Suzuka 1000 km explained

Race Title:Suzuka 1000km
Suzuka 10 Hours (2018–2019)
Series Long:Super GT
Series Short:SGT
Venue:Suzuka Circuit
First Race:1966
Laps:173
Duration:1000 kilometres
700 kilometres (2009–2010)
500 kilometres (2011)
10 hours (2018–2019)
Most Wins Driver:Kunimitsu Takahashi (4)
Most Wins Manufacturer:Porsche (11)

The Suzuka 1000km, also known as the Suzuka Summer Endurance Race,[1] is an annual sports car endurance race that has been held at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan since 1966. After a five-year hiatus, the event is scheduled to return in September 2025 as part of the SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge.[2]

The event has been held 48 times from 1966 to 2019, as both a standalone endurance race and as part of numerous domestic and international sports car racing championships including the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Super GT Series, FIA GT Championship, All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship, and World Sportscar Championship.[3]

History

Suzuka 1000km (1966–1973, 1980–2017)

The Suzuka 1000km was first held as a standalone event on 26 June 1966. It was one of three long-distance endurance races held at Suzuka Circuit during the 1960s, alongside the Suzuka 500km and Suzuka 12 Hours.

The race went on hiatus from 1974 until 1979 as a consequence of the 1970s energy crisis, but returned in 1980 as a non-championship endurance race. In 1981, the Suzuka 1000km was held in the fourth weekend of August for the first time. With the exception of the 1989 race that was delayed to December due to inclement weather, the Suzuka 1000km and Suzuka 10 Hours would continue to take place in the fourth weekend of August every year through its most recent running in 2019.

From 1983 to 1991, the Suzuka 1000km was part of the All Japan Endurance Championship (renamed to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship in 1987). In 1992, the race was added to the FIA World Sportscar Championship calendar, but the series folded after the 1992 season, which meant that the 1993 race would be run as a non-championship round.

In 1994, the Suzuka 1000km became part of the inaugural BPR Global GT Series calendar. Pokka became the new title sponsor of the race, and the Pokka 1000km continued as a championship round of the BPR Global GT Series and its successor, the FIA GT Championship, through 1998.

When the race was dropped from the FIA GT calendar in 1999, the Pokka 1000km reverted to a non-championship endurance race. Through 2005 the race was open to GT500 and GT300 cars from the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), as well as cars from the Super Taikyu Series.

On 12 August 2005, it was announced that the race would become part of the newly-renamed Autobacs Super GT Series championship, beginning in 2006.[4] [5] Upon its inclusion, the Suzuka 1000km became the longest and most prestigious event on the Super GT calendar during this time period, and also paid the most championship points of any round on the calendar.

Due to the effects of the Great Recession in Japan, the race was shortened to 700 kilometres from 2009 to 2010, and the race was renamed to the Pokka GT Summer Special. A second national crisis, the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, led to the event being shortened further to 500 kilometres in 2011. The original 1000 kilometre distance was restored from 2012.

Suzuka 10 Hours (2018–2019)

On 4 March 2017, it was announced that the GT Association (GTA) and Stephane Ratel Organisation (SRO) would join forces to promote a new ten-hour endurance race for FIA-GT3 and JAF-GT300 (now GTA-GT300) sports cars, known as the Suzuka 10 Hours. The 46th annual Suzuka 1000km, held that year as part of the Super GT Series, would be the last edition of the Suzuka Summer Endurance Race in its original format.

The Suzuka 10 Hours became part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge championship in 2018, replacing the Sepang 12 Hours held in Malaysia.[6] The reformatted event attracted top teams and drivers from international GT3 racing, as well as teams from Super GT and Super Taikyu, by offering a prize purse with the overall winner receiving .[7]

Hiatus and 2025 return

The 2020 Suzuka 10 Hours, which had originally been scheduled for 23 August, was one of numerous motorsports events that were cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel enacted in Japan during this time.[8] The race was set to return on 22 August 2021, but with strict travel restrictions still in place during the pandemic, the 2021 race was also cancelled.[9]

At the same time, the Super GT Series was also forced to overhaul its calendar in 2020. The series scheduled two 300 kilometre races at Suzuka that year, including one on 23 August, the date originally scheduled for the Suzuka 10 Hours.[10] Super GT originally scheduled just one 300km race at Suzuka for May 2021, but due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the region, the race was moved back to 22 August, again taking over the date originally scheduled for the Suzuka 10 Hours.[11]

Since 2022, Super GT has scheduled a 450 kilometre race at Suzuka on the fourth weekend of August, though in 2024, the summer race at Suzuka will move to the first weekend of September.[12] Meanwhile, the Suzuka 10 Hours' place as the Asian round on the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar was taken by the Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina Circuit in 2022 and 2023.

