Kohta Kawaai

Kohta Kawaai, born on August 7, 1994, is a Japanese racing driver hailing from Shizuoka Prefecture. Currently, he competes for Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave in both the Super GT and Super Taikyu racing series. Kawaai's journey into motorsports began at the age of 13 after attending the TOYOTA MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL, which inspired him to pursue a career as a racing driver.

Kawaai began his formula racing career in 2016 in the F4 Japanese Championship with Le Beausset Motorsports. He continued in the series until 2019, securing 3rd in the standings. In 2020, he moved up to Super GT in the GT300 class with Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave, partnering with Hiroki Yoshida. In his debut season, he achieved a win and several podiums, finishing second in the standings. In 2023, the Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave team retained both Kawaai and Yoshida, resulting in them claiming 2 wins and 4 podiums and ultimately securing the Super GT Championship in the GT300 class. Alongside this Super GT success, Kawaai won the 2023 Super Taikyu Championship in the ST-Z class.

Kawaai briefly returned to formula racing in 2022, competing in Super Formula Lights for Rn-Sports where he managed to achieve a pole position and finished 8th in the standings, despite only participating in 3 rounds. In April 2024, Kawaai expressed his desire to expand into international sportscar racing. Beyond driving, Kawaai also manages HIGHSPEED Étoile Racing's programs in the Kyojo Cup and FCR Vita series.