The cars are divided into two classes: GT500 and GT300. The names of the categories derive from their traditional maximum horsepower limit – in the early years of the series, GT500 cars would have no more than 500 horsepower, and GT300 cars would max out at around 300 hp. However, the current generation of GT500 engines produce in excess of 650 horsepower. Meanwhile, in present-day GT300, the horsepower range varies from around 400 to just over 550 horsepower; however, GT300 cars have far less downforce than their GT500 counterparts. In both groups, the car number is assigned to the team, in which each team is allowed to choose whichever number they want as long as the number isn't already used by any other team. The number assigned to each team is permanent, and may only change hands when the team exits the series. The number 1 is reserved for the defending GT500 champion, and the number 0 is reserved for the reigning GT300 champion. For easy identification, headlight covers, windshield decals, and number panels are white on GT500 cars, and yellow on GT300 cars.
GT500 The top class in Super GT, GT500, is composed entirely of manufacturer-supported teams, representing the three biggest Japanese automobile manufacturers:
Toyota,
Honda, and
Nissan. Since 2014, GT500 cars have been powered by single-turbocharged, inline four-cylinder engines with two liters of displacement and producing over 650 horsepower. The cars are
silhouette racing cars with purpose-built carbon fibre monocoques. The advancements in aerodynamics and horsepower, combined with an ongoing
tyre war driving even higher speeds, have made the GT500 class the fastest form of production-based sports car racing today. The pace of a current GT500 car is roughly equivalent to that of the fastest non-hybrid
Le Mans Prototypes. For many years, the
Nissan Skyline GT-R, the
Toyota Supra (A80), and the
Honda NSX (NA1) represented their respective brands in GT500. Today, the three cars competing in GT500 are the
Nissan Z (RZ34), the revived
Toyota GR Supra, and the
Honda Prelude (BF1). Other models, such as the
Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33),
Lexus SC 430,
Lexus RC F,
Lexus LC 500,
Nissan GT-R,
Honda NSX (NC1), and the
Honda Civic Type R (FL5) have been used, as well as the
Honda HSV-010 GT, a prototype car developed specifically for Super GT with its planned road-going variant having been cancelled. In the earlier years of the GT500 category, a number of foreign manufacturers also entered cars in the series, with varying success. During the first season, the
Ferrari F40,
Porsche 911 Turbo, and
Porsche 962C all won races. The
Porsche 911 GT2 and the
BMW-powered
McLaren F1 GTR are, to date, the only foreign cars to win the GT500 championship; the 911 GT2 won the teams' title in 1995 and the F1 GTR won both the drivers' and teams' titles in 1996. The longtail version of the F1 GTR would later score a race victory in 2001. The last foreign-built car to enter the series was the
Aston Martin DBR9, which fared poorly in its brief run in 2009 – illustrating the overwhelming advantage that newer generations of GT500 cars had over the
FIA GT1 category cars that dominated the landscape in Europe.
Team Goh, who entered the championship-winning 1996 McLarens, planned to enter a
Maserati MC12 GT1 in 2006, but withdrew after pre-season testing for similar reasons. In 2012, the GT500 regulations were changed in order to provide provisions for four-door vehicles, although none were run until Honda announced that the Civic Type R would replace the outgoing NSX in 2024. In 2010, the front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout became the only permitted layout in the class, prompting Honda to initially replace the first-generation NSX-GT with the HSV-010 GT. In 2014, Honda was granted a waiver to allow the NSX Concept-GT and NSX-GT (both second-generation based models) to run with a mid-engine layout to match the road car's engine position. The waiver expired after the 2019 season with the full implementation of Class 1 technical regulations, after which Honda was required to redesign the NSX-GT to accommodate a front-engine layout. New GT500 cars were introduced in 2014 in preparation for the future unified
Class 1 touring car regulations, including the first car in the class to utilize a
KERS-assisted hybrid powertrain, the Honda NSX Concept-GT. Common aerodynamic regulations with the DTM were adopted, as was Class 1's turbocharged four-cylinder engine specification. Furthermore, the 2014 rules overhaul also increased the cars' downforce by 30%, while lowering costs. Aerodynamic development above a "design line" wrapping around the fenders, bumpers, and doorsills was restricted. Over sixty common parts were introduced, including the brakes, diffuser, and rear wing. In response to increasing cornering speeds, another aerodynamic overhaul was introduced in 2017, lowering downforce by 25%. Furthermore, KERS units were banned, although the only manufacturer to utilize such systems, Honda, had already discontinued their usage in 2016. In 2020, Class 1 technical regulations were fully implemented, with the manufacturers introducing new cars to comply with the new rules. Aerodynamic development was further restricted, and a standardized ECU and suspension were introduced.
Cars Turbocharger The standard turbochargers were introduced from the start of
2014 season. The single-turbocharger configuration produces boost pressure up to . Swiss-American turbocharger company
Garrett Advancing Motion, a subsidiary of
Honeywell International Inc., currently supplies exclusive turbocharger kits including wastegate (846519-15) for all Super GT GT500 cars.
