2022 Super GT Series explained
The 2022 Autobacs Super GT Series was a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars, sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It was the thirtieth season of the JAF Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the eighteenth season under the Super GT name. It was also the fortieth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
Team Impul won the GT500 championship for the first time since 1995, as Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette won the Drivers' Championship. It was the first Teams' Championship for Impul since the inaugural 1994 season, and the first championship for the new Nissan Z GT500 which made its debut this season. In GT300, Kondo Racing, Kiyoto Fujinami, and João Paulo de Oliveira won their second set of Drivers' and Teams' Championships in three years.
Teams and drivers
All teams competed under a Japanese license.
GT500
GT300
Team | Make | Car | Engine | | Drivers | Tyre | Rounds |
---|
muta Racing INGING[6] | Toyota | Toyota GR86 GT300 | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 2 | Hiroki Katoh | | All |
---|
Yuui Tsutsumi |
Goodsmile Racing & Team UKYO[7] | Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | 4 | Nobuteru Taniguchi | | All |
---|
Tatsuya Kataoka |
Team Mach[8] | Toyota | Toyota 86 MC GT300 | GTA V8 4.5 L V8 | 5 | Yusuke Tomibayashi | | All |
---|
Reiji Hiraki |
Motoyama Racing with Team LeMans[9]
Team LeMans[10] | Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo II[11] | Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 | 6 | Yoshiaki Katayama | | All |
---|
Satoshi Motoyama | 1 |
Roberto Merhi Muntan | 2–8 |
Shintaro Kawabata | 2 |
BMW Team Studie × CSL[12]
Team UpGarage
ARTA | BMW | BMW M4 GT3 | BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6 | 7 | Seiji Ara | | All |
---|
Augusto Farfus | 1–2, 4–6, 8 |
Tsubasa Kondo | 2–3, 5, 7 |
Honda | Honda NSX GT3 Evo22 | Honda JNC1 3.5 L Twin Turbo V6 | 18 | Takashi Kobayashi | | All |
---|
Kakunoshin Ohta |
55 | Hideki Mutoh | | All |
Iori Kimura |
Pacific CarGuy Racing[13] | Ferrari | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Twin Turbo V8 | 9 | Kei Cozzolino | | All |
---|
Naoki Yokomizo[14] | 1, 5 |
Takeshi Kimura | 2–4, 6–8 |
Shintaro Kawabata | 4 |
GAINER[15] | Nissan | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Twin Turbo V6 | 10 | Riki Okusa | | All |
---|
Ryuichiro Tomita | 1–6, 8 |
Yusuke Shiotsu | 2, 4–5, 7 |
11 | Hironobu Yasuda | | All |
Keishi Ishikawa |
SHADE Racing | Toyota | Toyota GR86 GT300 | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 20 | Katsuyuki Hiranaka | | All |
---|
Eijiro Shimizu |
Shinnosuke Yamada | 5 |
R'Qs Motor Sports[16] | Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | 22 | Hisashi Wada | | 1–2, 4–8 |
---|
Masaki Jyonai |
Hoppy Team Tsuchiya[17] | Toyota | Toyota GR Supra GT300 | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 25 | Takamitsu Matsui[18] | | 1–3, 5–8 |
---|
Seita Nonaka |
Max Racing | 244 | Kimiya Sato | | 2–8 |
Atsushi Miyake |
apr[19] | Toyota | Toyota GR86 GT300 | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 30 | Manabu Orido | | All |
---|
Hiroaki Nagai | 1–4, 6–8 |
Hibiki Taira[20] | 2, 4–5 |
Yuta Kamimura | 5 |
Toyota GR Sport Prius PHV apr GT | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L Hybrid V8 | 31 | Koki Saga | | All |
Yuhki Nakayama |
Kazuto Kotaka | 4–5 |
Busou Drago Corse[21] | Nissan | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Twin Turbo V6 | 34 | Masataka Yanagida | | 1–3 |
