2019 Japanese Super GT Series entry list & season preview

  • Super GT Series season preview
  • Super GT Series season preview

The new season of the Japanese Super GT Series will kick-off this weekend at the Okayama International Circuit. It would be the 15th season of the Super GT Series and 26th season of the GT championship sanctioned by the Japanese Automobile Federation (JAF).

Same as in 2018, the championship features eight rounds that will take place at six different Japanese tracks (Okayama, Fuji, Suzuka, Autopolis, Sugo, Motegi) plus visit to the Chang International Circuit in Thailand. Fuji Speedway will host two championship races, the 500-km race in May and the 500-mile race in August, but also the non-championship race in November that will see a clash of Super GT machinery against DTM cars.

2018 Super GT champions

2018 Super GT champions are returning in the same line-up

Forty-four cars are announced for the season-opening 300km race at Okayama, fifteen in the GT500 class and twenty-nine in the GT300 class. Driver market was very active during the offseason but defending champions in both classes will return to the championship with the same teams and cars.

GT500 champions Jenson Button and Naoki Yamamoto will share the cockpit of the #1 Honda NSX-GT, driving for Team Kunimitsu. In the GT300 class, the reigning champions Haruki Kurosawa and Naoya Gamou will share the #65 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of K2 R&D Leon Racing.

Super GT drivers ahead of 2019 season

Super GT drivers ahead of 2019 season

On the GT500 grid, there will be six Lexus LC500s, five Honda NSX-GTs and four Nissan GT-Rs. Among GT500 drivers, there is a couple of Japanese rookies (Sho Tsuboi, Tadasuke Makino) but also one experienced former F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan, who joined Nakajima Racing to drive Honda NSX-GT.

In the GT300 class, the biggest novelty is two British car manufacturers on the grid, Aston Martin and McLaren. Team Goh is returning to the championship after 23 years of absence as McLaren Customer Racing Japan. Previously, the team secured the only GT500 championship title for non-Japanese manufacturer back in 1996 with McLaren F1 GTR.

2019 Super GT Series entry list – GT500 class

NumberTeamDriversCarTires
1Team KunimitsuJenson Button, Naoki YamamotoRaybrig Honda NSX-GTBridgestone
3NDDP Racing with B-MaxKohei Hirate, Frederic MakowieckiCraftsports Motul Nissan GT-RMichelin
6Lexus Team LeMans Wako'sKazuya Oshima, Kenta YamashitaWako's 4CR Lexus LC500Bridgestone
8Autobacs Racing Team AguriTomoki Nojiri, Takuya IzawaARTA Honda NSX-GTBridgestone
12Team ImpulDaiki Sasaki, James RossiterCalsonic Impul Nissan GT-RBridgestone
16Team MugenHideki Mutoh, Daisuke NakajimaMotul Mugen Honda NSX-GTYokohama
17Keihin Real RacingKoudai Tsukakoshi, Bertrand BaguetteKeihin Honda NSX-GTBridgestone
19Lexus Team WedsSport BandohYuji Kunimoto, Sho TsuboiWedsSport Advan Lexus LC500Yokohama
23NismoTsugio Matsuda, Ronnie QuintarelliMotul Autech Nissan GT-RMichelin
24Kondo RacingMitsunori Takaboshi, Jann MardenboroughRealize Corporation Advan Nissan GT-RYokohama
36Lexus Team au Tom'sKazuki Nakajima, Yuhi Sekiguchiau Tom's Lexus LC500Bridgestone
37Lexus Team KeePer Tom'sRyo Hirakawa, Nick CassidyKeePer Tom's Lexus LC500Bridgestone
38Lexus Team Zent CerumoYuji Tachikawa, Hiroaki IshiuraZent Cerumo Lexus LC500Bridgestone
39Lexus Team SARDHeikki Kovalainen, Yuichi NakayamaDenso Kobelco SARD Lexus LC500Bridgestone
64Modulo Nakajima RacingNarain Karthikeyan, Tadasuke MakinoModulo Epson Honda NSX-GTDunlop

2019 Super GT Series entry list – GT300 class

NumberTeamDriversCarTires
2Cars Tokai Dream28Kazuho Takahashi, Hiroki KatohLotus Evora MCYokohama
4Goodsmile Racing & Team UkyoNobuteru Taniguchi, Tatsuya KataokaMercedes-AMG GT3Yokohama
5Team MachNatsu Sakaguchi, Yuya HirakiToyota 86 MCYokohama
7D'Station Racing AMRTomonobu Fujii, Joao Paulo de OliveiraAston Martin Vantage GT3Yokohama
9Pacific Racing with Good SpeedNaoki Yokomizo, Kyosuke MineoPorsche 911 GT3 RYokohama
10GainerKazuki Hoshino, Keishi IshikawaNissan GT-R Nismo GT3Yokohama
11GainerKatsuyuki Hiranaka, Hironobu YasudaNissan GT-R Nismo GT3Dunlop
18Team UpGarageTakashi Kobayashi, Kosuke MatsuuraHonda NSX GT3Yokohama
21Audi Team HitotsuyamaRichard Lyons, Ryuichiro TomitaAudi R8 LMSYokohama
22R'Qs Motor SportsHisashi Wada, Masaki JyonaiMercedes-AMG GT3Yokohama
25Tsuchiya EngineeringTakamitsu Matsui, Kimiya SatoToyota 86 MCYokohama
30aprHiroaki Nagai, Manabu OridoToyota Prius PHV GT SportYokohama
31aprKoki Saga, Yuhki NakayamaToyota Prius PHV GT SportBridgestone
33X WorksShaun Thong, Marchy LeeNissan GT-R Nismo GT3Yokohama
34Modulo Drago CorseRyo Michigami, Hiroki OtsuHonda NSX GT3Yokohama
35Panther arto Team ThailandSean Walkinshaw, Nattapong HortongkumLexus RC F GT3Yokohama
48NILZZ RacingMasaki Tanaka, Taiyou IidaNissan GT-R Nismo GT3Yokohama
50Arnage RacingMasaki Kano, Ryosei YamashitaMercedes-AMG GT3Yokohama
52Saitama Toyopet Green BraveHiroki Yoshida, Shigekazu WakisakaToyota Mark X MCBridgestone
55ARTAShinichi Takagi, Nirei FukuzumiHonda NSX GT3Bridgestone
56Kondo RacingKazuki Hiramine, Sacha FenestrazNissan GT-R Nismo GT3Yokohama
60LM CorsaHiroki Yoshimoto, Ritomo MiyataLexus RC F GT3Dunlop
61R&D SportTakuto Iguchi, Hideki YamauchiSubaru BRZDunlop
65K2 R&D Leon RacingHaruki Kurosawa, Naoya GamouMercedes-AMG GT3Bridgestone
87JLOCTsubasa Takahashi, Andre CoutoLamborghini Huracan GT3Yokohama
88JLOCTakashi Kogure, Yuya MotoyimaLamborghini Huracan GT3Yokohama
96K-tunes RacingMorio Nitta, Sena SakaguchiLexus RC F GT3Bridgestone
360Tomei SportsTakayuki Aoki, Atsushi TanakaNissan GT-R Nismo GT3Yokohama
720McLaren Customer Racing JapanSeiji Ara, Alex PalouMcLaren 720S GT3Yokohama

Photos: Super GT,

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