GT500 specifications (2014-present) GT300 MC leads several
GT3 cars. Unlike GT500, both works-backed and independent teams compete in GT300, so the field tends to be much more varied in terms of types of cars entered. As in GT500, the major Japanese automakers participate in this class, entering cars such as the
Toyota Prius and
Subaru BRZ, which comply with JAF-GT regulations. However, the GT300 class is predominantly composed of
GT3-class cars from European manufacturers such as
Audi and
Mercedes, although Lexus, Nissan and Honda are also represented in the class by GT3 cars. This reflects a growing interest in the series from European manufacturers, with Audi and BMW fielding works-supported entries. Toyota/Lexus, Nissan, and Subaru also campaign works-supported cars in the class. The GT300 class used to host more exotic cars from the likes of
ASL,
Mosler,
Mooncraft and
Vemac, as well as detuned GT500 cars, such as the 2004 title-winning M-TEC NSX. However, starting in 2006, teams increasingly chose to campaign European GT cars instead, a trend that accelerated in 2010 with the introduction of FIA GT cars to the series. In response to the decline of locally produced entries from specialist manufacturers, the GTA worked with
Dome to create the "
Mother Chassis" (
:ja: マザーシャシー), a low-cost GT300 platform, with the first MC car entering the series in 2014. Mother Chassis cars utilize a standard Dome-produced tub and GTA-branded
Nissan VK45DE engine, while maintaining the appearance of production cars such as the
Toyota 86,
Lotus Evora, and
Toyota Mark X. The MC concept proved to be popular with independent teams, as well as competitive, with the Toyota 86 MC winning the GT300 championship in 2016. Since 2006,
Group GT1 and
Group GT2 could race in GT300, and
Group GT3 cars are able to enter GT300 since 2010 season. After the 2011 season, the previous generation Le Mans GTE and GT1 cars were retired from the series with the intention of reducing costs, adopted the
Stephane Ratel Organisation GT3 regulations with
Lamborghini and
Ferrari leading the move with some success, including a class win in the opening round of the 2006 season at Suzuka. Since 2008,
BMW also returned to the series by a private team since their exit from JGTC eras. . One of the more unique GT300 competitors was the
Mooncraft Shiden MC/RT-16, a
Riley Daytona Prototype-based revival of the original 1977 Mooncraft
Shiden 77 (紫電77). It competed from 2006 to 2012, narrowly losing the title in 2006, and winning the championship in 2007.
Front-wheel drive cars such as the
Mitsubishi FTO,
Toyota Celica and
Cavalier, a rarity in top-level circuit racing, are further examples of unique GT300 machines. They competed in their original configurations until the early 2000s, when FWD cars were being permitted to be converted to
rear-wheel drive configuration. The FWD cars were mostly unsuccessful, failing to win any championships, although a Celica won a race in 1999 after a Porsche 911 was disqualified. Rear-wheel drive cars dominated the series until
2008, when an
all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza developed by Cusco won in Sepang. An open top car,
Renault Sport Spider, made a one-off participation in 1997, also with lack of success. .
Hybrid cars first raced in the GT300 class in 2012, when apr introduced their
Toyota Prius apr GT, and
Team Mugen fielded a
Honda CR-Z GT. Both cars were heavily modified from their production counterparts. The Prius was powered by a 3.4 liter V8
LMP1 engine, which worked in concert with production
Hybrid Synergy Drive components; the CR-Z utilized a 2.8 liter V6
LMP2 engine and a 50 kW
Zytek electric motor. Both the CR-Z and Prius were mid-engined, differing from their front-engined road-going counterparts; this resulted in the CR-Z's withdrawal after the 2015 season, as new regulations for 2016 stipulated that GT300 cars' engines were to be located in the same position as in their production counterparts. However, apr took advantage of a loophole in the regulations to continue to race their mid-engine Prius until 2018, when the team was required to build a new, front-engine Prius. The development of GT300 cars is much more regulated than that of their GT500 counterparts; the GTA works with the
Stephane Ratel Organisation to balance the performance of all GT300 cars via
technical adjustments in order to create close racing. While the
GT3 cars in the class are closely related to production cars, the JAF-GT machines differ from production vehicles to a greater degree, and in the case of the Mother Chassis cars, share little more than a badge and exterior styling with their road-going counterparts. While engine outputs are at a lower level than the GT500 cars, the GT300 cars still post competitive times and races are relatively tight when combined with GT500 traffic. As it is becoming increasingly more difficult for GT500 cars to overtake GT300s, the GTA may review the speed difference between the two classes in the future, especially if the pace of the GT300 cars continues to increase.
Cars GT300 specifications •
Engine displacement: Free •
Aspiration:
Naturally-aspirated and single or twin-
turbocharged •
Number of cylinders: Minimum 4 but not exceeding 10 cylinders •
Allowed engine shape: Flat, Inline and V •
Gearbox: 5 or 6-speed
paddle shift gearbox •
Power output: Various •
Fuel: 102
RON unleaded gasoline •
Fuel delivery: Free (direct and indirect multi-point electronic injection) •
Steering: Power-assisted
rack and pinion •
Tyre suppliers:
Bridgestone,
Yokohama,
Michelin, and
Dunlop == Circuits ==