The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC (全日本GT選手権, ''Zen Nihon GT Sensyuken''), is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association (GT-A). Though the JGTC was authorized by the Japan Automobile Federation and recognized by the FIA, the Super GT is authorized directly by FIA.
History
The JGTC Years
The JGTC—established in 1993 by the JAF (Japanese Automobile Federation) via its subsidiary company the GT-A (GT Association)—replaced the defunct
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship for
Group C cars (that was terminated by the end of 1994) and in the same year
Japanese Touring Car Championship for
Group A touring cars, which would adopt the
supertouring formula which was used worldwide. Seeking to prevent the spiraling budgets and one-team/make domination of both series, JGTC imposed strict limits on power, and heavy weight penalties on race winners in an openly-stated objective to keep on-track action close with an emphasis on keeping the race goers happy.
In its first ever race, which was also an IMSA GT exhibition race, apart from the GTS and GTU cars from the United States series, as with the rest of the season, the grid consisted of mostly Japan Sport Sedan cars with the only genuine JGTC cars being two Nissan Skyline GT-Rs entered by NISMO, which were in fact modified Group A cars. The prototypes and European GT cars would only appear one race to be joined by the IMSA and Group N cars at the Suzuka 1000 km.
For the following season, the series would undergo a rules overhaul, class 1 for cars similar to that of the FIA's GT1 category and class 2 for cars that were the equivalent to the GT2 category. The JSS series would altogether dissolve into the latter category. What made the series more significant was compared to the series from other countries, JGTC teams had at the time the freedom to enter whichever cars they preferred, even if it was the JSS cars from the inaugural season and IMSA GTS spaceframe racers. The Group C prototypes, whilst easily showing dominant form, were banished at the end of the 1994 season.
By the end of the season, as the cost of attaining a FIA's GT1 cars shot through the roof dramatically, in order to keep costs down and determined not to go the same way as the JSPC series it replaced, the GT-A would go through another rules overhaul. This time was a change adoption of the newly formed GT500 and GT300 regulation which capped cars depending on weight and brake horsepower with an air restrictor. In 2002, the GT-A made another rule change, this time because the series had been intended to be a GT championship; this meant all competing cars must remain as two doors, while a special waiver was given to allow Cusco Racing to race their Subaru Impreza sedan.
The JGTC would first venture abroad with its first oversea race at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia and after another successive year, the Malaysian race would become a regular championship fixture. After GT-A's abortive attempt at hosting a street race in Shanghai, the series would also venture into the United States with an exhibition race to be run with the D1 Grand Prix exhibition event in the Los Angeles area-California Speedway in Fontana, held during the week before Christmas in December 2004, which was not shown to be a success, since then no exhibition event was held until in 2010 season, which will be held in Fuji Speedway.
Super GT
After years of successive rules changes, at the same time, the JGTC planned holding one more race outside of Japan, in China (Shanghai), in addition to Malaysia (Sepang). However, holding the series in more than three countries violates from the definition of the "national championship" of
FIA. Therefore, the series needed to be authorized directly by FIA and was not able to be named ''Japanese Championship'' because the series had to be parted from Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), the Authority Sport Nationale (ASN) of Japan.
On December 10, 2004, while the series had been mainly focused on Japanese domestic teams, sponsors and fans, with an ever-rising international fan following and TV coverage shown all over the world it was announced that JGTC would now be called Super GT with the goals of "challenge to the world", "challenge from the world", and "challenge to entertainment".
Races
Races are held as part of a yearly series. Races take place on well known Japanese race tracks like
Twin Ring Motegi,
Fuji Speedway, and
Suzuka Circuit. The series was expanded to its first international venue in
Malaysia (2000), and an exhibition race at the
California Speedway (2004). The Malaysian leg of the series, held at
Sepang International Circuit was made an official race from 2002 and counted in the points. For the 2011 & 2012 Malaysian leg, the official organizer is JP Performance Motorsports Sdn. Bhd. (JPM). The baton was passed on to JPM to carry the Super GT tradition in Malaysia with hopes of producing an even more electrifying event.
