2020 Super GT Series
The 2020 Super GT Series is a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It is the twenty-eighth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the sixteenth season the series to compete under the Super GT name. It is the thirty-eighth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
2020 Super GT Series | |||
Previous: | 2019 | Next: | 2021 |
Sister series: Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters |
Schedule
Initial 2020 schedule
On July 26, 2019, the GTA announced the provisional calendar for the 2020 Super GT series, with the number of rounds remaining at 8, but with an increase in the number of overseas races, with the return of Chang International Circuit in Thailand, and for the first time since 2013 Super GT Series, a return to Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Despite its absence in the calendar, Sepang had remained a popular choice for manufacturers when reviewing locations for testing, particularly during the winter months. At the time, dates for neither of the overseas rounds were revealed, although the races were expected to take place between June and August. The Fuji 500 mile round, introduced to replace the 1000 km of Suzuka, was dropped to avoid a clash with the 2020 Summer Olympics, which would be held in Tokyo.[1] A finalised calendar with the dates for both overseas rounds was revealed during the 2019 Motegi GT 250 km weekend.[2][3]
Impact of 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic
On March 18, 2020, the original opening round at Okayama International Circuit was postponed to an undetermined date due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.[4] On March 30, 2020, the second and third rounds at Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit were each postponed.[5] On April 5, 2020, the series released its first revised calendar, which was scheduled to begin on July 12 at Okayama. With the 2020 Summer Olympics postponed, the Fuji Speedway round, traditionally scheduled for the Golden Week holiday of May 4, was moved to August 9.
On June 4, 2020, a second revision to the calendar was announced[6]. The season is now scheduled to begin on July 19 at Fuji Speedway, the first of three confirmed races that were announced to be held at Fuji, with a fourth added later. Two rounds were scheduled to take place at Suzuka Circuit, with one scheduled for August 23, the date that was originally set for the cancelled 2020 Suzuka 10 Hours. Two rounds were scheduled to take place at Twin Ring Motegi. The rounds at Okayama International Circuit, Autopolis, and Sportsland Sugo in Japan, as well as the round at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, were all cancelled for 2020.[7] On June 8, 2020, it was confirmed that the eighth and final round would take place at Fuji Speedway on November 29, after the round at Chang International Circuit in Thailand, which was provisionally scheduled to take place on December 27, was cancelled.[8] The first event format was announced on June 29, with the first race at Fuji being held at a 300 kilometre distance.[9]
Round | Race | Circuit | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Takanoko Hotel Fuji GT 300km Race[9] | July 18-19 | |
2 | Takanoko Hotel Fuji GT 300km Race | August 8–9 | |
3 | Suzuka GT 300km Race | August 22-23 | |
4 | Motegi GT I | September 12-13 | |
5 | Fuji GT III | October 3-4 | |
6 | Suzuka GT II | October 24-25 | |
7 | Motegi GT II | November 7-8 | |
8 | Fuji GT IV | November 28-29 |
Teams and drivers
A total of 45 teams have registered to take part in the 2020 Super GT season, 15 teams from the GT500 class, and 30 teams from the GT300 class.
GT500
GT300
Vehicle Changes
GT500 Class
- All GT500 vehicles will be prepared to the unified Class One technical regulations created by the GTA and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters' sanctioning body, the ITR. The cars will feature a standard engine control unit (ECU) manufactured by Bosch, who joined Super GT as a sponsor of the series from 2020.
- After being represented by the Lexus brand from 2006 to 2019, Toyota Motor Corporation will field the fifth-generation Toyota GR Supra in the GT500 Class, beginning in 2020. The GR Supra will be powered by the same Toyota RI4A powerplant used in its predecessors, the Lexus RC F, and the Lexus LC 500. To reflect the change, all six of Toyota's GT500 entries will carry the "TGR Team" prefix in their team names.
- After a change in the GT500 technical regulations that state that the engine must be mounted in front of the cockpit, Honda announced that they will field a front-engined version of the traditionally mid-engined NSX-GT in 2020. It will be the first Honda GT500 car with a front-engine layout since the HSV-010 GT raced from 2010 to 2013.
- Nissan will field an updated version of the GT-R NISMO GT500 in 2020.
GT300 Class
- Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave will field the fifth-generation Toyota GR Supra in the GT300 Class from 2020. Built to JAF-GT GT300 regulations, the GT300 GR Supra will be powered by Toyota's 5.4 litre 2UR-GSE V8 engine.
- On December 6, 2019, Tsuchiya Engineering announced a customer racing partnership with Porsche to field the latest 911 GT3-R in the 2020 season.[20]
- X Works Racing will change from the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to the Audi R8 LMS GT3 in 2020.
