The 2021 Super GT Series was a
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
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 was the twenty-ninth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the
All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship
All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Originally titled as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It was the top level of sports car r ...
(JGTC) era, and the seventeenth season under the
Super GT name. It was the thirty-ninth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship, dating back to the
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japan Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier y ...
.
TGR
''TGR'' (Italian: ''TG Regione'') is the brand for Italian state-owned public broadcasting company Rai's regional news programmes. They are broadcast domestically on Rai Tre and Rai Radio 1. It was launched in 1979 as ''TG3 Regione'', and was k ...
Team
au TOM's
is a factory supported racing team and tuner of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The name stands for Tachi Oiwa Motor Sport. Their head office is located in Tokyo, Japan. They are currently heavily involved with Super GT, Super Formula and Super Form ...
and drivers
Yuhi Sekiguchi
is a Japanese racing driver. He currently competes in the GT500 class of the Super GT Series for TGR Team au TOM's, where he is the 2021 series champion. He also competes in the Super Formula Championship for Carenex Team Impul.
Career
For ...
and
Sho Tsuboi won the GT500 class championships after overcoming a 16-point deficit in the final round of the season. They secured the title after championship leader
Naoki Yamamoto of
Team Kunimitsu
Team Kunimitsu is a racing team founded in 1992 by Kunimitsu Takahashi. The team has competed in the Super GT Series (formerly known as the All-Japan GT Championship) since 1994.
In its early years, the team participated in the Japanese Touri ...
was taken out from a title-clinching position by GT300 class driver
Ren Sato with 15 laps remaining in the final race of the season. Driving the new
Subaru BRZ
The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ are 2+2 sports cars jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, manufactured at Subaru's Gunma assembly plant.
The 2+2 fastback coupé has a naturally-aspirated boxer engine, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive confi ...
,
Takuto Iguchi and
Hideki Yamauchi
Hideki Yamauchi (山内英輝 - Yamauchi Hideki; born October 24, 1988) is a Japanese professional racing driver.
Complete Super GT Results
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
* Season stil ...
won the GT300 class championships for
R&D Sport, giving
Subaru their first-ever title in Super GT competition. It was also the first drivers' title for both Iguchi and Yamauchi, and the first for the R&D Sport team.
Calendar
A provisional eight-round 2021 calendar was announced on 7 August 2020.
Autopolis
is a international racing circuit located near Kamitsue village in Ōita Prefecture, Japan on the Northeast of Kumamoto. Nippon Autopolis">F1 News - Grandprix.com > GP Encyclopedia > Circuits > Nippon Autopolis/ref>
Tsurumaki ordered 30 Bui ...
,
Okayama International Circuit
Okayama International Circuit (岡山国際サーキット), formerly known as TI Circuit Aida (TIサーキット英田) before 2005, is a private motorsport race track in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. TI was the abbreviation of "Tanak ...
, and
Sportsland Sugo returned to the calendar after a year's absence. The Fuji GT 500km Race also returned to its traditional calendar slot on the
Golden Week holiday of 3-4 May.
On 9 February 2021, the planned rounds at
Chang International Circuit
The Buriram International Circuit (known as Chang International Circuit (ช้าง อินเตอร์เนชั่นแนล เซอร์กิต) for commercial purposes, but listed by its non-commercial name because of alcohol ...
in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and
Sepang International Circuit
The Sepang International Circuit ( ms, Litar Antarabangsa Sepang) is a motorsport race track in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located approximately south of Kuala Lumpur, and close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It hosted the Fo ...
in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
were cancelled due to travel restrictions. A revised schedule was released on the same day with all eight rounds being held in Japan, and with the addition of an additional round at
Fuji Speedway in November and
Twin Ring Motegi
Mobility Resort Motegi (モビリティリゾートもてぎ) is a motorsport race track located at Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Originally named Twin Ring Motegi (ツインリンクもてぎ), the circuit's name came from the facility hav ...
in July. On 11 May 2021, the third round at
Suzuka International Racing Course, which had been set to take place on 30 May as the third round of the championship, was postponed indefinitely due to a renewed wave of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
cases in Japan. The race was subsequently rescheduled to 22 August.
Circuits and dates
Teams and drivers
GT500
GT300
Driver Changes
GT500 Class
* Honda
**On 15 January 2020, Honda announced that Toshiki Oyu will be stepping up to GT500 to join
Team Mugen, replacing
Hideki Mutoh
is a Japanese race car driver from Tokyo currently racing in Super GT.
