AO Racing will make its Intercontinental GT Challenge debut at September’s Suzuka 1000km through a partnership with Absolute Racing and a new samurai-inspired Porsche character, Bushi Rex.
The entry, competing as AO by Absolute, will feature an all-factory Porsche line-up of Laurin Heinrich, Alessio Picariello and Julien Andlauer. All three drivers have previously raced for AO Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, while Picariello also brings considerable experience with Absolute Racing from his campaigns in Asia.
Although none of the three drivers can challenge for the 2026 IGTC Drivers’ Championship, their appearance comes at an important stage in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Porsche currently holds an eight-point advantage over Mercedes-AMG with only Suzuka and October’s Indianapolis 8 Hour remaining.
Meanwhile, the race will introduce another member of AO Racing’s growing family of motorsport characters. Bushi Rex follows the success of the team’s famous green dinosaur Rexy and will adopt a theme that reflects the Japanese setting for AO Racing’s first IGTC appearance.
AO Racing targets the front on IGTC debut
AO Racing enters the Intercontinental GT Challenge with considerable success across other major sportscar competitions. The American operation has already secured titles in IMSA and the European Le Mans Series, but Suzuka will present a different challenge as the team enters SRO Motorsports Group’s international GT3 championship for the first time.
Rather than tackle that challenge alone, AO has joined forces with Absolute Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific. The partnership combines AO’s experience with Porsche machinery and Absolute’s extensive knowledge of Asian GT racing.
AO Racing team principal Gunnar Jeannette believes the combination gives the programme everything it needs to challenge near the front.
“AO is excited to partner with Absolute Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for the 2026 Suzuka 1000km,” said AO team principal Gunnar Jeannette. “With a stellar driver line-up and an amazing new character, we are very much looking forward to putting on a show for our Japanese fans. This will be our first foray into Intercontinental GT Challenge, and we believe we have all the pieces in place to fight at the front.”
The partnership also gives AO immediate access to a team that already understands both Suzuka and the regional competition. Absolute finished second and fourth overall in last year’s 1000km and enters the 2026 event while leading both the GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships.
Consequently, AO can combine its own resources with an operation that already possesses recent experience at one of Japan’s most demanding circuits.
Heinrich, Picariello and Andlauer form factory Porsche trio
AO by Absolute will also field significant factory talent behind the wheel. Heinrich, Picariello and Andlauer have all raced with AO in IMSA, giving the team three drivers who already understand its working methods.
Picariello adds another layer of continuity because of his established relationship with Absolute Racing. His previous Asian programmes with the team give the Belgian familiarity with the organisation that will run the car at Suzuka.
Meanwhile, Heinrich and Andlauer bring extensive experience from Porsche’s international factory programmes. Together, the three drivers give the new partnership a line-up capable of targeting an outright victory despite AO Racing’s newcomer status in IGTC.
Absolute Racing director Fabien Fior also highlighted the strength of the driver combination and the significance of introducing Bushi Rex at Suzuka.
“We’re delighted to partner with AO Racing for Bushi Rex’s first adventure,” added Absolute’s director Fabien Fior. “It makes the occasion even more special to do so alongside Porsche at such an iconic event as the Suzuka 1000km. We’re confident Bushi Rex will capture the imagination of fans across Asia. Alessio is already part of the Absolute Racing family, while Laurin and Julien are two exceptionally talented drivers. We have every confidence in the trio’s ability to deliver a strong result.”
Although the trio enters too late to challenge for the Drivers’ Championship, it can still play an important role in the manufacturers’ battle. Porsche leads Mercedes-AMG by eight points before the penultimate round, making every leading finishing position increasingly significant.
Therefore, Heinrich, Picariello and Andlauer will pursue more than an individual result. A strong Suzuka performance could also strengthen Porsche’s position before IGTC reaches its Indianapolis finale.
Bushi Rex joins AO Racing’s growing character family
While the driver line-up gives AO by Absolute considerable competitive strength, Bushi Rex will provide the programme with its most distinctive visual identity.
AO Racing first introduced Rexy in 2022, covering its Porsche in a green dinosaur design that quickly became one of the most recognisable liveries in modern sportscar racing. The character helped establish the team as a fan favourite while AO simultaneously built its competitive record.
Since then, the team has introduced several additional characters through full-season campaigns and guest appearances. Bushi Rex will become the latest addition when the Porsche takes to Suzuka.
The name directly connects the new character to its Japanese debut. “Bushi” (武士) means “samurai” in Japanese, giving AO Racing an opportunity to combine its established dinosaur theme with imagery inspired by the host nation.
Furthermore, Suzuka offers an ideal stage for that introduction. The 2026 edition marks the 50th running of the Suzuka 1000km, adding further significance to both AO Racing’s IGTC debut and Bushi Rex’s first appearance.
Absolute brings recent Suzuka success to partnership
Absolute Racing gives the programme more than regional familiarity. The team already possesses a strong recent record in the Suzuka 1000km after securing second and fourth overall in the previous edition.
Additionally, its current GTWC Asia form demonstrates that Absolute enters the event with momentum. The squad leads both the Teams’ and Drivers’ standings, strengthening its position as one of Porsche’s leading representatives within the region.
AO Racing, meanwhile, brings championship-winning experience from North America and Europe. The combination therefore joins two successful organisations with different but complementary areas of expertise.
That partnership should prove particularly valuable at Suzuka. The circuit’s high-speed direction changes, technical first sector and demanding tyre requirements can punish small mistakes, while a 1000km race places additional emphasis on strategy, traffic management and consistency.
With three Porsche factory drivers sharing the car, AO by Absolute can approach those challenges with a line-up that combines outright pace with significant GT racing experience.
Porsche championship battle adds importance to Suzuka debut
AO Racing enters IGTC at a decisive stage of the season. Only two rounds remain, beginning with Suzuka before the championship concludes at the Indianapolis 8 Hour in October.
Porsche currently leads Mercedes-AMG by eight points in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Therefore, the additional Pro-class entry gives the German manufacturer another potential front-running car as it attempts to protect that advantage.
The individual championship carries less significance for the AO by Absolute crew because Heinrich, Picariello and Andlauer cannot enter the title fight at this late stage. Instead, the trio can focus entirely on delivering the strongest possible result at Suzuka while supporting Porsche’s broader championship campaign.
Furthermore, the partnership creates an opportunity for AO Racing to assess IGTC competition directly. The team already competes successfully across major American and European series, and its Suzuka entry will add another significant international event to that programme.
Bushi Rex prepares for first laps at Suzuka
AO by Absolute will begin its Suzuka programme when testing starts on 11 September. The opening running will give Heinrich, Picariello and Andlauer their first opportunity to work together within the combined AO and Absolute structure while the teams refine the Porsche for the 1000km.
The programme brings together AO Racing’s growing international ambitions, Absolute Racing’s Asian expertise and three established Porsche factory drivers. At the same time, Bushi Rex gives the partnership a distinctive identity for one of Japan’s biggest endurance races.
AO Racing has already built its reputation through championship success and the popularity of Rexy. At Suzuka, the team will attempt to add an IGTC result to that record as its samurai-inspired newcomer makes its first appearance on the international stage.