Races were planned for both Zhuhai International Circuit in 2004 and Shanghai International Circuit in 2005, but both events failed to materialize.
Races are held as a single long endurance race of 300 km or greater such as 1000km Suzuka event. Through in season 2011, most of the race changes into sprints of 250 km due to the aftermath of 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
The cars
The cars are divided into two groups: GT500 and GT300 (cars with no more than 500 and 300 horsepower (374 and 224 kW), respectively). These power outputs are capped via the use of intake restrictors although some heavier cars are given allowances to run larger restrictors to maintain parity.
In order to ensure maximum excitement, both of the GT500 and GT300 groups are run at the same time although points are awarded separately for each group.
Apart from sport cars, personal luxury cars such as the Lexus SC 430 and BMW Z4, and small family cars such as Toyota Corolla Axio have also joined the series.
GT500
The top class in Super GT, GT500, is dominated by the Big 3 Japanese automakers:
Honda (
HSV-010 GT replacing
NSX Super GT),
Nissan (
GT-R replacing
350Z), and
Toyota/
Lexus (
LFA replacing
SC 430 in 2012, which replaced the
Toyota Supra) with some privateer teams running European cars such as
Aston Martin DB9,
Ferrari 550-GTS,
Lamborghini Murciélago or
McLaren F1 GTR.
Regulations in GT500 are considerably looser than most GT classifications, and teams are free to change engines with other models made by the manufacturer, change the alignment of the engine, or add forced-induction systems to models which do not normally have it, however from 2010 onwards all GT500 cars run V8 engines displacing 3.4 liters. The chassis may also be heavily modified, with lightweight tube-frame "clips" being allowed in front of and behind the main cockpit, although the car must overall look similar to its road-going variant. These regulations result in cars which are possibly the fastest GT racing cars in the world. The rationale for this was to allow manufacturers to field competitive cars without having to spend large amounts of money for homologation versions of the race car's road car counterparts (although some companies, notably Honda and Nissan, have still developed homologation specials).
In comparison to other grand tourer series, GT500 cars are generally quicker compared to similar FIA GT1 cars, in part due to the more liberal aerodynamic regulations present in Super GT. An FIA GT1 Maserati MC12 briefly entered the series, participating in a pre-season test, but was unable to match the cornering speeds of the existing Super GT competitors. The only car to successfully run in both specifications was the McLaren F1 GTR which won races in the past in both categories.
In 2010 the GT association announced they will start to investigate the possibility to unite their GT500 regulations with the DTM regulations for the 2012 season. Additionally, 2012 season GT500 cars based on 4-door sedans are allowed, where in the past only 2-door cars were allowed in GT500.
Electronic aids such as ABS, Traction Control and Stability Control are not allowed even if fitted to the road going variant, and ceramic brakes are prohibited. There are also restrictions regarding placement and size of aerodynamic aids such as wings and spoilers. From 2010 onwards canards fitted to the front sides in the front bumper are prohibited. The choice of tires is also varied with Bridgestone, Yokohama, Dunlop, Kumho, Michelin and Hankook (new for 2006) available to teams.
GT300
Few works teams participate in GT300, so the field tends to be much more varied in terms of types of cars entered. The big Japanese car makers also participate in this class, as well as more exotic cars from the likes of
ASL,
Mosler and Vemac (
Lotus tuner). Since 2006, European-style GT cars have chosen to concentrate in this series. Starting from 2010 season, cars which mainly participates in
FIA GT3 also entered the series with minor modifications.
