&D Join Forces to Field LMP2 Entry|website=Sportscar365|publisher=John Dagys Media|last=Klein|first=Jamie|date=23 May 2025|access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref> They will field Ponos gaming owner Yorikatsu Tsujiko, [[Kei Cozzolino]], and [[Marino Sato]].<ref name="48EntriesAsLMS">{{Cite news|url=https://sportscar365.com/lemans/asian-lms/record-48-cars-on-provisional-full-season-entry-list/|title=Record 48 Cars on Provisional Full-Season Entry List|website=Sportscar365|publisher=John Dagys Media|last=Euwema|first=Davey|date=11 September 2025|access-date=11 September 2025}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.leon-racing.com/}}

[[Category:Japanese auto racing teams]] [[Category:Super GT teams]] [[Category:Auto racing teams established in 2012]] [[Category:Asian Le Mans Series teams]]