2022 Super GT Series
The 2022 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 thirtieth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the eighteenth season the series to compete under the Super GT name. It is also the fortieth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
Calendar
A confirmed eight round provisional 2022 calendar was announced on 6 August 2021.[1] The calendar was updated on 20 October 2021, with the sixth round at Sportsland Sugo moving from the weekend of 10-11 September to 17-18 September, avoiding a clash of dates with the 2022 FIA WEC 6 Hours of Fuji.[2] Distances for all events were confirmed on 5 March 2022: Rounds two and four at Fuji Speedway, and round five at Suzuka Circuit, will be 450 kilometre races, while all other rounds will be 300 kilometres.[3]
Round | Race | Circuit | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Okayama GT 300km Race | ![]() |
16–17 April |
2 | FAV Hotel Fuji GT 450km Race[4] | ![]() |
3–4 May |
3 | Takanokono Hotel Suzuka GT 300km Race[5] | ![]() |
28–29 May |
4 | Fuji GT 450km Race | ![]() |
6–7 August |
5 | Suzuka GT 450km Race | ![]() |
27–28 August |
6 | Sugo GT 300km Race | ![]() |
17–18 September |
7 | Autopolis GT 300km Race | ![]() |
1–2 October |
8 | Motegi GT 300km Race | ![]() |
5–6 November |
Teams and drivers
All teams will compete under a Japanese license.
GT500
GT300
GT500 Class
- Nissan replaced the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 with the new Nissan Z GT500 after 14 seasons. Nissan last used the Fairlady Z as their flagship GT500 vehicle from 2004 to 2007.[34]
- Honda updated their NSX-GT race car, which is now styled after the limited edition Honda NSX Type S model.[35]
GT300 Class
- Tsuchiya Engineering (operating as Hoppy Team Tsuchiya) constructed their own version of the Toyota GR Supra to GT300 regulations, replacing their previous Porsche 911 GT3-R.[23]
- apr Racing launched the Toyota GR86 GT, constructed to GT300 specifications and based on the second-generation Toyota 86 (ZN8) model. apr's number 30 team and series newcomers SHADE Racing will each field the car in 2022.[12]
- Subsequently, muta Racing INGING announced that they will also field the new Toyota GR86 GT, which replaces their previous Lotus Evora MC.[11]
- The new BMW M4 GT3 (G82) makes its Japanese racing debut via BMW Team Studie x CSL.[18]
- Arnage Racing changed vehicles from the Mercedes-AMG GT3, to the Dome-constructed Toyota MC86.[26]
- Drago Corse, as part of their new collaboration with Busou (see Entrant Changes below), changed vehicles to the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.[27]
- ARTA and Team UPGarage entered the upgraded Honda NSX GT3 Evo22.[36]
- Team LeMans (Motoyama Racing with Team LeMans in Round 1) entered the upgraded Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.[37]
GT500 Class
- Toyota: Toyota Gazoo Racing announced their GT500 class driver line-ups on 6 December 2021.[38] Reigning GT500 champion Yuhi Sekiguchi transferred to TGR Team SARD, replacing 2016 champion Heikki Kovalainen, who announced on 30 November 2021 that he would not return to the series in 2022.[39] Giuliano Alesi stepped up to GT500 and replaced Sekiguchi at TGR Team au TOM's, alongside reigning GT500 champion Sho Tsuboi. 2017 GT500 champion Ryo Hirakawa will leave the series after eight years, to join Toyota Gazoo Racing in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. To replace Hirakawa, Ritomo Miyata transferred to TGR Team KeePer TOM's after two seasons at TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh. Sena Sakaguchi, who split time between GT500 and GT300 classes in 2021, replaced Miyata at Team WedsSport Bandoh.
- Honda: Honda Racing Corporation announced their Super GT driver line-ups on 14 January.[8] Nobuharu Matsushita, who made his GT500 debut with Nissan in 2021, rejoined Honda as a factory driver and signed with Astemo Real Racing, partnering Koudai Tsukakoshi. Matsushita replaces Bertrand Baguette, who announced his departure from Honda on 1 December 2021.[40]
- Nissan: Nissan and NISMO announced their GT500 class drivers on 25 January 2022.[6] Bertrand Baguette transferred to Nissan and joined Team Impul, replacing Nobuharu Matsushita and partnering Kazuki Hiramine. Katsumasa Chiyo was retained at NDDP Racing, who are now wholly operated by NISMO. Chiyo will be joined by Mitsunori Takaboshi, who transferred from Kondo Racing. In exchange, two-time GT500 champion Kohei Hirate moved to Kondo Racing alongside Daiki Sasaki.
