Sakurai raced under Filipino license in Formula BMW Pacific and in the GP3 Series.
He scored a podium in the second race of the opening round at Sepang and achieved seven more point-scoring finishes on his way to eighth in the championship.
[2][3] Sakurai participated in the Toyota Racing Series in early 2011 with M2 Competition, finishing fourteenth in the championship, the lowest-placed of the International Trophy drivers to contest the series.
[6] During the season he also appeared in the Brands Hatch round of the European F3 Open Championship.
[7] Sakurai raced in the GP3 Series in 2012 with Status Grand Prix.