Along with the standard GT cars, the ''Shiden'' (MC/RT-16), a Mooncraft/Riley Daytona Prototype car reviving the original 1977 Mooncraft Shiden 77 (紫電77) also exists in GT300 class since 2006, getting good results (losing the title to RX-7 with tied points but fewer wins in 2006, and won the title in 2007). Until early 2000s when FWD cars were being permitted to be converted to RWD configuration, many of these such as Mitsubishi FTO and Toyota Corolla Levin AE101 competed in its original configuration, and did not win any championships. Cars with rear wheel drive tend to dominate the series until 2008, when an All Wheel Drive Subaru Impreza developed by Cusco won in Sepang.
GT300 cars are much more regulated than their GT500 counterparts, and much more closely resemble road-going versions. Chassis clips and realignments are not allowed (except the latter in the case of front-wheel drive cars), which results in a much more affordable racing experience for privateers. Canards, like FIA GT3, is not allowed in GT300 even it come in stock with the car. While engine outputs and modifications are at a lower level than the GT500 cars, the GT300 cars still post competitive times and races are very competitive.
The GT300 series is one of the racing category that are having most of the makes at the same time in the world. The list below are the list that GT300 cars participated in GT300 series in Super GT, with their active years.
Parity
Super GT is fairly unique in its open and blunt statement that it is committed to providing exciting racing first, at the expense of runaway investment by works teams. Cars are therefore very heavily tampered with by the governing body. At the start of the season, each car is fitted with an air intake restrictor to limit power to the stated class maximums, thus restricting excessive development to make a more powerful engine. Pitstops and driver changes during the race are done within mandatory windows, to prevent tactics from dominating a race. (In 2004, during the exhibition race at the California Speedway, a few teams were penalised after the race ended when race officials, a mix of SCCA and JAF officials (SCCA is a member of ACCUS/FIA, the American national governing body of the FIA; the JAF is the Japanese governing arm of the FIA) discovered their pit stop came one lap before the mandatory window had opened.) All regulations and adjustments to the regulations are publicly announced, in contrast to many other better-known racing promotions.
Success ballast
Perhaps the best-known handicap system in use in the Super GT is the 'success ballast' system, called "weight handicap" where weight penalties are assigned depending on a cars performance during the race weekend. While this system is also used in other series like the
FIA GT and the
BTCC, who pioneered the system, the Super GT's version of the system is notable in that weight penalties are meted out more aggressively. While other series mete out penalties based on final position at the end of the race, Super GT also adds ballast based on qualifying position and individual lap times, and even in specific modifications (with the penalty on fastest lap in final lifted in 2007). In the 2007 season (GT500), the Takata NSX team achieved a record-breaking 5 pole positions in the first 7 races, but as such a system exists, they only won one race among them. Such regulation also keeps teams from the championship before the final race, only the ARTA NSX team has managed to clinch a GT500 Championship prior the final race (2007) in the series' history.
Since 2009 season, the "success ballast" has changed to increase excitement and prevent strategical losing, in gaining advantage in final races. The ballast will be halved in the second last race, and lifted in final race for all teams participated in all rounds. Teams missing only 1 round also receive halved-ballast in the final race.
The drivers
Like the series, Super GT drivers are very popular in Japan with a huge international fan base. One of these drivers who has gained international appeal is
Keiichi Tsuchiya who raced for the
ARTA team before transferring to a managerial role. Other drivers who were famously associated with the series and still have active involvement through team ownership are
Masahiro Hasemi,
Kazuyoshi Hoshino,
Aguri Suzuki,
Kunimitsu Takahashi with the latter being President of the GT Association, who runs the series. The series also attracts drivers who see the series as a stepping stone to the
Formula One championship (almost always parallel with their involvement with
Formula Nippon) including
Ralf Schumacher or
Pedro de la Rosa, and drivers who are no longer in F1 but want to continue their career, most famously
Érik Comas, who was the series' most successful driver until he stepped down from his position as a number one driver.
