Former GP2 driver Hiroki Yoshimoto will make his first appearance in the FIA World Touring Car Championship at his home event in Suzuka on October 23.
The 31-year old Yoshimoto will be at the wheel of a seventh SUNRED León 1.6T car run by the Spanish outfit SUNRED Engineering, alongside regular drivers Gabriele Tarquini, Aleksei Dudukalo, Michel Nykjær, Tiago Monteiro, Fredy Barth and Pepe Oriola.
"I’m really excited to join such a successful team as SUNRED in such a competitive championship as WTCC. I have to thank my sponsors SDI and Dechau for giving me this opportunity and I will do my best to be up to the task for the races at Suzuka," said Yoshimoto who built himself a solid reputation racing in Formula 3, GP2 (with two podium results between 2005 and 2006) and, most recently, in the Japanese Super GT.