Super GT

The Super GT series - formerly the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC - is a Japanese GT championship organized by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and supervised by the FIA .

history

JGTC

JGTC starting grid, June 19, 2004 in Sepang

In 1992, an end to Group C was foreseeable due to the enormous costs and declining popularity and thus also the end of the national, Japanese Group C series All Japan Sports Prototype Championship . At the same time also ended the era of Group A - touring cars in the Japanese Touring Car Championship. Although these were replaced by the super touring cars , these never reached the spectacularity of their predecessors in the eyes of the fans.

In order to inherit these two series, the JAF ( Japan Automobile Federation ) founded the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship series, or JGTC for short, as the successor to the 1993 season . In the first few years, touring cars mainly of Japanese origin and Gran Turismos drove in two classes, as well as the old Group C racing cars until 1994. But as the costs of the GT1 increased dramatically, the new GT500 and GT300 classes were introduced for the 1996 season . The designations reflect the service that was strictly regulated. In terms of aerodynamics, however, the teams enjoy a great deal of freedom, so that these are pure prototypes that have almost nothing in common with them, apart from the external similarity to production vehicles.

Super GT

After a few years with various successful rule changes, the racing series also became known outside of Japan. The first international race was held in Malaysia in 2000 . However, the FIA , which limited the number of foreign races for a national series, stood in the way of further expansion . Similar to the DTM, a name change was necessary. On December 10, 2004, the series was renamed Super GT after it had until then mainly focused on Japanese teams , sponsors and fans , but international interest increased and the races were televised worldwide. The new name was intended to express the opening of the series to other international teams.

class 1

In the search for further expansion possibilities, considerations arose on aligning the conceptually similar Super GT and DTM series in order to enable the use of Japanese racing cars in Europe and vice versa. The idea of ​​a new series in North America is also being explored. On October 6, 2012, a cooperation agreement was then signed in Tokyo. Both series are now counting on a common CFK - monocoque , common power transmission and carbon brakes, and harmonized aerodynamics regulations. In a further step, the motors are made equal and by new Class 1 - turbo engines to be replaced. The regulations provide for 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines which, through turbocharging, achieve around 440  kW (600  hp ). The Super GT500 has been using these engines since 2014, the DTM originally planned the introduction for 2017, but then postponed them to 2019. In contrast to the DTM, however, hybrid drives are also permitted in the Super GT.

They run

A racing scene from the 2008 Fuji Speedway race ; in the foreground the Super GT safety car .

The races are held as part of an annual championship and take place on well-known Japanese and international racetracks such as the Twin Ring Motegi , Fuji Speedway or the Suzuka International Racing Course . Outside of Japan, the Super GT has already made guest appearances in Malaysia , China and the Auto Club Speedway in the USA. However, so far only the race on the Sepang International Circuit has been included in the overall standings.

The Super GT drives long-distance races from 250 to 1000 km in length with refueling stops and driver changes. The two different fast classes are a special feature. The GT300 is a few seconds slower per lap, so lapping maneuvers make driving on the track more difficult and create tension on the track.

The vehicles

The vehicles are divided into two classes: the GT500 with around 650  hp and the GT300 with around 550 hp. The performance of the vehicles is limited by special air restrictors and additional weights. In order to make the races as exciting as possible for the spectators, both vehicle classes drive at the same time, but the points are awarded separately for each class.

GT500

A Nissan GT-R of the GT500 class.

The top class of the Super GT - the GT500 - is dominated by three major Japanese automakers. In 2019, they will each set the Lexus LC500 , the Honda NSX-GT and the Nissan GT-R . In the past, some private teams took part with vehicles from Ferrari , Lamborghini and other European manufacturers.

The regulations in the GT500 class are relatively loose compared to most other GT series. So is z. For example, the replacement of engines from the respective manufacturer is just as easy as various modifications to the engines or the chassis . However, the appearance of the vehicles should be as close as possible to the corresponding production model. These regulations make the vehicles the world's fastest GT vehicles. Electronic aids such as ABS and traction - and stability controls are not allowed, even carbon - brakes are prohibited. Improvements in aerodynamics through spoilers and wings are also strictly regulated.

GT300

A Mazda RX-7 of the GT300 class.

There are only a few works teams in the GT300 class , so there are a large number of different vehicles here. In the 300 hp class, the German brands Porsche and BMW are popular alongside the Japanese manufacturers.

The GT300 vehicles are more strictly regulated than their GT500 counterparts and are therefore more based on the corresponding production model, which also makes participation affordable for private drivers. Since the modification options are more limited than with the GT500, the GT300 vehicles are much more competitive with each other.