With very few professional GT300 drivers, many of them have a fan base for their car, but very few of them have a fan base as a driver, particularly Nobuteru Taniguchi (formerly driving the Wedsport/Bandoh Racing Project Celica and Direxiv but now with RE Amemiya) who is also well known as a D1GP competitor. The other well known driver in the category who is well known within Japan, is the TV presenter and singer Hiromi Kozono, who currently drives a Jim Gainer Ferrari 360 and Masahiko Kondo, also a pop star, actor and racer turned team owner who competes in the GT500 category. The only foreign driver in the GT300 class is ex-Formula 3000 driver Marco Apicella. Another popular GT300 driver is Tetsuya Yamano, who runs his own driving school in Japan and has been a winner in his class for 3 successive years at the Malaysian round. As of 2007, he is driving for Cusco.
Controversies
1998 JGTC Fuji incident
Japanese driver
Tetsuya Ota is notable for surviving a fiery multi-car pileup he was involved in during a JGTC race at
Fuji Speedway on May 3, 1998. The accident was initially caused by an oversaturated track. Tetsuya then hydroplaned and left the track which put him directly into an already crashed Porsche. At the time of the accident, the Ferrari Tetsuya was driving had a full cell of fuel which was ignited by the impact. Ota was severely injured due to third-degree burns on a good percentage of his body which may have been prevented if JGTC, at the time, had sufficient emergency response. Ota filed a lawsuit against the racing club plus organizers for negligence and won the sum of ().
Champions
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Season
! rowspan="2"| Category
! colspan="2"| Drivers' Championship
!
! colspan="2"| Teams' Championship
|-
! Driver(s)
! Car
!
! Team
! Car
|-
! colspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC)
|-
!| 1993
| GT
| Masahiko Kageyama
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
|
| ''not awarded''
|-
!rowspan="2"| 1994
| GT1
| Masahiko Kageyama
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
|
|
Calsonic Hoshino Racing
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
|-
| GT2
| Sakae Obata
| Porsche 964 Carrera RS
|
| Kegani Racing
| Porsche 964 Carrera RS
|-
!rowspan="2"| 1995
| GT1
| Masahiko Kageyama
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
|
|
Calsonic Hoshino Racing
| Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
|-
| GT2
| Kaoru Hoshino
Yoshimi Ishibashi
|
Nissan Skyline GTS-R
|
|
Calsonic Impul
|
Nissan Skyline GTS-R
|-
!rowspan="2"| 1996
| GT500
|
David Brabham John Nielsen
|
McLaren F1 GTR
|
|
Team Lark
|
McLaren F1 GTR
|-
| GT300
|
Keiichi Suzuki Morio Nitta
| Porsche Carrera RSR
|
| Team Taisan Jr.
| Porsche 964 Carrera RSR
|-
!rowspan="2"| 1997
| GT500
|
Pedro de la Rosa Michael Krumm Masami Kageyama
|
Toyota Supra
|
| Toyota
Castrol Team
TOM'S
|
Toyota Supra
|-
| GT300
|
Manabu Orido Hideo Fukuyama
|
Nissan Silvia S14
|
| RS-R Racing Team with Bandoh
|
Nissan Silvia S14
|-
!rowspan="2"| 1998
| GT500
|
Érik Comas Masami Kageyama
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
|
| Pennzoil
NISMO
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
|-
| GT300
|
Keiichi Suzuki Shingo Tachi
|
Toyota MR2
|
| Team Taisan Jr. with Tsuchiya
|
Toyota MR2