During the 2024 SRO press conference at Spa-Francorchamps, Stephane Ratel announced that the Suzuka 1000km will return in September 2025 as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Winners

Among drivers, Kunimitsu Takahashi holds the all-time record with four overall victories at the Suzuka 1000 km. Five other drivers – Daisuke Ito, Ryo Michigami, Naoki Nagasaka, Sébastien Philippe, and Juichi Wakisaka, have won the event three times overall.

Several past winners of the race have also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including Henri Pescarolo, Vern Schuppan, Masanori Sekiya, Stanley Dickens, Yannick Dalmas, Derek Warwick, JJ Lehto, Benoît Tréluyer, Loïc Duval, and Kazuki Nakajima. Past winners including Marcel Tiemann, Bernd Schneider, Frédéric Makowiecki, Maro Engel, Kelvin van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, and Frédéric Vervisch have also won the Nürburgring 24 Hour race. Other notable former winners include three-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner Bob Wollek, 1989 Japanese Grand Prix winner Alessandro Nannini, 2015 FIA World Endurance Drivers' Champion and Formula One Grand Prix winner Mark Webber, four-time Super GT GT500 Drivers' Champion Ronnie Quintarelli, all-time GT500 class wins leader Tsugio Matsuda, and 2018 and 2020 Japanese "double champion" Naoki Yamamoto.

In recent years, the event has drawn interest from previous Formula One world champion drivers, many of whom had raced at Suzuka Circuit for years during their F1 careers. 2009 champion Jenson Button made his Super GT debut in the 2017 running of the Suzuka 1000 km, and in 2019, two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen returned to compete at the Suzuka 10 Hours.

Porsche has more victories in the race than any manufacturer – eleven in total, spanning from 1967 to 1994. The most successful Japanese marques are Honda and Toyota, who have each won the race eight times overall, just ahead of Nissan with seven victories. Toyota's Lexus luxury brand has also won the race five times representing Toyota in the GT500 class of Super GT, from 2006 to 2017.

