1999 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship Explained
The 1999 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship was the seventh season of Japan Automobile Federation GT premiere racing. It was marked as well as the seventeenth season of a JAF-sanctioned sports car racing championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The GT500 class champion of that season was the Pennzoil Nismo GT-R driven by Érik Comas and Satoshi Motoyama and the GT300 class champion was the MOMOCORSE A'PEX MR2 driven by Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi. Both Comas and Nitta won their respective driver's title on their own since Motoyama and Takagi missed a round each; Motoyama skipped the second round at Fuji because he was participating in the pre-qualifying session of that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans while Takagi missed the first round at Suzuka because he was in the United States on a bid to find a seat in Indy Lights.[1]
The season was marred by the death of reigning GT300 Champion, Shingo Tachi, in a pre-season testing crash at TI Circuit Aida on March 11, 1999. Tachi was to drive the number 6 Esso Toyota Supra for Toyota Team LeMans.[2] Kunimitsu Takahashi retired from his racing career at the end of the season at aged 59.
Drivers and teams
GT500
Team | Make | Car | Engine | | Drivers | Tyre | Rounds |
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Pennzoil Nismo GT-R | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) | Nissan RB26DETT 2.7 L Twin Turbo I6 | 1 | Érik Comas | | All |
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Satoshi Motoyama | 1, 3–7, NC |
Anders Olofsson | 2 |
ARTA Zexel Skyline/Nismo | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) | Nissan RB26DETT 2.7 L Twin Turbo I6 | 2 | Aguri Suzuki | All |
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Michael Krumm | 1, 3–7, NC |
Armin Hahne | 2 |
Hasemi Motorsport | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) | Nissan RB26DETT 2.7 L Twin Turbo I6 | 3 | Masahiro Hasemi | | All |
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Tetsuya Tanaka | All |
Esso Toyota Team LeMans | Toyota | Toyota Supra | Toyota 3S-GT 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 6 | Wayne Gardner | | 2–7, NC |
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Hideki Noda | 2–7, NC |
Endless Sports | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) | Nissan RB26DETT 2.7 L Twin Turbo I6 | 11 | Takao Wada | | 1–3, 5 |
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Mitsuhiro Kinoshita | 1–3, 5 |
Calsonic Team Impul | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) | Nissan RB26DETT 2.7 L Twin Turbo I6 | 12 | Kazuyoshi Hoshino | | All |
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Masami Kageyama | All |
Castrol Mugen NSX/Mugen x Dome Project | Honda | Honda NSX | Honda C32B 3.5 L V6 | 16 | | | All |
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Osamu Nakako | All |
Takata Dome NSX/Mugen x Dome Project | Honda | Honda NSX | Honda C32B 3.5 L V6 | 18 | Katsutomo Kaneishi | All |
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Juichi Wakisaka | All |
Team Take One | McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70/2 6.0 L V12 | 30 | Hideki Okada | | All |
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Yoji Yamada | All |
Toyota Team Cerumo | Toyota | Toyota Supra | Toyota 3S-GT 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 32 | Masahiko Kondo | | All |
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Takayuki Kinoshita | All |
38 | Yuji Tachikawa | All |
Hironori Takeuchi | All |
Toyota Team TOM'S | Toyota | Toyota Supra | Toyota 3S-GT 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 35 | Shinichi Yamaji | | All |
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Pierre-Henri Raphanel | All |
36 | Masanori Sekiya | All |
Takuya Kurosawa | All |
37 | Toshio Suzuki | All |
Ukyo Katayama | 1, 3–7, NC |
Darren Manning | 2 |
Denso Toyota Team SARD | Toyota | Toyota Supra | Toyota 3S-GT 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 39 | Keiichi Tsuchiya | | All |
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Masahiko Kageyama | All |
Team Taisan Advan | Dodge | Dodge Viper GTS-R | Chrysler Viper 8.0 L V10 | 55 | Eiichi Tajima | | 1–2, 4, NC |
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Hideshi Matsuda | 1–2, 4 |
Dominik Schwager | 3 |
Yasuyuki Honjo | NC |
Mobil 1 Nakajima Racing | Honda | Honda NSX | Honda C32B 3.5 L V6 | 64 | Tom Coronel | | All |
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Koji Yamanishi | 1–4 |
Hidetoshi Mitsusada | 5–7, NC |
JLOC | Lamborghini | Lamborghini Diablo GT-1 | Lamborghini L532 6.0 L V12 | 88 | Naohiro Furuya | | All |
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Hisashi Wada | All |
Raybrig Team Kunimitsu with Mooncraft | Honda | Honda NSX | Honda C32B 3.5 L V6 | 100 | Kunimitsu Takahashi | | All |
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Akira Iida | All | |
GT300
Team | Make | Car | Engine | | Drivers | Tyre | Rounds |
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RE Amemiya Racing | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 7 | Tetsuya Yamano | | All |
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Haruhiko Matsumoto | All |
