Osamu Kawashima is eyeing Ricky Collard’s Team VERTU seat, after the British Touring Car Championship squad handed him the reserve driver post.
We know little about the Japanese driver’s racing career, though he did race in the Ginetta GT5 series in 2014.
The next year, he finished second in the Ginetta GT4’s amateur ranks, claiming five wins in a podium-filled campaign.
However, Team VERTU’s new backup man has a sparse racing history in the years since.
Though, staunch fans of tin-top racing may recognise Kawashima from a test with Speedworks at Donington Park in 2016.
After that outing, he proclaimed that he wanted to be the first driver to bring popularity to the championship in Japan.
Ten years on, the 57-year-old has taken the most notable step yet in his journey.
“I am very pleased to share that I am now able to publicly describe myself as an EXCELR8 Motorsport Reserve Driver as part of my BTCC 2026 programme in the UK,” Kawashima posted on Instagram.
“After spending time with the team at Brands Hatch, this journey has taken another important step forward.
“I am continuing to build toward race participation later in the 2026 season, while also developing wider Japan-UK motorsport opportunities around the programme.”
The Japanese driver would be the series’ first since Kunimitsu Takahashi’s one-off outing at Silverstone in 1985.
If Kawashima is to step into a touring car for the first time, it is likely to be at the expense of Collard.
In one of the cruellest byproducts of motorsport, Collard has publicly admitted that he is unlikely to find the finances to complete the season.
This is despite his sensational start to 2026, where he surprised all by scoring four podiums in the first nine races.
The results see him tipped to continue charging at the front of the pack, as he looks for his maiden win in the series.
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