Team Changes
GT500 Class
- 2019 GT500 Championship winners Team Le Mans parted ways with Toyota Gazoo Racing at the end of the season. To replace their entry, a new team, "TGR Team Wako's Rookie," was announced for 2020. The new team is owned by KTR Co. Ltd, with vehicle maintenance being handled by TGR Team Cerumo. Wako Chemical, the title sponsor of Team Le Mans from 2016 to 2019, will be the title sponsor of the new team, and 2005 GT500 Drivers' Champion, Toranosuke Takagi, will be the Team Director. TGR Team Wako's Rookie will carry the number 14, and for the first time since 1998, the number one plate, reserved for the GT500 Champion team, will not be in use.
- Three-time GT500 Drivers' Champion Juichi Wakisaka, who was the Team Director at Team Le Mans from 2016 to 2019, now takes over the same position at TGR Team SARD.
- Red Bull have become the title sponsor of Team Mugen, beginning in 2020.
GT300 Class
- On January 29, 2020, Tsuchiya Engineering announced an expanded partnership with title sponsor Hoppy Beverage Company, with Hoppy CEO Mina Ishiwatari purchasing a share of the team, and changed their name to "Hoppy Team Tsuchiya."
- Aston Martin Racing customer squad D'station Racing will partner with Pacific Racing under the new name "Pacific-D'station Racing" in 2020, and changed their number from 7 to 9. They will also be the first full-time GT300 entry to run on Michelin tyres since 2014.[19]
- Max Racing, who had competed in the Pirelli Super Taikyu Series' ST-X (FIA GT3) category from 2018 to 2019, announced that they will move up to the GT300 class of Super GT beginning in 2020.[13] Former Super GT driver Tetsuya Tanaka was appointed team director, and the aforementioned Tsuchiya Engineering will be in charge of vehicle maintenance. They will field a Lexus RC F GT3, running on Yokohama tyres.
- INGING Motorsport will return to the GT300 class as a stand-alone entry in 2020, fielding a Toyota 86 MC previously used by Panther arto Team Thailand. They will carry the number 6, the number which they had previously used in the 1998 All-Japan GT Championship and had since been used by Team Le Mans until their split from Toyota. Their 86 MC will run on Bridgestone Potenza tyres.
- Team Le Mans announced that they will take over vehicle maintenance and operation for Audi Team Hitotsuyama beginning in 2020.
- BMW Team Studie will enter the GT300 class for the first time since 2017 under the name "BMW Team Studie x CSL", using the current BMW M6 GT3. Kazumichi Goh, the owner of Team Goh Motorsports (who entered Super GT in 2019 as McLaren Customer Racing Japan), was appointed as the Representative Director of the team.
- Lexus Customer Racing teams K-Tunes Racing and LM Corsa will change tyre suppliers for the 2020 season: K-Tunes Racing will switch from Bridgestone to Dunlop, and LM Corsa will switch from Dunlop to Michelin.[13]
Driver Changes
GT500 Class
- Honda: On October 29, 2019, 2018 GT500 Drivers' Champion Jenson Button announced that he would not return to race in Super GT in 2020. One month later, during the Super GT x DTM Dream Race at Fuji Speedway, Team Mugen driver Daisuke Nakajima announced that he would retire from racing at the conclusion of the event, while Narain Karthikeyan, who won the second Dream Race at Fuji for Nakajima Racing, confirmed in January that he would not return to the series. On January 10, 2020, Honda appointed three new drivers to their GT500 lineup. Reigning Formula 3 Asian Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan Champion, Ukyo Sasahara, joined Team Mugen to replace Nakajima. Reigning GT300 Drivers' Champion, Nirei Fukuzumi, was promoted by Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) to their GT500 car, replacing veteran Takuya Izawa, who moved to Nakajima Racing in an all-new driver lineup alongside fellow GT300 graduate, Hiroki Otsu. Tadasuke Makino, who drove for Nakajima Racing in 2019, transferred to Team Kunimitsu in 2020, in place of Button.[11]
- Nissan: On December 7, 2019, Porsche factory driver Frédéric Makowiecki returned to the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship full-time in 2020, ruling him out for a full-time return to Super GT. His departure from Nissan was confirmed on January 10, 2020, along with that of James Rossiter, who has ended his career in Japan after seven seasons to focus on his role with the DS Techeetah Formula E Team. Katsumasa Chiyo, who raced full-time in the Intercontinental GT Challenge for Nissan in 2019, returns to GT500 on a full-time basis at NDDP Racing with B-Max, replacing Makowiecki. At Team Impul, Kazuki Hiramine steps up from the GT300 class after six seasons, to replace Rossiter.[10]
- Toyota: Toyota Gazoo Racing announced their 2020 motorsport activities on February 7, 2020. The new TGR Team Wako's Rookie entry will feature 2019 GT500 Champion Kazuya Oshima and 2018 All-Japan Formula Three Champion Sho Tsuboi as its drivers. Tsuboi's place at TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh will be taken by GT300 graduate and 2019 All-Japan F3 vice-champion Ritomo Miyata, the first person on the autism spectrum to race full-time in the premier class of Super GT. 2019 All-Japan F3 Champion, Sacha Fenestraz, also steps up to the GT500 class, driving for TGR Team au TOM's. Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Kazuki Nakajima and 2019 GT500 Champion Kenta Yamashita will not return to the series in 2020, as they will focus solely on their roles in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Japanese Super Formula Championship.[13]
GT300 Class
- 2014 Le Mans class winner Nicki Thiim joined Pacific-D'station Racing for 2020, alongside Tomonobu Fujii.