Team Daikokuya | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 9 | Teruyuki Tokada | | 1, 3, 5 |
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Yukihiro Hane | 1, 3, 5 |
99 | Akira Yoshitomi | All |
Tsunefumi Hioki | 1–2, 4–7 |
Kiichi Takahashi | 3 |
Ability Motorsport | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 10 | Yasutaka Hinoi | | All |
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Hidehiko Aso | All |
Alta Racing Team | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S14) | Nissan SR20DET 2.1 L Turbo I4 | 14 | Tetsuo Kozai | | 1–3, 5, 7 |
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Nobuo Komiya | 1–3, 5, 7 |
Nismo | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S15) | Nissan SR20DET 2.1 L Turbo I4 | 15 | Takeshi Tsuchiya | | All |
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Yuji Ide | All |
Racing Project Bandoh | Toyota | Toyota Celica | Toyota 3S-GE 2.0 L I4 | 19 | Manabu Orido | | All |
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Takahiro Hara | All |
TOM'S Spirit | Toyota | Toyota Celica | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 20 | Masahiro Matsunaga | | 2, 4–7 |
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Yasuhisa Fujiwara | 2, 4 |
Kumi Sato | 5–7 |
Hitotsuyama Racing | BMW | BMW M3 (E36) | BMW S14 2.2 L Turbo I4 | 21 | Daisuke Itō | | All |
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Yasushi Hitotsuyama | 1–3, 5 |
Mikio Hitotsuyama | 4, 6–7 |
Hirano Motorsport | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GTS-i (R32) | Nissan RB20DETT 2.0 L Twin Turbo I6 | 24 | Toshiyuki Hirano | | 2, 5 |
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Teruhiko Someba | 2, 5 |
Momo Corse Racing Team with Tsuchiya | Toyota | Toyota MR2 | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 25 | Morio Nitta | | All |
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Yasushi Kikuchi | 1 |
Shinichi Takagi | 2–7, NC |
Team Taisan | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT3-R (Rd. 1–4) Porsche 996 GT3-R (Rd. 5–7) | Porsche M96/77 3.6 L F6 | 26 | Hiroaki Suga | | 1–4 |
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Dilantha Malagamuwa | 2–3 |
Dominik Schwager | 4–7, NC |
Hideshi Matsuda | 5–7, NC |
Tomohiko Sunako | 1 |
Porsche 993 GT3-R | Porsche M64/75 3.6 L F6 | 55 | Hiroaki Suga | 5–7 |
Eiichi Tajima | 5–7 |
Team Taeivon Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Mitsubishi FTO | Mitsubishi 4G63 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 61 | Ralph Firman | | All |
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Akihiko Nakaya | 1, 3–7 |
Rubén Derfler | 2 |
Team Gaikokuya | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 70 | Yoshimi Ishibashi | | All |
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Patrick van Schoote | 1, 5, 7 |
Kaoru Hoshino | 2, 6 |
Hiroshi Sakai | 3–4 |
SigmaTec Racing Team | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 71 | Masaki Jyonai | | All |
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Naohiro Kawano | All |
Okura Rotary Racing | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 72 | Akira Ishikawa | | All |
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Koh Hirano | All |
Cusco Racing | Subaru | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | Subaru EJ20 2.0 L Turbo F4 | 77 | Katsuo Kobayashi | | All |
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Tatsuya Tanigawa | All |
Team Daishin | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S15) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 81 | Hideo Fukuyama | | All |
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Nobuyuki Ohyagi | All |
I.A. Tec Racing Team | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S14) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 84 | Seiichi Sodeyama | | 2, 5–7 |
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Yoshikuni Nakamura | 2, 5–7 |
KRAFT | Toyota | Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno (AE86) | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 86 | Minoru Tanaka | | 2–7 |
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Eiki Amemiya | 2–7 |
Team Gainer | Ferrari | Ferrari F355 GT | Ferrari F129B 3.5 L V8 | 111 | Junichi Ikura | | 2, 5–7 |
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Yusei Maki | 2, 5–7 |
Club: Yellow Magic | Ferrari | Ferrari F355 GT | Ferrari F129B 3.6 L V8 | 355 | Taki Inoue | | 2–3, 5, 7 |
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Tsuyoshi Takahashi | 2–3, 5, 7 |
910 Racing | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 910 | Atsushi Yogo | | 1–3, 5–7 |
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Hideyuki Tamamoto | 1–3 |
Dilantha Malagamuwa | 5–6 |
Tomohiko Sunako | 7 |
911 | Masamitsu Ishihara | 5 |
Hiroyuki Noji | 5 | |
Schedule
Season results
Point Ranking
GT500
Drivers
Teams' standings
For teams that entered multiple cars, only the best result from each round counted towards the teams' championship.
GT300 Class (Top 5)
Drivers
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: 2018-02-19. Super GT's Uncrowned Champions. 7 October 2022. Super GT World. en.
- News: Remembering Shingo Tachi, 20 Years Later. 12 March 2019. dailysportscar.com. 7 October 2022.