List of winners

YearOverall Winner(s)EntrantCar SeriesTime
1000 km distance, 6.004 km circuit, 167 laps
1966
Toyota 2000GTNon-championship8:02:13.9[13]
1967
Porsche 9067:39:21.7[14]
1968
Hiroshi Fushida		Toyota 76:59:25.6[15]
1969
Jiro Yoneyama		Porsche 9067:11:23.2[16]
1970 Kawakami Nishino
Koji Fujita		Nissan Fairlady Z4327:49:19.6[17]
1971 Yoshimasa Kawaguchi
Hiroshi Fushida		Porsche 9107:03:44.6[18]
1972
Kenichi Takeshita		Toyota Celica 1600GT-R6:38:02.4
140 laps, 840 km		[19]
1973 Kunimitsu Takahashi
Kenji Tohira		Nissan Fairlady Z432R6:24:35.9
150 laps, 900 km		[20]
1974
–
1979		Not held
1980 Hironobu Tatsumi
Naoki Nagasaka		 Red Carpet Racing TeamMarch 75S-MazdaNon-championship6:30:35.07
148 laps, 888 km		[21]
1981 Bob Wollek
Henri Pescarolo		 Porsche Kremer RacingPorsche 935 K36:51:20.56[22]
1982 Fumiyasu Sato
Naoki Nagasaka		 Auto Beaurex Motor SportsBMW M16:42:41.92
166 laps		[23]
1000 km distance, 6.033 km circuit, 166 laps
1983 Naohiro Fujita
Vern Schuppan		 Trust Racing TeamPorsche 956All-Japan Endurance Championship6:40:24.91[24]
1000 km distance, 5.943 km circuit, 169 laps
1984 Kunimitsu Takahashi
Kenji Takahashi
Geoff Lees		 Advan Sport Team NovaPorsche 956All-Japan Endurance Championship6:29:32.91[25]
1000 km distance, 5.912 km circuit, 170 laps
1985 Kunimitsu Takahashi
Kenji Takahashi		 Advan Sport Team NovaPorsche 962CAll-Japan Endurance Championship6:22:57.516[26]
1986 Jiro Yoneyama
Hideki Okada
Tsunehisa Asai		 FromA RacingPorsche 9566:20:26.745[27]
1000 km distance, 5.859 km circuit, 171 laps
1987 Geoff Lees
Masanori Sekiya
Hitoshi Ogawa		 Toyota Team TOM'SToyota 87CAll-Japan Sports Prototype Championship6:27:02.449[28]
1988 Hideki Okada
Stanley Dickens		 FromA RacingPorsche 962C6:08:21.517[29]
1989 Kunimitsu Takahashi
Stanley Dickens		 Advan Alpha Nova RacingPorsche 962C5:56:56.701[30]
1990 Kazuyoshi Hoshino
Toshio Suzuki		 Nissan MotorsportsNissan R90CP5:51:40.225[31]
1000 km distance, 5.864 km circuit, 171 laps
1991 Roland Ratzenberger
Pierre-Henri Raphanel
Naoki Nagasaka		 Toyota Team SARDToyota 91C-VAll-Japan Sports Prototype Championship5:44:52.513[32]
1992 Derek Warwick
Yannick Dalmas		 Peugeot Talbot SportPeugeot 905 Evo 1BFIA World Sportscar Championship5:30:09.627[33]
1993 Takao Wada
Toshio Suzuki		 Team LeMansNissan R92CPNon-championship5:53:09.590[34]
1994 Jean-Pierre Jarier
Bob Wollek
Jesús Pareja		 Larbre CompetitionPorsche 911 Turbo S LM-GTBPR Global GT Series6:25:09.415
162 laps		[35]
1995 Ray Bellm
Maurizio Sandro Sala
Masanori Sekiya		 GTC RacingMcLaren F1 GTR-BMW6:38:21.371[36]
1996 Gulf Racing GTCMcLaren F1 GTR-BMW6:18:48.637[37]
1997 AMG-MercedesMercedes-Benz CLK-GTRFIA GT Championship5:59:31.003[38]
1998 AMG-MercedesMercedes-Benz CLK LM5:48:58.452[39]
1999 Osamu Nakako
Ryo Michigami
Katsutomo Kaneishi		 Mugen x Dome ProjectHonda NSX GT500Non-championship6:17:46.665[40]
2000 Juichi Wakisaka
Katsutomo Kaneishi
Daisuke Ito		 Mugen x Dome ProjectHonda NSX GT5006:14:47.171[41]
2001 Hironori Takeuchi
Yuji Tachikawa
Shigekazu Wakisaka		 Toyota Team CerumoToyota Supra GT5006:07:29.393[42]
1000 km distance, 5.821 km circuit, 172 laps
2002 Juichi Wakisaka
Akira Iida
Shigekazu Wakisaka		 Esso Toyota Team LeMansToyota Supra GT500Non-championship6:10:44.008[43]
1000 km distance, 5.807 km circuit, 173 laps
2003 Ryo Michigami
Sébastien Philippe		 Dome Racing TeamHonda NSX GT500Non-championship6:03:28.033[44]
2004 Ryo Michigami
Sébastien Philippe
Daisuke Ito		 Dome Racing TeamHonda NSX GT5006:08:47.528[45]
2005 André Couto
Ronnie Quintarelli
Hayanari Shimoda		 Denso Toyota Team SARDToyota Supra GT5006:26:41.366
170 laps, 987 km		[46]
2006 Benoît Tréluyer
Kazuki Hoshino
 Calsonic Team ImpulNissan Fairlady Z GT500Super GT Series5:57:45.468[47]
2007 André Lotterer
Juichi Wakisaka
Oliver Jarvis		 Houzan Toyota Team TOM'SLexus SC430 GT5006:04:10.983[48]
2008 Tsugio Matsuda
Sébastien Philippe		 Calsonic Team ImpulNissan GT-R GT5005:56:31.327[49]
700 km distance, 5.807 km circuit, 121 laps
2009 Hiroaki Ishiura
Kazuya Oshima		 Lexus Team KraftLexus SC430 GT500Super GT Series4:16:02.744 [50]
2010 Ralph Firman
Yuji Ide
Takashi Kobayashi		 Autobacs Racing Team AguriHonda HSV-010 GT GT5004:07:10.085[51]
500 km distance, 5.807 km circuit, 87 laps
2011 Takashi Kogure
Loïc Duval		 Weider Honda RacingHonda HSV-010 GT GT500Super GT Series3:16:09.255
86 laps, 499 km		[52]
1000 km distance, 5.807 km circuit, 173 laps
2012 Masataka Yanagida
Ronnie Quintarelli		 MOLA InternationalNissan GT-R GT500Super GT Series5:59:01.662[53]
2013 Frédéric Makowiecki
Naoki Yamamoto		 Weider Modulo Dome RacingHonda HSV-010 GT GT5005:55:04.565[54]
[55]
2014 Kazuki Nakajima
James Rossiter		 Lexus Team Petronas TOM'SLexus RC F GT5005:37:27.911[56]
[57]
2015 Daisuke Ito
James Rossiter		 Lexus Team Petronas TOM'SLexus RC F GT5005:45:55.277
163 laps, 946 km		[58]
[59]
2016 Yuji Tachikawa
Hiroaki Ishiura		 Lexus Team ZENT CerumoLexus RC F GT5005:45:34.230[60]
[61]
2017 Bertrand Baguette
Kosuke Matsuura		 Nakajima RacingHonda NSX-GT GT5005:51:16.244
171 laps, 993 km		[62]
[63]
10 hours duration, 5.807 km circuit
2018 Maro Engel
Raffaele Marciello
Tristan Vautier		 Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM RacingMercedes-AMG GT3Intercontinental GT Challenge10:00:32.584
276 laps, 1603 km		[64]
2019 Kelvin van der Linde
Dries Vanthoor
Frédéric Vervisch		 Audi Sport Team WRTAudi R8 LMS Evo10:01:51.048
275 laps, 1597 km		[65]
2020–

