2024 Super GT Series

The 2024 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 thirty-second season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the twentieth season under the Super GT name. It is also the forty-second overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.

TGR Team au TOM'S and driver Sho Tsuboi entered the season as the defending champions of the GT500 class. Saitama Green Brave, formerly known as Saitama Toyopet Green Brave, and driver Hiroki Yoshida entered as the defending GT300 class champions.

Regulation changes

The GTA confirmed several changes for the 2024 Super GT season.

Aggregate qualifying format

Super GT introduced a new aggregate qualifying system on 9 February, replacing the knockout format which had been used since 2013.

* Under the new format, the grids in GT500 and GT300 will be determined by the combined Q1 and Q2 times of each team's two nominated drivers.
* Each team is only allowed to use one set of tyres throughout Q1 and Q2, and must start the race on the same set of tyres.
* Teams that don't participate in qualifying, fail to set a time in both qualifying sessions, or fail to meet the 107% minimum time after Q2 will have to start the race from the pits.
* Points will now be awarded to the top three qualifiers in each class. The pole-winning team and drivers now earn three points, while second place earns two points and third place earns one point.
* Pole position will be credited to both drivers on the pole-winning team that run in qualifying.

On 12 March, a follow-up bulletin would detail the changes made to GT300 qualifying:

* Similar to recent years, the GT300 field would be split into two groups for Q1 based on the most recent Teams' Championship standings, with odd number-ranked teams in Group A and even number-ranked teams in Group B. A pre-event lottery would determine which group goes first in Q1.
* After both Q1 groups have run, the cars would be regrouped for Q2. The top eight cars in each Q1 group will go into Q2 Group 1, and the cars that finished outside the top eight in each group would go into Q2 Group 2.
* Once Group 2 and Group 1 have run, the final grid order will be determined based on these final groupings:
** Positions 1-12: Top 12 combined times in Q2 Group 1.
** Positions 13-20: Combined times of the top four in Q2 Group 2 and bottom four in Q2 Group 1.
** Positions 21-27: Combined times of the remaining cars that finished fifth or lower in Q2 Group 2.
* In the event of rain, the GT300 grid will be determined from Q2 times only.

Other changes

Beginning in 2024, GT300 teams will use 50 percent renewable carbon-neutral synthetic fuel supplied by ETS Racing Fuels.

Teams will only be allocated four sets of dry tyres for 300 kilometre races, down from five sets in 2023. Five sets of dry tyres will be available for 350 km events, and six sets of tyres will be available in three-hour timed events.

GT300 success ballast has been reduced to a maximum of 100 kilogrammes to just 80 kg. GT300 teams will now receive two kilogrammes of Success Weight per drivers' championship point scored from rounds one through six. There is a limit of 50 points (100 kg).

To reduce cornering speeds, the GTA implemented new technical directives in both class. In GT500, the minimum ride height has been raised by 5 millimetres by increasing the thickness of the skid block. In GT300, all cars will carry a predetermined amount of additional ballast weight, between 33 and 52 kg. This additional weight is distinct from the weight assigned to each car as part of the balance of performance.

Teams and drivers

GT500

GT300

Vehicle changes

GT500

* Honda Racing Corporation introduced the new Civic Type R-GT in 2024, replacing the second-generation NSX-GT.
* Nissan Motorsports & Customizing introduced a new version of the Nissan Z GT500, the Nissan Z NISMO GT500, based on its road-going production variant.

GT300

* Team LeMans entered a new Ferrari 296 GT3, replacing its previous Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II which had raced for three seasons.
* GAINER developed a new version of the Nissan Fairlady Z built to the GTA-GT300 vehicle regulations, replacing the number 11 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 that had raced since 2018. The car was revealed ahead of the opening round at Okayama and made its race debut at the Fuji 3 Hours.
* The former number 10 GAINER Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 was replaced by the number 45 Ferrari 296 GT3 entered by PONOS Racing. (see Entrant changes below).