- Two-time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Christopher Mies and former Team Taisan driver Shintaro Kawabata replace 2004 GT500 Champion Richard Lyons and Ryuichiro Tomita at Audi Team Hitotsuyama.
- Lamborghini Squadra Corse driver Dennis Lind joins Team JLOC in their number 87 entry alongside Yuya Motojima, while 2010 GT500 Champion Takashi Kogure will now be partnered by 2015 GT300 Champion André Couto in the number 88 car.
- With Kazuki Hiramine and Sacha Fenestraz's respective promotions to GT500, Kondo Racing announced a new lineup for their GT300 team, featuring 2010 Japanese Top Formula Champion João Paulo de Oliveira and two-time Fuji 24 Hours winner Kiyoto Fujinami.
- BMW Team Studie x CSL welcomes 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Seiji Ara back to the team, alongside rookie gentleman driver Tomohide Yamaguchi. BMW Works driver Augusto Farfus was appointed as a third driver.
- Two-time GT500 Champion Masataka Yanagida returns to Super GT full-time at Cars Tokai Dream28, replacing gentleman driver Kazuho Takahashi, who retired from racing in the series and will now serve as team director.
- All-Japan F3 and Euroformula Open race winner Toshiki Oyu replaces Nirei Fukuzumi at Autobacs Racing Team Aguri in their championship-winning Honda NSX GT3.
- Australian Jake Parsons returns to Super GT after a two-year absence, driving for Modulo Drago Corse alongside owner/driver Ryo Michigami.
- All-Japan F3 graduate Shunsuke Kohno replaces Ritomo Miyata at LM Corsa.
- Kohta Kawaai graduates from the FIA F4 Japanese Championship to drive for Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave.
- Newcomers Max Racing appointed GT300 veteran Rintaro Kubo and FIA F4 Japanese Championship graduate Atsushi Miyake as their drivers.
- INGING Motorsport appoints Toyota Gazoo Racing young driver Kazuto Kotaka and veteran Ryohei Sakaguchi as their full-time driver lineup, joined by third driver Yuui Tsutsumi.
- Kizuku Hirota joins Arnage Racing as a third driver.
Mid-season changes
Due to travel restrictions put into place as a result of the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, several driver changes were necessitated, starting from the opening round at Fuji Speedway.
- Heikki Kovalainen was replaced at TGR Team SARD for Round 1 by 2019 GT500 Champion Kenta Yamashita. For Round 2, Kovalainen was replaced by Sena Sakaguchi.
- arto Ping An Team Thailand, formerly Panther arto Team Thailand, missed Round 1 due to several personnel being unable to enter Japan.
- Upon their return to the series at Round 2, arto Ping An Team Thailand appointed Masahiro Sasaki and Yuui Tsutsumi to replace Sean Walkinshaw and Nattapong Hortongkum.
- Nicki Thiim was replaced at Pacific-D'station Racing by Kei Cozzolino for the first three rounds.
- Christopher Mies was replaced at Audi Team Hitotsuyama by Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion Tsubasa Kondo for the first three rounds.
- Alex Au was replaced at X Works Racing by TCR Japan Series driver Takuro Shinohara for Round 1. For Round 2, Au was replaced by former Eurocup Formula Renault driver Hiroyuki Matsumura, however, Matsumura was not able to pass the GTA rookie test and was ruled ineligible to race. For Round 3, Au was replaced by Takeshi Kimura of CarGuy Racing.