---|
Yuji Ide |
NILZZ Racing | Nissan | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Twin Turbo V6 | 48 | Taiyo Ida | | All |
---|
Yuki Tanaka | 1–2, 4–8 |
Yuya Hiraki | 3 |
Masaya Kohno | 4–5 |
Arnage Racing[22] | Toyota | Toyota 86 MC GT300 | GTA V8 4.5 L V8 | 50 | Ryohei Sakaguchi | | All |
---|
Masaki Kano | 1–2, 4–7 |
Takeshi Suehiro | 2, 4–5 |
Ryosei Yamashita | 3, 8 |
Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave | Toyota | Toyota GR Supra GT300 | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 52 | Kohta Kawaai | | All |
---|
Hiroki Yoshida | 1, 3–8 |
Togo Suganami[23] | 2 |
Kondo Racing[24] | Nissan | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Twin Turbo V6 | 56 | Kiyoto Fujinami | | All |
---|
João Paulo de Oliveira |
LM Corsa | Toyota | Toyota GR Supra GT300 | Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 60 | Hiroki Yoshimoto | | All |
---|
Shunsuke Kohno |
R&D Sport[25] | Subaru | Subaru BRZ GT300 (ZD8) | Subaru EJ20 2.0 L Turbo F4 | 61 | Takuto Iguchi | | All |
---|
Hideki Yamauchi |
K2 R&D LEON Racing[26] | Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | 65 | Naoya Gamou | | All |
---|
Takuro Shinohara |
JLOC[27] | Lamborghini | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10 | 87 | Kosuke Matsuura | | All |
---|
Natsu Sakaguchi |
88 | Takashi Kogure | | All |
Yuya Motojima |
K-tunes Racing[28] | Lexus | Lexus RC F GT3 | Lexus 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8 | 96 | Morio Nitta | | All |
---|
Shinichi Takagi |
Tomei Sports | Nissan | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Twin Turbo V6 | 360 | Takayuki Aoki | | All |
---|
Atsushi Tanaka | 1–2, 4–5, 7 |
Yusaku Shibata | 2–6 |
Teppei Natori | 8 | |
Vehicle changes
GT500 Class
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.[17]
- 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.[19]
- Subsequently, muta Racing INGING announced that they will also field the new Toyota GR86 GT, replacing their previous Lotus Evora MC.
- The new BMW M4 GT3 (G82) makes its Japanese racing debut via BMW Team Studie x CSL.
- Arnage Racing changed vehicles from the Mercedes-AMG GT3, to the Dome-constructed Toyota MC86.
- Drago Corse, as part of their new collaboration with Busou (see Entrant Changes below), changed vehicles to the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.[21]
- ARTA and Team UPGarage entered the upgraded Honda NSX GT3 Evo22.[31]
- Team LeMans (Motoyama Racing with Team LeMans in Round 1) entered the upgraded Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.[32]
Entrant changes
GT500 Class
- Toyota: Toyota Gazoo Racing announced their GT500 class driver line-ups on 6 December 2021.[33]
- Honda: Honda Racing Corporation announced their Super GT driver line-ups on 14 January.
- Nobuharu Matsushita, who made his GT500 debut with Nissan in 2021, rejoined Honda as a factory driver and signed with Astemo Real Racing. Matsushita replaced Bertrand Baguette, who announced his departure from Honda on 1 December 2021.[35]
- Nissan: Nissan and NISMO announced their GT500 class drivers on 25 January 2022.[1]
GT300 Class
- Audi Team Hitotsuyama[36] and Toyota Team Thailand, who competed as arto Team Thailand in 2021, both announced that they would not take part in the 2022 Super GT season.[37]
- Super Taikyu Series team SHADE Racing entered Super GT for the first time,[38] 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),[39] and F4 Japanese Championship graduate Eijiro Shimizu were announced as the team's driver line-up.