|-
!rowspan="2"| 1999
| GT500
|
Érik Comas
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
|
|
Pennzoil NISMO
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
|-
| GT300
| Morio Nitta
|
Toyota MR2
|
|
Momocorse Racing with Tsuchiya
|
Toyota MR2
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2000
| GT500
|
Ryo Michigami
|
Honda NSX
|
|
Castrol Dome Mugen Project
|
Honda NSX
|-
| GT300
|
Hideo Fukuyama
|
Porsche 996 GT3R
|
| Team Taisan
Advan
|
Porsche 996 GT3R
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2001
| GT500
|
Hironori Takeuchi Yuji Tachikawa
|
Toyota Supra
|
|
Nismo Hiroto/Xanavi
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
|-
| GT300
| Nobuyuki Oyagi
Takayuki Aoki
|
Nissan Silvia S15
|
| Team Taisan
Advan
|
Porsche 911 GT3R
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2002
| GT500
|
Juichi Wakisaka Akira Iida
|
Toyota Supra
|
|
Esso Ultraflo Team LeMans
|
Toyota Supra
|-
| GT300
| Morio Nitta Shinichi Takagi
|
Toyota MR-S
|
| Team Taisan
Advan
|
Porsche 911 GT3R
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2003
| GT500
|
Satoshi Motoyama Michael Krumm
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
|
| Xanavi
Nismo
|
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
|-
| GT300
| Mitsuhiro Kinoshita Masataka Yanagida
|
Nissan Fairlady Z Z33
|
| Team Taisan
Advan
|
Chrysler Viper GTS-RPorsche 911 GT3R
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2004
| GT500
|
Satoshi Motoyama Richard Lyons
|
Nissan Fairlady Z Z33
|
|
Nismo Xanavi/
Motul Pitwork
|
Nissan Fairlady Z Z33
|-
| GT300
| Tetsuya Yamano Hiroyuki Yagi
|
Honda NSX
|
|
M-TEC
|
Honda NSX
|-
! colspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| Super GT
|-
!rowspan="2"|
2005
| GT500
|
Yuji Tachikawa Toranosuke Takagi
|
Toyota Supra
|
|
Nismo Xanavi/
Motul Pitwork
|
Nissan Fairlady Z Z33
|-
| GT300
|
Kota Sasaki Tetsuya Yamano
|
Toyota MR-S
|
| Team Reckless
|
Toyota MR-S
|-
!rowspan="2"|
2006
| GT500
|
Juichi Wakisaka André Lotterer
|
Lexus SC 430
|
| Open Interface Toyota Team
TOM'S
|
Lexus SC 430
|-
| GT300
| Tetsuya Yamano Hiroyuki Iiri
|
Mazda RX-7
|
|
RE Amemiya Racing Asparadrink
|
Mazda RX-7 FD3S
|-
!rowspan="2"|
2007
| GT500
|
Daisuke Ito Ralph Firman
|
Honda NSX
|
|
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri
|
Honda NSX
|-
| GT300
|
Kazuya Oshima Hiroaki Ishiura
|
Toyota MR-S
|
| Cars Tokai Dream 28Privée Kenzo Asset
|
Mooncraft/Riley Shiden MC/RT-16.
|-
!rowspan="2"|
2008
| GT500
|
Satoshi Motoyama Benoît Tréluyer
|
Nissan GT-R
|
|
Petronas Toyota Team
TOM'S
|
Lexus SC 430
|-
| GT300
| Kazuki Hoshino Hironobu Yasuda
|
Nissan 350Z
|
| MOLA
|
Nissan 350Z
|-
!rowspan="2"|
2009
| GT500
|
Juichi Wakisaka André Lotterer
|
Lexus SC 430
|
|
Lexus Team
Petronas TOM'S
|
Lexus SC 430
|-
| GT300
|
Manabu Orido Tatsuya Kataoka
|
Lexus IS 350
|
| Racing Project Bandoh
|
Lexus IS 350
|-
!rowspan="2"|
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
|-
!rowspan="2"|
2011
| GT500
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| GT300
|
|
|
|
|
|}
See also
Zen-Nippon GT Senshuken
GT 64: Championship Edition
References
About Weight Handycap System
External links
Super GT website /
de:Super GT
fr:Super GT
ko:전일본 그랜드 투어링카 챔피언십
it:Super GT
nl:Super GT
ja:全日本GT選手権
pl:Super GT
pt:Super GT
fi:Super GT
sv:Super GT