- André Couto and Dennis Lind missed Rounds 1 and 2 for Team JLOC. Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima were placed in the #88 JLOC car, and Tsubasa Takahashi and Shinnosuke Yamada were placed in the #87 car, for the first two rounds.
- After Sena Sakaguchi was called up to TGR Team SARD for Round 2, K-Tunes Racing appointed Shigekazu Wakisaka to replace him in the same event.
Results
Round | Circuit | Date | Class | Pole Position | Race Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 July | GT500 | No. 37 TGR Team KeePer Tom's | No. 37 TGR Team KeePer Tom's | |
GT300 | No. 65 K2 R&D Leon Racing | No. 52 Saitama Toyopet Green Brave | |||
2 | 9 August | GT500 | No. 8 Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | No. 17 Keihin Real Racing | |
GT300 | No. 6 Advics muta Racing INGING | No. 2 Cars Tokai Dream28 | |||
3 | 23 August | GT500 | |||
GT300 | |||||
4 | 13 September | GT500 | |||
GT300 | |||||
5 | 4 October | GT500 | |||
GT300 | |||||
6 | 25 October | GT500 | |||
GT300 | |||||
7 | 8 November | GT500 | |||
GT300 | |||||
8 | 29 November | GT500 | |||
GT300 | |||||
Championship Standings
Drivers' championships
- Scoring system
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Pole |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
GT500
|
|
GT300
Rank | Driver | FUJ |
FUJ |
SUZ |
MOT |
FUJ |
SUZ |
MOT |
FUJ |
Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 6 | 25 | |||||||
2 | 12 | 1 | 20 | |||||||
3 | 2 | 21 | 15 | |||||||
4 | Ret | 2 | 15 | |||||||
5 | 7 | 3 | 15 | |||||||
6 | 4 | 5 | 14 | |||||||
7 | 6 | 4 | 14 | |||||||
8 | 3 | 11 | 11 | |||||||
9 | 5 | 10 | 7 | |||||||
10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
11 | 17 | 8 | 3 | |||||||
12 | 14 | 9 | 3 | |||||||
13 | 9 | 27 | 2 | |||||||
14 | 10 | 19 | 1 | |||||||
15 | 11 | 23 | 0 | |||||||
16 | 11 | 0 | ||||||||
17 | Ret | 12 | 0 | |||||||
18 | 12 | 0 | ||||||||
19 | 13 | 16 | 0 | |||||||
20 | 16 | 13 | 0 | |||||||
21 | 27 | 14 | 0 | |||||||
22 | 15 | 22 | 0 | |||||||
23 | 25 | 15 | 0 | |||||||
24 | 21 | 17 | 0 | |||||||
25 | 22 | 18 | 0 | |||||||
26 | 18 | Ret | 0 | |||||||
27 | 18 | 0 | ||||||||
28 | 19 | 20 | 0 | |||||||
29 | 20 | 24 | 0 | |||||||
30 | 23 | 26 | 0 | |||||||
31 | 23 | 0 | ||||||||
32 | 24 | 28 | 0 | |||||||
33 | 26 | 25 | 0 | |||||||
- | Ret | - | ||||||||
- | Ret | - | ||||||||
- | Ret | - | ||||||||
Rank | Driver | FUJ |
FUJ |
SUZ |
MOT |
FUJ |
SUZ |
MOT |
FUJ |
Points |
References
- "Super GT reveals 2020 calendar with two overseas races". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- "Super GT Buriram & Sepang Dates Revealed, FCY To Be Introduced In 2020 – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
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- "2020 SUPER GTシリーズ公式イベントの日程変更について | SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE". supergt.net. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
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- "Sena Sakaguchi: Super GT rookie to replace Heikki Kovalainen". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
- "Heikki Kovalainen Returns To Japan For Super GT Round 3 At Suzuka – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- "Cars Tokai Dream28に柳田真孝加入。加藤寛規とロータス・エヴォーラでスーパーGT300クラス参戦". autosport.web (in Japanese). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "Goodsmile Racing & Team UKYO Announce 2020 Programmes With New AMG GT3". dailysportscar.com. 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- "44 Cars On Entry List For Season-Opening Super GT Fuji 300km". dailysportscar.com. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
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- "Last-Minute Entry List Updates For Round 2 At Fuji – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
- "Toyota GR Supra GT300 In Development – Set For 2020 Launch". dailysportscar.com. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- "Team JLOC Completes 2020 Super GT Grid With Driver Announcements". dailysportscar.com. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Driver Ranking GT500". 株式会社GTアソシエイション. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
- "Driver Ranking GT300". 株式会社GTアソシエイション. Retrieved 2017-04-18.