Career
History
He began karting at age 12 in 1996 and quickly moved through the ranks, becoming a part of Honda's Formula Dream Project. He moved to Europe in 1998 t ...
.
* Nissan: Nissan's GT500 driver line-up was announced on 18 January 2020.
**
Nobuharu Matsushita, who made his series debut as a replacement driver for the injured Shinichi Takagi last year, signed with Nissan to compete for
Team Impul
Hoshino Impul Co., Ltd., (known as Impul) is a Japanese automotive aftermarket company based in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. Founded by Nissan's factory driver, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, the company exclusively produces aftermarket parts for Nissans, such as bod ...
alongside Kazuki Hiramine.
**
Daiki Sasaki
is a Japanese racing driver. He currently drives in the Super GT GT500 series. He won the Japanese Formula Three - National Class championship in 2012.
Career
Sasaki has raced in Japanese Formula 3 Championship for 2 seasons in National class ...
joined Kondo Racing for the first time since 2016, partnering with Mitsunori Takaboshi.
**
Jann Mardenborough
Jann Mardenborough (born 9 September 1991) is a British professional racing driver competing in the Japanese Super GT series. In 2011 he became the third (and youngest) winner of the GT Academy competition, beating 90,000 entrants. He was rewar ...
was not retained by Nissan for the 2021 season.
* Toyota: Toyota Gazoo Racing announced their Super GT driver line-up on 22 January 2020.
**At
TOM's
is a factory supported racing team and tuner of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The name stands for Tachi Oiwa Motor Sport. Their head office is located in Tokyo, Japan. They are currently heavily involved with Super GT, Super Formula and Super Form ...
Racing,
Sacha Fenestraz
Sacha Fenestraz Jules (born 28 July 1999) is a French-Argentine racing driver currently competing in the Super Formula Championship with Kondō Racing. He is the 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion. Currently, he drives for the Nissan F ...
transferred from the number 36 to the number 37 entry, replacing
Nick Cassidy
Nick Cassidy (born 19 August 1994) is a New Zealand racing driver, currently competing in Formula E for Envision Racing, and in the World Endurance Championship and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with AF Corse. He has won the 2017 championship in ...
, who left the series to compete in
Formula E with
Envision Virgin Racing
The Envision Racing Formula E Team is a British motor racing team based at Silverstone Park and majority-owned by Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Envision Energy that competes in Formula E.
Currently, the two drivers are Nick Cassidy and Sé ...
.
**
Sho Tsuboi transferred from TGR Team ROOKIE to the number 36 TOM's team.
**2019 champion
Kenta Yamashita
is a Japanese racing driver, known for his successes in single-seater junior categories, including winning the 2013 Formula Challenge Japan and the 2012 Motegi Championship Formula Super FJ. He currently races in the Super Formula Championship, ...
returned to Super GT full-time, replacing Tsuboi at TGR Team ROOKIE - and reunited with former
Team LeMans
Le Mans Ltd., headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo is an automobile parts manufacturer founded in 1967. The original company name was Le Mans Chamber of Commerce. The company is mainly engaged in the development and sales of motorsport parts and the ...
teammate
Kazuya Oshima
is a Japanese racing driver, currently racing in the Super GT Series and the Super Formula Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing and ROOKIE Racing.
Oshima is one of only two drivers that have won championships in both classes of Super GT: He wo ...
in the No. 14 car.
GT300 Class
* Three-time GT500 champion
Satoshi Motoyama
Satoshi Motoyama (本山哲 - Motoyama Satoshi; born March 4, 1971) is a Japanese professional racing driver and team manager. He is best known for racing in the Super GT Series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGT ...
returned to the series after retiring from GT500 at the end of 2018, driving for the newly incorporated
Team LeMans
Le Mans Ltd., headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo is an automobile parts manufacturer founded in 1967. The original company name was Le Mans Chamber of Commerce. The company is mainly engaged in the development and sales of motorsport parts and the ...
with Motoyama Racing (see Team Changes below).
*Two-time GT500 and GT300 champion
Masataka Yanagida
Masataka Yanagida (born 4 June 1979, in Tokyo) is a Japanese racing driver.