GT300 Class
- Audi Team Hitotsuyama announced that they would not take part in the 2022 Super GT season.[41]
- Toyota Team Thailand, who competed as arto Team Thailand in 2021, announced that they will not take part in the 2022 Super GT season.[42]
- Super Taikyu Series championship winning team SHADE Racing entered Super GT for the first time,[43] with a Toyota GR86 GT300 riding on Dunlop tyres.Three-time GT300 championship runner-up Katsuyuki Hiranaka (who had spent the previous 13 seasons at Gainer),[44] and F4 Japanese Championship graduate Eijiro Shimizu were announced as the team's driver line-up.[12]
- Takuro Shinohara transferred from Audi Team Hitotsuyama to K2 R&D LEON Racing, taking the place of Togo Suganami.[31]
- 2013 GT300 champion Hideki Mutoh, and Japanese F4 graduate Iori Kimura, formed a new driver line-up for ARTA (Autobacs Racing Team Aguri). Mutoh takes the place of two-time GT300 champion Shinichi Takagi, and Kimura replaces Ren Sato, who will only compete in Super Formula in 2022.[8]
- Another Japanese F4 graduate, Kakunoshin Ohta, joined Team UPGarage, replacing reigning Super Formula Lights champion Teppei Natori.[8]
- GAINER signed Ryuichiro Tomita (who previously raced for the team between 2015 to 2017) and Formula Regional Japanese Championship graduate Riki Okusa to drive their number 10 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. Yusuke Shiotsu signed as the number 10 team's third driver. Keishi Ishikawa moved into their number 11 Nissan, joining Hironobu Yasuda.[21]
- Two-time GT300 champion Shinichi Takagi joined K-Tunes Racing, reuniting with three-time GT300 champion Morio Nitta in a driver pairing for the first time since 2010.[45]
- BMW Team Studie changed to Michelin tyres for the 2022 season, the first GT300 team to use Michelin tyres since 2020. Studie announced BMW factory driver Augusto Farfus as one of their main drivers for 2022, partnering Seiji Ara. GT300 race winner and reigning Super Taikyu ST-X class champion Tsubasa Kondo was signed as a third driver.[18]
- Yuui Tsutsumi, a first time race winner in 2021, transferred from Max Racing to partner Hiroki Katoh at muta Racing INGING.[11]
- Reigning FIA F4 Japanese Champion, Seita Nonaka, joined Hoppy Team Tsuchiya in their new Toyota GR Supra.[24]
- Kimiya Sato transferred to Max Racing after three seasons with Hoppy Team Tsuchiya.[24] He will partner up with Atsushi Miyake. Max Racing withdrew from the first round following the death of team owner Tsuyoshi Oono, but will start their campaign in the second round. [46]
- Ryohei Sakaguchi transferred from muta Racing INGING to Arnage Racing to partner Masaki Kano. Ryosei Yamashita was announced as the team's third driver.[26]
- Drago Corse and vehicle customisation company Busou formed a collaborative entry, Busou Drago Corse. Two-time GT500 and GT300 champion Masataka Yanagida, and GT500 race winner Yuji Ide were named as the drivers. Drago Corse founder Ryo Michigami will step away from driving duties to become the team director.[27] Dunlop became the new tyre supplier, replacing Yokohama.
- Two-time Super Taikyu ST-3 champion and sim racer Yusuke Tomibayashi joined Team Mach for his Super GT debut, partnering the returning Reiji Hiraki.[14]
GT300 Class
- On 19 April, Team LeMans terminated their contract with Satoshi Motoyama after the opening round of the season.[16] The name of the team reverted from "Motoyama Racing with Team LeMans" back to Team LeMans. Formula 1 and FIA World Endurance Championship alumnus Roberto Merhi and GT300 race winner Shintaro Kawabata joined the team for the Fuji GT 450km Race.
- Due to Takeshi Kimura's commitments in the European Le Mans Series, 2012 GT300 Champion Naoki Yokomizo joined Pacific CarGuy Racing for the opening round at Okayama.[20]
- 2020 FIA F4 Japanese Champion Hibiki Taira joined apr for the Fuji GT 450km Race, as a third driver in the number 30 apr Toyota GR86 GT.[25]
- 2019 TCR Japan Sunday Series Champion Takeshi Suehiro joined Arnage Racing as a third driver for the Fuji GT 450km Race.[25]
- Togo Suganami replaced Hiroki Yoshida for the Fuji GT 450km Race after Yoshida tested positive for COVID-19.[28]
- Yusaku Shibata rejoined Tomei Sports as a third driver for the Fuji GT 450km Race.[25]
Results
Drivers credited with winning Pole Position for their respective teams are indicated in bold text.
Round | Circuit | Date | Class | Pole Position | Race Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
17 April | GT500 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
#14 TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE | #14 TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE | ||||
GT300 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | |||
#61 R&D Sport | #56 Kondo Racing | ||||
2 | ![]() |
4 May | GT500 | ||
GT300 | |||||
3 | ![]() |
29 May | GT500 | ||
GT300 | |||||
4 | ![]() |
7 August | GT500 | ||
GT300 | |||||
5 | ![]() |
28 August | GT500 | ||
GT300 | |||||
6 | ![]() |
18 September | GT500 | ||
GT300 | |||||
7 | ![]() |
2 October | GT500 | ||
GT300 | |||||
8 | ![]() |
6 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
|