Rikuto Kobayashi
Rikuto Kobayashi is a Japanese racing driver and sim racer currently competing in Super Formula Lights and Super GT. A member of the TGR Driver Challenge Program, Kobayashi won the Japanese Championship in 2023.
He is not related to the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and fellow Super Formula driver Kamui Kobayashi.
Single-seater career
Formula 4
Kobayashi started his formula racing in 2022 at F4 Japanese Championship with TGR-DC Racing School as a part from he got TGR-DC RS Scholarship Driver. He finished sixth in the standings. Kobayashi continued to compete for the 2023 season. In a close F4 title battle with Jin Nakamura, Kobayashi claimed the title by winning the season finale at Motegi. On 30 May 2023, Toyota Gazoo Racing announced that Kobayashi took part in WEC Challenge Program training session for young drivers who are deemed to have a future in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He participated and experienced firsthand how WEC drivers and engineers take on the challenge of Le Mans.Super Formula Lights
2024
Following his F4 championship victory, Kobayashi stepped up to Super Formula Lights with TOM'S alongside Jin Nakamura in 2024. After scoring a lone podium each in the opening rounds at Autopolis and Sugo, Kobayashi scored his maiden series win from pole position at Fuji. He finished third twice at Okayama but also retired from race 2 due to contact caused by Seita Nonaka. Kobayashi scored two podiums again at Suzuka, which included an inherited victory in race 2 following a penalty for Nonaka. A strong final round at Motegi, which saw him claim a pair of runner-up finishes and victory in race 2, allowed Kobayashi to vault to second in the championship standings.2025
Kobayashi stayed for another season with TOM'S in 2025. The season opener at Suzuka yielded mixed results, as a pair of third places sandwiched a transmission failure in race 2. Sixth and fourth followed at Autopolis, causing Kobayashi to have only a third of championship leader Yuki Sano's points. A trio of podiums at Okayama brought him closer to the title fight, but with only two podiums from the four Sugo races Kobayashi fell far behind a dominant Yuto Nomura. Contact with Sano spun Kobayashi out of the points in race 1 at Fuji, and although Kobayashi won race 2 in commanding fashion and finished third in race 3, another strong round confirmed Nomura as the champion. Kobayashi finished second in all three races at the season-ending Motegi event and ended up third in the standings.Super Formula
Kobayashi sampled his first test of a Super Formula car in December 2024, taking over from series champion Sho Tsuboi on the final day of the rookie test at Suzuka. In 2025, Kobayashi made his Super Formula debut, driving for Itochu Enex Wecars Team Impul at Motegi.Kobayashi will make his full-season debut with KDDI TGMGP TGR-DC along with Kamui Kobayashi.
Sportscar career
Super GT
GT300
Kobayashi also will make his debut to compete in Super GT - GT300 with apr, as he partnered with Hiroaki Nagai and Manabu Orido. He was planned to become the third driver of Saitama Green Brave for the 2025 season, but Kobayashi instead went on to compete with CarGuy MKS Racing, which raced a Ferrari 296 GT3, alongside Zak O'Sullivan. The pair missed out on the GT300 championship by 2.5 points.GT500
Kobayashi then made a step up to the GT500 with Cerumo, as he replaces Hiroaki Ishiura.Esports career
For 2021, Kobayashi raced in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GT Cup where he claimed 3rd in the series. He also competed in Gran Turismo World Series Showdown. He is also part of the Virtual Drivers by TX3 eSport Team, on the Gran Turismo roster.Racing record
Career summary
* Season still in progress.‡ Team standings
Complete F4 Japanese Championship results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
| 2022 | TGR-DC Racing School | FUJ1 1 8 | FUJ1 2 5 | SUZ1 1 15 | SUZ1 2 8 | FUJ2 1 7 | FUJ2 2 5 | SUZ2 1 4 | SUZ2 2 5 | SUG 1 3 | SUG 2 7 | AUT 1 5 | AUT 2 DNS | MOT 1 1 | MOT 2 6 | 6th | 120 |
| 2023 | TGR-DC Racing School | FUJ1 1 1 | FUJ1 2 3 | SUZ1 1 2 | SUZ1 2 4 | FUJ2 1 1 | FUJ2 2 1 | SUZ2 1 33 | SUZ2 2 5 | SUG 1 6 | SUG 2 22 | AUT 1 1 | AUT 2 3 | MOT 1 2 | MOT 2 1 | 1st | 221 |
Complete Super GT results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
| 2024 | apr | Toyota GR86 GT300 | GT300 | OKA 23 | FUJ 22 | SUZ 19 | FUJ 18 | SUG 21 | AUT 19 | MOT 19 | SUZ 20 | NC | 0 | |
| 2025 | CarGuy MKS Racing | Ferrari 296 GT3 | GT300 | OKA 17 | FUJ 4 | SEP | FS1 4 | FS2 17 | SUZ 1 | SUG 8 | AUT 2 | MOT 7 | 3rd | 83.5 |
| 2026 | TGR Team KeePer Cerumo | Toyota GR Supra GT500 | GT500 | OKA | FUJ | SEP | FUJ | SUZ | SUG | AUT | MOT |
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
Driver did not take part in this sprint race, points are still awarded for the teammate's result.
* Season still in progress.
Complete Super Formula Lights results
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
| 2024 | TOM'S | AUT 1 2 | AUT 2 8 | AUT 3 3 | SUG 1 7 | SUG 2 3 | SUG 3 5 | FUJ 1 6 | FUJ 2 1 | FUJ 3 5 | OKA 1 3 | OKA 2 Ret | OKA 3 3 | SUZ 1 3 | SUZ 2 1 | SUZ 3 4 | MOT 1 2 | MOT 2 1 | MOT 3 2 | 2nd | 86 |
| 2025 | TOM'S | SUZ 1 3 | SUZ 2 Ret | SUZ 3 3 | AUT 1 6 | AUT 2 4 | OKA 1 2 | OKA 2 3 | OKA 3 2 | SUG 1 3 | SUG 2 4 | SUG 3 3 | SUG 4 5 | FUJ 1 11 | FUJ 2 1 | FUJ 3 3 | MOT 1 2 | MOT 2 2 | MOT 3 2 | 3rd | 85 |
* Season still in progress.