- Takuro Shinohara transferred from Audi Team Hitotsuyama to K2 R&D LEON Racing, taking the place of Togo Suganami.
- 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 replaced Ren Sato, who competed exclusively in Super Formula.
- Another Japanese F4 graduate, Kakunoshin Ohta, joined Team UPGarage, replacing reigning Super Formula Lights champion Teppei Natori.
- GAINER signed Ryuichiro Tomita (who previously raced for the team between 2015 and 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, and he replaced Tomita in the seventh round at Autopolis. Keishi Ishikawa moved into their number 11 Nissan.
- 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.[28]
- BMW Team Studie × CSL 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. GT300 race winner and reigning Super Taikyu ST-X class champion Tsubasa Kondo was signed as a third driver for the 450 km races, and replaced Farfus for the third round at Suzuka and at Autopolis.
- Yuui Tsutsumi, a first time race winner in 2021, transferred from Max Racing to muta Racing INGING.
- Reigning FIA F4 Japanese Champion, Seita Nonaka, joined Hoppy Team Tsuchiya in their new Toyota GR Supra.
- Kimiya Sato transferred to Max Racing after three seasons with Hoppy Team Tsuchiya. Max Racing withdrew from the first round following the death of team owner Tsuyoshi Oono, and began their season in the second round at Fuji Speedway[40]
- Ryohei Sakaguchi transferred from muta Racing INGING to Arnage Racing. Ryosei Yamashita was announced as the team's third driver, and replaced Kano for the third round at Suzuka and the final round at Motegi.
- 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 stepped away from driving duties to become the new team director,[21] and 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.
Mid-season changes
GT300 Class
- On 19 April, Team LeMans terminated their contract with driver Satoshi Motoyama after the opening round of the season. 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 450 km Race. Merhi would contest the remainder of the season alongside Yoshiaki Katayama.
- On 1 August, Drago Corse and Busou terminated their partnership, and the team did not return for the remainder of the season.[41]
- 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. Yokomizo was the team's third driver in the Fuji 450 km in May. For the Fuji 100 Lap race in August, Shintaro Kawabata became the team's third driver.[42] Yokomizo again replaced Kimura for the Suzuka 450 km.
- 2020 FIA F4 Japanese Champion Hibiki Taira joined apr for the two races at Fuji Speedway, as a third driver in the number 30 Toyota GR86 GT. Taira also joined the team for the Suzuka 450 km, while Hiroaki Nagai was replaced by Yuta Kamimura just before the Suzuka 450 km due to illness.
- Super Formula Lights driver Kazuto Kotaka joined apr for the Fuji 100 Lap race and Suzuka 450 km, as a third driver in the number 31 Toyota GR Sport Prius PHV GT.
- 2019 TCR Japan Sunday Series Champion Takeshi Suehiro joined Arnage Racing as a third driver for the three long-distance races at Fuji and Suzuka.
- Togo Suganami replaced Hiroki Yoshida for the Fuji GT 450 km Race, after Yoshida tested positive for COVID-19.
- Yusaku Shibata rejoined Tomei Sports as a third driver for the three long-distance races at Fuji and Suzuka. Shibata also took part in the Suzuka 300 km and in the sixth round at Sugo, replacing Atsushi Tanaka.
- Yuya Hiraki joined NILZZ Racing for the Suzuka 300 km, replacing Yuki Tanaka. For the following Fuji GT 100 Lap Race, Tanaka rejoined the team. Masaya Kohno made his series debut in the Fuji 100 Lap race and also competed in the Suzuka 450 km as a third driver.
- Former Team UpGarage driver Teppei Natori joined Tomei Sports for the final round at Motegi.
Calendar
A confirmed eight round provisional 2022 calendar was announced on 6 August 2021.[43] 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.[44] Distances for all events were confirmed on 5 March 2022: Rounds two and four at Fuji Speedway, and round five at Suzuka Circuit, were 450 kilometre races, while all other rounds were 300 kilometres.[45]
Results
Drivers credited with winning Pole Position for their respective teams are indicated in bold text.