Entrant changes

GT500

* Toyota announced its driver line-ups on 12 December 2023.
** Reigning GT500 champion Ritomo Miyata left the series after the 2023 season to compete overseas in Formula 2 and the European Le Mans Series. 2019 GT500 champion Kenta Yamashita joined reigning champion team TGR Team au TOM'S to fill the seat vacated by Miyata. TOM'S elected not to use the GT500 champion's number "1" in 2024. Two-time GT500 Champion Michael Krumm became the new team director of the number 37 Deloitte TOM'S GR Supra of Ukyo Sasahara and Giuliano Alesi. Jun Yamada was promoted to the role of general manager overseeing both TOM'S cars.
** Former Honda drivers Nirei Fukuzumi and Toshiki Oyu transferred to Toyota after the 2023 season.
** Fukuzumi moved to TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE alongside 2019 GT500 champion, Kazuya Oshima.
** Oyu moved to TGR Team KeePer Cerumo to drive alongside Hiroaki Ishiura. Three-time GT500 champion Yuji Tachikawa retired from driving after the 2023 season and became the team director at Cerumo for the second time. Car care company KeePer, which previously served as the main sponsor for the TOM'S number 37 car, replaced long time sponsor ZENT as the title sponsor of TGR Team Cerumo.
* Honda announced its driver line-ups on 12 December 2023.
** To replace the departing Fukuzumi and Oyu, both Nobuharu Matsushita and Ren Sato joined ARTA. Matsushita, who spent the last two seasons with Astemo Real Racing, joined Tomoki Nojiri in the number 8 car. Sato, who drove for ARTA's GT300 team in 2021, made his GT500 debut alongside Hiroki Otsu in the number 16 car.
** Kakunoshin Ohta replaced Matsushita at Astemo Real Racing, alongside Koudai Tsukakoshi, who will return for his 16th full season with the team.
** Riki Okusa stepped up from GT300 and made his GT500 debut with Modulo Nakajima Racing, replacing Ohta alongside Takuya Izawa.
* Nissan announced its driver line-ups on 18 January 2024.
** Former Max Racing GT300 driver Atsushi Miyake replaced Katsumasa Chiyo as the driver of the number 3 NISMO NDDP (formerly NDDP Racing) entry, teaming with Mitsunori Takaboshi. Katsumasa Chiyo replaced Tsugio Matsuda in the number 23 NISMO carand will team up with four-time GT500 champion Ronnie Quintarelli. This marked the end of Matsuda and Quintarelli's partnership which lasted for 11 years.
** Both NISMO teams changed tyre suppliers to Bridgestone following Michelin's withdrawal from the GT500 class after the 2023 season.
** Two-time GT500 champion Tsugio Matsuda moved to Kondo Racing, forming an all-new driver lineup alongside Teppei Natori, who was promoted to GT500 after racing in GT300 with the same team last season. Daiki Sasaki and Kohei Hirate were dropped from Nissan's GT500 line-ups.

