A journey that began 9 months ago finally came full circle as Danzel Waytan secured the Pro-Am Championship at the 2025 Minutes Endurance Race (MEC) 120 season finale at Fuji Speedway. Partnered once again with Shunji Okumoto for the #51 Racing Team Hero’s entry, the pair capped off a remarkable campaign with a 2nd-place finish in class to seal the title by 5 points.
Having no prior real-world experience at the iconic track, the 17-year-old spent countless hours on his simulators provided by D Racing Simulators and SIM² Premier to familiarize himself with the layout. All the hard work clearly paid off, as he was immediately on the pace during Free Practice on Wednesday.
However, pace alone would not be enough. With just a 1-point advantage in the v.Granz Pro-Am Championship, there was no room for distractions. Racing Team Hero’s knew they would need a clean weekend to fend off their closest rivals in the #23 J-LOC M&M v.Granz entry.
Qualifying, however, proved to be their first major challenge. A sudden downpour soaked the circuit mid-session, forcing teams into last-minute setup changes. Danzel managed to get a flying lap in, but missed the narrow window for a final run as the track rapidly dried. He was left with a P14 starting position in a massive 57-car field—far from ideal in a title-deciding race. Still, there was some relief, as the #23 rival entry qualified only P11.
The race swung dramatically in Racing Team Hero’s favor even before the green flag. On the formation lap, the Am driver of the #23 J-LOC M&M v.Granz spun, dropping to the back of the field and immediately putting their championship challenge on the back foot.
When the race got underway, Danzel wasted no time and launched into attack mode, picking up several positions early before settling into a controlled rhythm inside the Top 10. After 30 minutes, he handed the car over to Okumoto-san for the first driver change.
Okumoto’s stint was all about balance—managing fuel consumption while staying within reach of the lead pack. After another 30 minutes, he brought the car back in P5, handing it back to Danzel for the final hour of the race.
With a full 60-minute stint ahead of him, Danzel delivered one of his cleanest drives of the season. Maintaining consistent lap times as he weaved through traffic, he steadily climbed the order and crossed the finish line in P3 after 48 laps of racing—just 6.571 secs behind the Pro-Am class winner. Post-race penalties later promoted them to 2nd place, which was more than enough to secure Danzel and Okumoto-san the Pro-Am Championship, sealing the title by a 5-point margin.
Danzel Waytan: “It feels incredible to not only win the championship on my debut, but also to prove that I have what it takes to challenge professional drivers. Compared to the other teams, Racing Team Hero’s is a very small outfit, but we were able to beat them fair and square. This experience has been incredibly valuable for me as a developing driver, and I’m really looking forward to what comes next in 2026.”
Danzel Waytan is sponsored by SIM² Premier, Gerry’s Grill, AZ Racing, and D Racing Simulators.
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