Championship standings
Drivers' championships
- Scoring system
GT500
| Bold – Pole † — Did not finish but classified | |
GT300
External links
Notes and References
- News: Nissan and NISMO announce 2022 Super GT GT500 class driver lineup. 25 January 2022. NISMO. 17 December 2021.
- News: New Honda NSX-GT "Type S" Spotted Testing At Motegi. 17 December 2021. dailysportscar.com. 17 December 2021.
- Web site: Honda Announces 2022 Super GT Lineups. 14 January 2022. dailysportscar.com. 14 January 2022.
- News: Nissan Reveals New Z GT500 Race Car. 5 December 2021. dailysportscar.com. 5 December 2021.
- News: Toyota Announces 2022 Sportscar Racing Activities. 6 December 2021. dailysportscar.com. 6 December 2021.
- News: Muta Racing INGING Announces 2022 Lineup With New Toyota GR86 GT300. 1 February 2022. dailysportscar.com. 1 February 2022.
- News: Goodsmile Racing & Team UKYO Aims For 2022 Success With Expanded HWA Partnership. 25 December 2021. dailysportscar.com. 25 December 2021.
- Web site: Japanese Sim Racer Yusuke Tomibayashi Joins Reiji Hiraki at Team Mach dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-31 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- News: 10 March 2022. Motoyama SUPER GT Audi gets Evo II upgrade for 2022. Motorsport.com. 10 March 2022.
- News: Motoyama confirms split from Team LeMans SUPER GT squad. 20 April 2022. Motorsport.com. 20 April 2022.
- News: 18 February 2022 . SUPER GT announces 43-car entry list for 2022 . motorsport.com . 18 February 2022.
- News: BMW Team Studie Unveil New M4 GT3; All-Pro Drivers and Michelin Tyres. 27 January 2022. dailysportscar.com. 27 January 2022.
- News: Ferrari maintains SUPER GT presence with Pacific CarGuy. 28 February 2022. motorsport.com. 28 February 2022.
- Web site: 42 Car Entry For 2022 Super GT Round One at Okayama dailysportscar.com . 2022-04-20 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- News: Gainer Announces 2022 Super GT Drivers. 25 January 2022. dailysportscar.com. 25 January 2022.
- Web site: 29 January 2022. R'Qs Motor Sports Not Finished Yet; 2022 Entry Confirmed. 30 January 2022. Dailysportscar.
- News: Hoppy Team Tsuchiya To Construct New Toyota GR Supra GT300. 25 November 2021. dailysportscar.com. 25 November 2021.
- News: F4 Champion Seita Nonaka Joins Hoppy Team Tsuchiya; Kimiya Sato and New Livery for Max Racing. 5 February 2022. dailysportscar.com. 5 February 2022.
- News: Apr reveals Toyota GR86 GT300 car for SUPER GT 2022. 14 January 2022. dailysportscar.com. 14 January 2022.
- Web site: 43 Car Entry List For Fuji GT 450km Race dailysportscar.com . 2022-04-20 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- News: Busou and Drago Corse Join Forces For 2022 Super GT Series With Nissan. 14 February 2022. dailysportscar.com. 14 February 2022.
- News: Arnage Racing Enters With Mother Chassis 86. 11 February 2022. dailysportscar.com. 11 February 2022.
- Web site: Togo Suganami To Relieve Hiroki Yoshida For Fuji 450km dailysportscar.com . 2022-04-28 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- News: Fujinami and Oliveira Retained By Kondo Racing For 2022 GT300 Effort. 2 February 2022. dailysportscar.com. 2 February 2022.
- News: Subaru confirms SUPER GT title defence plans. 14 January 2022. motorsport.com. 14 January 2022.