GT300

* D'station Racing returned to Super GT for the first time since 2020, fielding the 2024 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with Dunlop tyres. 2012 GT300 championship runner-up Tomonobu Fujii returned to Super GT for the first time since 2020, and Aston Martin factory driver Marco Sørensen made his series debut.
* PONOS Racing make its Super GT debut in 2024, entering the new Ferrari 296 GT3 with Michelin tyres. The first-year team will be run by championship-winning GT300 organisation GAINER. Kei Cozzolino returned to the series for the first time since 2022, while Ferrari GT factory driver Lilou Wadoux made her series debut.
* Super Taikyu championship-winning team HELM Motorsports made its Super GT debut in 2024, entering a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 with Yokohama tyres. Two-time GT500 champion Kohei Hirate joined the team alongside HELM co-founders Yuya and Reiji Hiraki, the latter of whom serves as the team's third driver. Two-time GT300 champion Hideo Fukuyama was appointed as the team director.
* Saitama Toyopet Green Brave changed its official name to Saitama Green Brave. Reigning GT300 champion Kohta Kawaai was replaced by Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge (TGR-DC) driver Seita Nonaka, who spent the last two seasons with Hoppy Team Tsuchiya and was Green Brave's third driver last year at Autopolis. Saitama Green Brave elected not to use the GT300 champion's number "0" in 2024.
* SHADE Racing changed tyre suppliers from Dunlop to Michelin.
* Tsuchiya Engineering, entering as Hoppy Team Tsuchiya, and its Toyota GR Supra GT300 returned to the series after missing the last four rounds of the 2023 season following a fire in the fourth round at Fuji Speedway. 2016 GT300 champion Takamitsu Matsui returned to the team after racing for Team Mach in 2023. Kimiya Sato, who spent the last three years with Max Racing, returned to the team as its third driver.
* Max Racing ceased operations following a vehicle fire in the fourth round of the 2023 season at Fuji Speedway.
* 2023 FIA F4 Japanese Champion Rikuto Kobayashi and runner-up Jin Nakamura made their full-time series debuts with apr. Kobayashi drives the number 30 Toyota GR86 alongside Hiroaki Nagai, while two-time GT300 champion Manabu Orido remained with the team as its third driver. Nakamura drives the number 31 Lexus LC 500h alongside Kazuto Kotaka, replacing veteran driver Koki Saga. Yuki Nemoto continues as the third driver of the number 31 team.
* Kondo Racing replaced Teppei Natori with its former GT500 driver, Daiki Sasaki. Sasaki reunited with two-time GT300 champion João Paulo de Oliveira for the first time since 2017.
* Ryuichiro Tomita and Keishi Ishikawa drove the new number 11 GAINER Nissan Fairlady Z. 2008 GT300 champion Hironobu Yasuda left the team in the off-season after six years, and also left Nissan after 17 years as a factory driver.
* Tomei Sports promoted Takuya Otaki, who had been a spot starter since 2020, to a full-time seat in 2024. Atsushi Tanaka has the role of third driver with rookie Rin Arakawa, the 2021 FIA F4 Japanese Championship runner-up.
* Gymkhana and time attack specialist Yusaku Shibata transferred to NILZZ Racing as a full-time driver, replacing Yuki Tanaka.
* Yogibo Racing withdrew its entry for the 2024 season, citing a change in corporate strategy from the Yogibo brand.
* Yusuke Tomibayashi transferred from Team Mach to Pacific Racing Team, to replace Liang Jiatong, who moved to GT World Challenge Asia with Harmony Racing. F4 graduate Yuta Fujiwara made his series debut as Pacific Racing Team's third driver.
* Miki Koyama transferred from Arnage Racing to R'Qs Motor Sports as the fourth driver for the team, joining Hisashi Wada, Masaki Jyonai, and Masaki Kano. The team will have different line up on each race.
* 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Gold champion Niklas Krütten made his Super GT debut at BMW M Team Studie x CRS as Seiji Ara's new full-season teammate. BMW M works driver Bruno Spengler stays with the team as the third driver for select rounds.
* 2022 FIA F4 Japanese Championship runner-up Yusuke Mitsui made his series debut as the third driver at Team UpGarage.
* Two-time GT300 champion Kiyoto Fujinami and former GAINER third driver Yusuke Shiotsu joined Team Mach. Fujinami, who previously drove for Team Mach from 2017 to 2018, will return to the series after missing the 2023 season.

Mid-season changes

* 2023 International GT Open champion Charlie Fagg, who drove for D'station Racing in WEC and the Asian Le Mans Series, rejoined D'station as the team's third driver. He replaced Marco Sørensen at the Fuji 3 Hours, and Suzuka 3 Hours. Also is scheduled to replace him again at the Suzuka 350km and the season finale at Motegi.

Calendar

A confirmed eight round provisional 2024 calendar was announced on 3 August 2023. On 3 October 2023, it was announced that the seventh round at Autopolis would be moved back two weeks to 19–20 October, in order to eliminate a clash of dates with the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix.

On 29 February 2024, distances for all rounds were confirmed. The Golden Week race at Fuji Speedway, the Spring race at Suzuka Circuit, and the penultimate race at Autopolis will be three-hour timed races, the first championship races to be run to a timed format. The Summer races at Fuji and Suzuka will be 350 kilometres long.

Results

Championship standings

Drivers' championships

; Race points

; Qualifying points

GT500

GT300

Teams' championships

; Race points

GT500

GT300

Notes

References

External links

Super GT Official Website

{{Super GT seasons

Super GT seasons
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