2024

Not held due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic
2025to be determined

Multiple winners

By driver

WinsDriverYears
4 Kunimitsu Takahashi1973, 1984, 1985, 1989
3 Naoki Nagasaka1980, 1982, 1991
Ryo Michigami1999, 2003, 2004
Juichi Wakisaka2000, 2002, 2007
Sébastien Philippe2003, 2004, 2008
Daisuke Ito2000, 2004, 2015
2 Sachio Fukuzawa1966, 1968
Tomohiko Tsutsumi1966, 1969
Hiroshi Fushida1968, 1971
Kenji Takahashi1984, 1985
Jiro Yoneyama1969, 1986
Geoff Lees1984, 1987
Hideki Okada1986, 1988
Stanley Dickens1988, 1989
Toshio Suzuki1990, 1993
Bob Wollek1981, 1994
Masanori Sekiya1987, 1995
Ray Bellm1995, 1996
Katsutomo Kaneishi1999, 2000
Shigekazu Wakisaka2001, 2002
Ronnie Quintarelli2005, 2012
James Rossiter2014, 2015
Yuji Tachikawa2001, 2016
Hiroaki Ishiura2009, 2016

By manufacturer

WinsManufacturerYears
11 Porsche1967, 1969, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1994
8 Toyota1966, 1968, 1972, 1987, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2005
Honda1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017
7 Nissan1970, 1973, 1990, 1993, 2006, 2008, 2012
5 Lexus2007, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016
3 Mercedes-Benz1997, 1998, 2018
2 McLaren1995, 1996

Event names

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Suzuka 1000km Revived As 2025 IGTC Calendar Expands To Five Races . 2024-06-29 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  2. Web site: 28 June 2024 . Suzuka 1000km revived for long-awaited Intercontinental GT Challenge return . Intercontinental GT Challenge.
  3. News: Malcevic . Marijan . 21 August 2018 . Suzuka 1000 Km – The Oldest Japanese Endurance Race . 26 August 2019 . SnapLap.
  4. Web site: 大西良徳 . 2005-08-12 . 2006 FIA Motorsports Calendar Announced . 2023-10-25 . モータースポーツフォーラム . ja.
  5. Web site: 30 October 2005 . SuperGT 2006 with Suzuka 1000k . 2023-10-25 . archive.dailysportscar.com.
  6. News: Kilshaw . Jake . Suzuka 10H to Replace Sepang on IGTC Schedule – Sportscar365 . 26 August 2019 . sportscar365.com . 28 July 2017.
  7. Web site: Suzuka 10 Hours Preview: Rules & Regulations Primer – dailysportscar.com . 2020-04-21 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  8. Web site: Suzuka 10 Hours Cancelled . 2023-10-25 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  9. Web site: 2021 Suzuka 10 Hours Set To Be Replaced By IGTC Race . 2023-10-25 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  10. Web site: Revised 2020 Super GT Calendar Announced . 2023-10-25 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  11. Web site: Super GT Suzuka Round Moved To 22 August . 2023-10-25 . www.dailysportscar.com.
  12. Web site: No Significant Changes In 2024 SUPER GT Series Calendar . 2023-10-25 . www.dailysportscar.com.
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