- News: Gamou & Shinohara For K2 R&D LEON Racing in 2022. 20 December 2021. dailysportscar.com. 20 December 2021.
- Web site: 2022-02-08. JLOC、2022年もスーパーGT参戦のドライバーラインアップは変更せず。結果を目指す一年に スーパーGT autosport web. 2022-02-08. AUTO SPORT web. ja.
- Web site: 24 January 2022. Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi Reunited At K-Tunes Racing. Dailysportscar.
- News: 2022 Nissan Z SUPER GT car revealed as replacement for GT-R. 5 December 2021. motorsport.com. 5 December 2021.
- Web site: Honda Racing Thanks Day Returns; NSX-GT 'Type S' Makes Public Debut dailysportscar.com. 2022-02-06. www.dailysportscar.com.
- Web site: TOM's, Tsuboi Resume Top Testing Form On First Day at Fuji dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-28 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- Web site: Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II For Motoyama Racing With Team LeMans dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-28 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- News: 6 December 2021. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing announced its 2022 motorsport team setups. Toyota Gazoo Racing. 6 December 2021.
- News: 30 November 2021. Ex-F1 driver Kovalainen announces retirement from SUPER GT. motorsport.com. 30 November 2021.
- News: 1 December 2021. Baguette announces exit from Honda SUPER GT fold. motorsport.com. 1 December 2021.
- Web site: 30 December 2021. Hitotsuyama Audi team withdraws from SUPER GT. live. 14 January 2022. Motorsport.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20211230085438/https://www.motorsport.com/supergt/news/hitotsuyama-audi-team-withdraws-from-super-gt/7030838/ . 2021-12-30 .
- Web site: Toyota Team Thailand to sit out 2022 SUPER GT season. 2022-02-15. www.motorsport.com. en.
- Web site: 28 December 2021. Hayashi Telempu SHADE Racing Enters Super GT Series. live. 14 January 2022. Dailysportscar. https://web.archive.org/web/20220115062633/https://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/12/28/hayashi-telempu-shade-racing-enters-super-gt-series.html . 2022-01-15 .
- Web site: 1 December 2021. Katsuyuki Hiranaka Leaves Gainer After 13 Seasons. live. 14 January 2022. Dailysportscar. https://web.archive.org/web/20220114165550/https://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/12/01/katsuyuki-hiranaka-leaves-gainer-after-13-seasons.html . 2022-01-14 .
- Web site: 31 March 2022. Max Racing Withdraws From Okayama Super GT Race. Dailysportscar.
- Web site: Drago Corse Terminates Partnership With Title Sponsor Busou dailysportscar.com . 2022-08-05 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- Web site: 41 Car Entry List For SUPER GT Fuji 100 Lap Race dailysportscar.com . 2022-08-05 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- Web site: 6 August 2021. SUPER GT releases eight-round 2022 schedule. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211206083506/https://au.motorsport.com/supergt/news/2022-schedule-fuji-500-miles/6642733/ . 2021-12-06 . 6 August 2021. motorsport.com. en.
- Web site: O'Connell. R.J.. 20 October 2021. 2022 Super GT Calendar Update; Sugo Moves To Avoid WEC Clash. live. 21 January 2022. Dailysportscar. https://web.archive.org/web/20211020160235/https://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/10/20/2022-super-gt-calendar-update-sugo-moves-to-avoid-wec-clash.html . 2021-10-20 .
- Web site: Race Distances Locked In For 2022 Super GT Series dailysportscar.com . 2022-03-09 . www.dailysportscar.com.
- Web site: Races SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE . 2022-03-28 . supergt.net.
- Web site: Races SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE . 2022-04-28 . supergt.net.
- Web site: Races SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE . 2022-07-19 . supergt.net.
- Web site: Races SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE . 2022-07-19 . supergt.net.
- Web site: Races SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE . 2022-11-07 . supergt.net.