Motoring
Everything you need to know about Super GT
If you’re new to Super GT, here’s everything you need to know to get you off to a flying start in Japan’s most popular motor racing championship.
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To prepare for his debut in the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen took on the challenge of racing around the Fuji Speedway at the wheel of a Super GT machine. It was a completely new experience for the Dutch ace, having never driven a Super GT car before or raced around Fuji.
Adding to the challenge, Verstappen had to beat a lap time set by Atsushi Miyake – one of the Super GT's top drivers and winner of the 2024 Fuji 3 Hours. Did he manage it? The action was captured in a Red Bull Motorsports YouTube video, hosted by BigTime’s Jeremiah Burton. Watch Max Verstappen vs. Super GT Pro on YouTube or in the player below.
But, if like Verstappen you’re new to Super GT, here’s everything you need to know to get you up to speed with Japan’s most popular motor racing championship.
01
What is Super GT?
Super GT is the elite level of touring car racing in Japan. Like DTM and BTCC in Europe and V8 Supercars in Australia, it features heavily modified production cars racing at close quarters around dedicated circuits. It brings together elements from other competitions, such as endurance rounds, where racing duties are split between two drivers and by having two classes on track – GT500 and GT300 – as drivers dice through traffic at high speed.
Super GT fast facts
02
A brief history of Super GT
Super GT started as the Japan GT Championship in 1994. Established by the Japanese Automobile Federation, it is the premier competition for Grand Tourer-class cars and provides a showcase for cars from the Big 3 car makers Toyota, Honda and Nissan. The series also provides a testing ground for new road-going technology to produce faster, more efficient and safer vehicles. With more than 650 horsepower and extensive aerodynamics, the GT500 cars have the fastest acceleration and most grip of any car in elite touring car competition. And the emphasis is on close competition and high speed racing to create one of the most thrilling competitions in the world.
03
Who races in Super GT?
The series attracts some of the best drivers from Japan as well as drivers from around the world. The most successful drivers in the history of the championship are Ronnie Quintarelli from Italy and Sho Tsuboi, who is chasing a record fifth title this season. Big names to race in Super GT include Ryo Hirakawa, who went on to become a two-time WEC champion and Le Mans winner. New Zealand’s Nick Cassidy competed extensively in Super GT as well as Super Formula, winning the 2017 Super GT title.
European drivers like former F1 World Champion Jenson Button, Grand Prix winner Heikki Kovalainen and GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough have all raced in Super GT. Also, Red Bull sponsored the Mugen team in both Super GT and Super Formula and drivers Ukyo Sasahara, Toshiki Oyu, and Tomoki Nojiri between 2021 and 2024.
04
What cars feature in Super GT?
Based on high-performance GT cars, the three cars competing in the GT500 championship are all homegrown and produce more than 650hp (485kW): the Nissan Z GT500, the Toyota GR Supra and the new Honda HRC Prelude GT, which replaces the mighty Civic Type R. The GT500 cars are characterised by the huge rear wings which give them huge grip through corners.
The GT300 series is much more diverse and open to GT3 cars like those raced in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, including the Mercedes-AMG GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R and BMW M3 GT3 and custom Japanese cars like the Subaru BRZ. These produce around 500hp (375kW) and while they have less downforce, the racing is still thrilling.
Spoiler alert: Super GT cars use massive levels of aero
© Sho Tamura/Red Bull Content Pool
05
What are the characteristics of Super GT cars?
Super GT races cars based on production cars but they are heavily modified to produce blistering performance and low lap times.
- Body & Chassis: The cars replace the steel or aluminium chassis of a production car with lightweight carbon fibre and add a protective roll cage around the cockpit.
- Engine: The GT500 rules are more strict with cars using a two-litre turbocharged inline-four engine. But GT300-regulation cars can mount any engine from the same manufacturer as the base chassis, although FIA GT3 cars are eligible for the competition.
- Aerodynamics: The GT500 cars use extensive aero parts including front spoilers, under-floor panels, rear diffusers and large rear wings to channel airflow around the chassis to generate massive levels of downforce.
- Tyres: Super GT uses purpose-built racing slicks that are much wider than production car tyres and maximise all that downforce and horsepower, or grooved rain tyres for wet conditions. This is also the last season featuring rival tyre makers with Bridgestone, Yokohama, Dunlop and Michelin providing the boots for the teams.
- Success Ballast: To keep a level playing field, Super GT has a handicapping system that adds weight to cars based on championship points. Teams are given 2kg (4.5lbs) per championship point up to a maximum of 100kg (220lbs), although that weight is reduced for the final two rounds. If teams exceed 50kg (110lbs) of ballast, the car is fitted with a fuel restrictor to limit performance even further.
Super GT cars in the pit lane at Suzuka
© Sho Tamura/Red Bull Content Pool
06
What is the format for a typical Super GT race?
Super GT borrows elements from both touring car and endurance racing – but for 2026 most races are 300km (186 miles) sprints with one compulsory pit stop for driver changes and refuelling. But there are two races against the clock at Fuji and Autopolis where drivers compete for three hours. The most famous and prestigious round is the three-hour race at Golden Week at Fuji Speedway near Tokyo, which takes place on a public holiday in Japan and attracts crowds of over 90,000 fans.
Drivers can score championship points for qualifying and finishing in the top 10 during the race.
Position
Qualifying
Race
1st
3pts
20pts
2nd
2pts
15pts
3rd
1pt
11pts
4th
8pts
5th
6pts
6th
5pts
7th
4pts
8th
3pts
9th
2pts
10th
1pt
07
Where are Super GT races held?
The calendar is made up of eight rounds and takes in the greatest race circuits in Japan, including Suzuka, Fuji and Motegi. There’s also one overseas round at Sepang in Malaysia – the home of the Malaysian Grand Prix. The series also visits challenging circuits like Okayama, Sugo and Autopolis.
2026 Super GT Calendar
Round
Circuit
Date
Rd 1
Okayama International Circuit
April 11-12
Rd 2
Fuji Speedway (3-hour race)
May 3-4
Rd 3
Sepang International Circuit
June 20-21
Rd 4
Fuji Speedway
August 1-2
Rd 5
Suzuka Circuit
August 22-23
Rd 6
Sportsland Sugo
September 19-20
Rd 7
Autopolis (3-hour race)
October 17-18
Rd 8
Mobility Resort Motegi
November 7-8
08
Watch Max Verstappen in the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring
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