Previous masters

season	class	Driver championship		Team championship
		driver	vehicle	team	vehicle
JGTC
1994	GT1	Masahiko Kageyama	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32	Hoshino Racing	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
	GT2	Sakae Obata	Porsche 964 Carrera RS	Kegani Racing	Porsche 964 Carrera RS
1995	GT1	Masahiko Kageyama	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32	Team Taisan	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
	GT2	Yoshimi Ishibashi Kaoru Hoshino	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32	Yoshimi Ishibashi	Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
1996	GT500	David Brabham John Nielsen	McLaren F1 GT-R	Team Lark	McLaren F1 GT-R
	GT300	Keiichi Suzuki Morio Nitta	Porsche 964 Carrera RS	Team Taisan Jr.	Porsche 964 Carrera RS
1997	GT500	Pedro de la Rosa Michael Krumm	Toyota Supra	Toyota Castrol team	Toyota Supra
	GT300	Manabu Orido Hideo Fukuyama	Nissan Silvia S14	RS-R Racing Team with Bandoh	Nissan Silvia S14
1998	GT500	Érik Comas Masami Kageyama	Nissan Skyline GT-R R33	Nismo	Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
	GT300	Keiichi Suzuki Shingo Tachi	Toyota MR2	Team Taisan Jr. with Tsuchiya	Toyota MR2
1999	GT500	Érik Comas	Nissan Skyline GT-R	Toyota Castrol Team Tom's	Toyota Supra
	GT300	Morio Nitta	Toyota MR2	Momocorse Racing with Tsuchiya	Toyota MR2
2000	GT500	Ryō Michigami	Honda NSX	Dome x Mugen Project	Honda NSX
	GT300	Hideo Fukuyama	Porsche 996 GT3R	Team Taisan Advan	Porsche 996 GT3R
2001	GT500	Hironori Takeuchi Yūji Tachikawa	Toyota Supra	Nismo	Toyota Supra
	GT300	Nobuyuki Oyagi Takayuki Aoki	Nissan Skyline GT-R R34	Team Taisan Advan	Porsche 996 GT3R
2002	GT500	Juichi Wakisaka Akira Iida	Toyota Supra	Dome x Mugen Project	Toyota Supra
	GT300	Morio Nitta Shinichi Takagi	Toyota MR-S	Team Taisan Advan	Porsche 996 GT3R
2003	GT500	Satoshi Motoyama Michael Krumm	Nissan Skyline GT-R R34	Esso Toyota Team LeMans	Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
	GT300	Mitsuhiro Kinoshita Masataka Yanagida	Nissan 350Z	Team Taisan Advan	Porsche 996 GT3R
2004	GT500	Satoshi Motoyama Richard Lyons	Nissan 350Z	Nismo	Nissan 350Z
	GT300	Tetsuya Yamano Hiroyuki Yagi	Honda NSX	Verno Tokai Dream 28	Honda NSX
Super GT
2005	GT500	Yūji Tachikawa Toranosuke Takagi	Toyota Supra	Nismo	Nissan 350Z
	GT300	Kota Sasaki Tetsuya Yamano	Toyota MR-S	Team Reckless	Toyota MR-S
2006	GT500	Juichi Wakisaka André Lotterer	Lexus SC430	Toyota Team Tom's	Lexus SC430
	GT300	Tetsuya Yamano Hiroyuki Iiri	Mazda RX-7 FD3S	RE Amemiya Racing	Mazda RX-7 FD3S
2007	GT500	Daisuke Itō Ralph Firman	Honda NSX	Autobacs Racing Team Aguri	Honda NSX
	GT300	Kazuya Ōshima Hiroaki Ishiura	Toyota MR-S	Cars Tokai Dream 28	Mooncraft Shiden
2008	GT500	Satoshi Motoyama Benoît Tréluyer	Nissan GT-R	Toyota Team Tom's	Lexus SC430
	GT300	Kazuki Hoshino Hironobu Yasuda	Nissan 350Z	MOLA	Nissan 350Z
2009	GT500	Juichi Wakisaka André Lotterer	Lexus SC430	Lexus Team Tom's	Lexus SC430
	GT300	Manabu Orido Tatsuya Kataoka	Lexus IS350	Racing Project Bandoh	Lexus IS350
2010	GT500	Takashi Kogure Loïc Duval	Honda HSV-010 GT	Weider Honda Racing	Honda HSV-010 GT
	GT300	Kazuki Hoshino Masataka Yanagida	Nissan 350Z	Hasemi Motorsport	Nissan 350Z
2011	GT500	Masataka Yanagida Ronnie Quintarelli	Nissan GT-R	MOLA	Nissan GT-R
	GT300	Nobuteru Taniguchi Taku Bamba	BMW Z4 GT3	GSR & Study with Team UKYO	BMW Z4 GT3
2012	GT500	Masataka Yanagida Ronnie Quintarelli	Nissan GT-R	MOLA	Nissan GT-R
	GT300	Kyosuke Mineo Naoki Yokomizo	Porsche 997 GT3R	Team Taisan Endless	Porsche 997 GT3R
2013	GT500	Yūji Tachikawa Kōhei Hirate	Lexus SC430	Lexus Team Cent Cerumo	Lexus SC430
	GT300	Hideki Mutō Yūki Nakayama	Honda CR-Z	Team Mugen	Honda CR-Z
2014	GT500	Tsugio Matsuda Ronnie Quintarelli	Nissan GT-R	Nismo	Nissan GT-R
	GT300	Nobuteru Taniguchi Tatsuya Kataoka	BMW Z4 GT3	Gainer	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
2015	GT500	Tsugio Matsuda Ronnie Quintarelli	Nissan GT-R	Nismo	Nissan GT-R
	GT300	André Couto	Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3	Gainer	Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
2016	GT500	Kōhei Hirate Heikki Kovalainen	Lexus RC-F	Lexus Team Sard	Lexus RC-F
	GT300	Takeshi Tsuchiya Takamitsu Matsui	Toyota 86 MC GTA V8	VivaC Team Tsuchiya	Toyota 86 MC GTA V8
2017	GT500	Ryō Hirakawa Nick Cassidy	Lexus LC 500	Lexus Team KeePer Tom's	Lexus LC 500
	GT300	Nobuteru Taniguchi Tatsuya Kataoka	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Goodsmile Racing & Team Ukyo	Mercedes-AMG GT3
2018	GT500	Naoki Yamamoto Jenson Button	Honda NSX-GT	Team Kunimitsu	Honda NSX-GT
	GT300	Haruki Kurosawa Naoya Gamou	Mercedes-AMG GT3	K2 R&D LEON Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3

Web links

Commons : Super GT  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The Super GT website (English)
• The Super GT website in the United States (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "A historic milestone" on dtm.com
2. ↑ JGTC Race Archive , on supergt.net
3. ↑ Super GT Race Archive , on supergt.net