Career
The son of successful racing driver Haruhito Yanagida, a runner-up in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, Masataka began his career in karting in 1993. In 199 ...
joined pro-am
Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is the high-performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG. AMG independently hires engineers and contracts with manufacturers to customize Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles. The company has its headquarters in A ...
customer team Arnage Racing, racing alongside amateur driver
Masaki Kano
is a Japanese auto racing driver. He best known for having competed in the World Touring Car Championship.
Career
Kano competed in karting between 1991 and 1994. Profile at fiawtcc.com He then attended the Winfield Racing School in France in ...
.
*Former
Ferrari Driver Academy
Ferrari Driver Academy is an initiative from Formula One team Scuderia Ferrari to promote young talent inside its own organisation, with several drivers being selected and funded by the team, being under long-term contracts. Some notable former ...
prospect and
Formula 2
Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name re ...
driver
Giuliano Alesi made his GT300 debut with arto Team Thailand. Alesi was initially signed as the team's third driver, but competed in all eight rounds after Nattapong Hortongkum was unable to enter Japan for a second consecutive year.
*
2019 F4 Japanese champion and
2020 French F4 Championship runner-up
Ren Sato made his GT300 debut with
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri
Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) is a joint racing project formed between former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki and Autobacs Seven Co. in 1997. The team's original name was "ARTA F1 Project," but due to trademark claims based on the usage of the word "F ...
, replacing Toshiki Oyu.
* Super Formula Lights driver
Teppei Natori
Teppei Natori (Japanese: 名取鉄平, ''Natori Teppei''; born 11 September 2000) is a Japanese racing driver.
Career
Karting
Natori started karting in 2014 when he was 14. He finished 6th in the ROK Cup International Final.
Japanese F4
In 2 ...
made his GT300 debut, replacing
Kosuke Matsuura
is a Japanese race car driver currently competing in the Super GT series. He previously competed in the Formula Nippon and IRL IndyCar Series.
Early career
After winning the Japanese Formula Dream Championship in 2001, Kosuke attracted the att ...
at Honda customer Team UPGarage.
*
Yuui Tsutsumi, signed with Max Racing to compete full-time in 2021, after driving for three different teams (including Max Racing) as a substitute driver throughout 2020.
*2020 TCR Japan Series champion Takuro Shinohara made his full-time GT300 debut with Audi Team Hitotsuyama, after competing part-time in 2020 for two different teams.
*JLOC signed GT500 veteran Kosuke Matsuura and GT300 podium finisher Natsu Sakaguchi to drive their number 87 Lamborghini Huracán GT3.
*Veteran GT300 driver Shogo Mitsuyama joined Yogibo Drago Corse, alongside owner/driver
Ryo Michigami.
*Japanese F4 graduate Reiji Hiraki made his GT300 debut with Team Mach, driving alongside his older brother Yuya.
*Super Formula Lights graduate
Yoshiaki Katayama
Yoshiaki is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Yoshiaki can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples:
*義明, "justice, bright"
*義昭, "justice, bright"
*義章, "justice, chapte ...
made his GT300 debut with Team LeMans with Motoyama Racing.
Team Changes
GT500 Class
* Team Red Bull Mugen changed tyre suppliers from Yokohama to
Dunlop. Dunlop will supply multiple GT500 teams for the first time since 2010. Hirokatsu Tanaka replaced
Shinji Nakano
Shinji Nakano (中野 信治, born 1 April 1971) is a Japanese professional racing driver.
His father, Tsuneharu, was also a racing driver. He competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship.
Racing career
Pre Formula One Career
Formu ...
as team director.
*TGR Team ROOKIE became a self-sufficient team after being operated by Team Cerumo in 2020.
Eneos
, formerly , or NOC or ''Shin-Nisseki'' (新日石) is a Japanese petroleum company. Its businesses include exploration, importation, and refining of crude oil; the manufacture and sale of petroleum products, including fuels and lubricants; and ...
replaced Wako's as their title sponsor.
*
Stanley Electric replaced the defunct Raybrig brand as the title sponsor for Team Kunimitsu.
*Hitachi Astemo, a joint venture between
Hitachi and
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
, replaced the defunct Keihin brand as title sponsor for Astemo Real Racing.
GT300 Class
* INGING Motorsport and merged into a collaborative entry in 2021, known as muta Racing INGING. The team retained the
Lotus Evora MC GT300 vehicle, driver , chief engineer Shintaro Watanabe, and the number 2 plate of Cars Tokai Dream28's entry. INGING brought on their
Bridgestone tyre contract, title sponsor muta, and driver Ryohei Sakaguchi.
