Tetsuichiro Kurumada commands Team Sugo Asurada as its decisive leader, overseeing both strategic and operational facets of the racing team. During the Fujioka Qualifier Grand Prix, he spearheads the transport of the Asurada GSX—a groundbreaking Cyber Formula prototype engineered by Hiroyuki Kazami—to the circuit. His convoy faces a sudden ambush by mercenaries in Smith’s employ, intent on seizing the advanced technology. Amid the confrontation, Kurumada urgently passes the car’s activation key to Hayato Kazami, Hiroyuki’s 14-year-old son, directing him to escape with the vehicle.

This act unwittingly triggers the Asurada’s biometric security system, permanently binding Hayato as its sole operator. Forced to adapt when their original driver, Akira Hiyoshi, abandons the team in protest, Sugo recruits Hayato as their new pilot. Kurumada’s decisive choice not only thrusts the teenager into Cyber Formula racing but also irrevocably steers the team’s future, anchoring their competitive journey around Hayato’s unexpected ascent. His influence is singularly defined by this critical event, with no further elaboration on his personal history or later narrative contributions.