* Both LM Corsa and Max Racing switched from the FIA-GT3 specification
Lexus RC F GT3 to the GT300 specification fifth-generation
Toyota GR Supra
The J29/DB Toyota Supra, mainly marketed as Toyota GR Supra, is the fifth-generation of the Supra, a sports car produced by Toyota since 2019. Sold under Gazoo Racing (GR) branding, it replaced the previous model, A80, which stopped product ...
for the 2021 season.
*
Team LeMans
Le Mans Ltd., headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo is an automobile parts manufacturer founded in 1967. The original company name was Le Mans Chamber of Commerce. The company is mainly engaged in the development and sales of motorsport parts and the ...
returned to Super GT after a one-year absence, fielding an
Audi R8 LMS Evo under the 'Team LeMans with Motoyama Racing' banner.
* R&D Sport changed from the first-generation
Subaru BRZ
The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ are 2+2 sports cars jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, manufactured at Subaru's Gunma assembly plant.
The 2+2 fastback coupé has a naturally-aspirated boxer engine, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive confi ...
(ZC6) to the new second-generation BRZ (ZD8) for the 2021 season.
*
Car Guy Racing returned to Super GT after a two-year absence, partnering with Pacific Racing Team to field a
Ferrari 488 GT3
The Ferrari 488 (Type F142M) is a mid-engine sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. The car replaced the 458, being the first mid-engine Ferrari to use a turbocharged V8 since the F40. It was succeeded by the Ferra ...
under the Pacific CarGuy Racing banner.
*Misato Haga, former team principal of Direxiv and the first woman to win a GT300 Championship as a team director, became the new team director of Drago Corse. Yogibo became the team's new title sponsor.
* D'Station Racing withdrew from Super GT at the end of the 2020 season. D'Station Racing will concentrate on
FIA World Endurance Championship.
Mid-season Changes
GT500 Class
* Sacha Fenestraz missed the first five races of the season due to difficulties acquiring a Japanese visa. Sena Sakaguchi replaced him at TGR Team KeePer TOM's for these five races, before Fenestraz returned for the sixth round at Autopolis.
* Tadasuke Makino missed the first race of the season due to meningitis. Hideki Mutoh replaced him at Team Kunimitsu for the first race at Okayama.
Makino returned for the Fuji 500km in May, entered as a third driver alongside Yamamoto and Mutoh. From the following round at Motegi, Makino returned to the cockpit on a full-time basis.
*From the third race of the season at Motegi, TGR Team ZENT Cerumo chief engineer Kotaro Tanaka had taken over as team director from ace driver Yuji Tachikawa.
GT300 Class
* With Sena Sakaguchi driving in GT500, reigning FIA F4 Japanese Champion Hibiki Taira was called up to replace Sakaguchi at K-Tunes Racing.
Taira drove in the first three races of the season.
* Before the fourth race at Suzuka, Taira was replaced at K-Tunes Racing by
Kazuto Kotaka, due to an undisclosed illness, which was later revealed to be a COVID-19 infection. Kotaka also drove in the fifth race at Sugo.
* Kohta Kawaai missed the fourth race of the season at Suzuka due to a positive COVID-19 test. 2011 GT300 champion Taku Bamba replaced Kawaai at Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave.
* 2012 GT300 champion Naoki Yokomizo replaced Takeshi Kimura at Pacific CarGuy Racing for rounds three, four, and seven due to Kimura's driving commitments in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
* arto Ping An Team Thailand changed its entry name back to arto Team Thailand after the first two races of the season, after
Ping An Insurance
Ping An Insurance known also as Ping An of China (), full name Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. is a Chinese holding conglomerate whose subsidiaries provide insurance, banking, asset management, financial, healthcare services. ...
abruptly ended its sponsorship of the team.
*R'Qs Motor Sports withdrew from the final two rounds after their car was heavily damaged in an accident during the sixth round at Autopolis.
Results
Drivers credited with winning Pole Position for their respective teams are indicated in bold text.
Championship Standings
Drivers' championships
;Scoring system
GT500
GT300
Notes
1:The race at Suzuka Circuit was still promoted as the third round of the season, despite taking place after the July race at Twin Ring Motegi and being the fourth race of the season chronologically. Likewise, the July race at Motegi was still promoted as the fourth round of the championship, even though it was now the third race of the season chronologically.
References
External links
Super GT Official Website{{Super GT seasons
Super GT seasons
Super GT Series
Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...
Super GT