2022 Super GT Series
The 2022 Super GT Series is an upcoming 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 to be the thirtieth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the eighteenth season the series to compete under the Super GT name. It is also to be the fortieth overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
Calendar
A confirmed eight round provisional 2022 calendar was announced on 6 August 2021.[1] 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.[2]
| Round | Circuit | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Okayama International Circuit
|
16-17 April |
| 2 | Fuji Speedway
|
3-4 May |
| 3 | Suzuka Circuit
|
28-29 May |
| 4 | Fuji Speedway
|
6-7 August |
| 5 | Suzuka Circuit
|
27-28 August |
| 6 | Sportsland Sugo
|
17-18 September |
| 7 | Autopolis
|
1-2 October |
| 8 | Mobility Resort Motegi
|
5-6 November |
Teams and drivers
GT500
GT300
Vehicle Changes
GT500 Class
- Nissan will replace the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 with the new Nissan Z GT500 after 14 seasons. Nissan last used the Fairlady Z as their flagship GT500 vehicle from 2004 to 2007.[18]
GT300 Class
- Tsuchiya Engineering (operating as Hoppy Team Tsuchiya) will construct their own version of the Toyota GR Supra to GT300 regulations, replacing their previous Porsche 911 GT3-R.[14]
- 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, muta Racing INGING,[8] and series newcomers SHADE Racing will each field the car in 2022.[9]
- The new BMW M4 GT3 (G82) makes its Japanese racing debut via BMW Team Studie.[11]
Entrant Changes
GT500 Class
- Toyota: Toyota Gazoo Racing announced their GT500 class driver line-ups on 6 December 2021.[19] Reigning GT500 champion Yuhi Sekiguchi transferred to TGR Team SARD, replacing 2016 champion Heikki Kovalainen, who announced on 30 November 2021 that he would not return to the series in 2022.[20] Giuliano Alesi stepped up to GT500 and replaced Sekiguchi at TGR Team au TOM's, alongside reigning GT500 champion Sho Tsuboi. 2017 GT500 champion Ryo Hirakawa will leave the series after eight years, to join Toyota Gazoo Racing in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. To replace Hirakawa, Ritomo Miyata transferred to TGR Team KeePer TOM's after two seasons at TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh. Sena Sakaguchi, who split time between GT500 and GT300 classes in 2021, replaced Miyata at Team WedsSport Bandoh.
- Honda: Honda Racing Corporation announced their Super GT driver line-ups on 14 January.[5] Nobuharu Matsushita, who made his GT500 debut with Nissan in 2021, rejoined Honda as a factory driver and signed with Astemo Real Racing, partnering Koudai Tsukakoshi. Matsushita replaces Bertrand Baguette, who announced his departure from Honda on 1 December 2021.[21]
- Nissan: Nissan and NISMO announced their GT500 class drivers on 25 January 2022.[3] Bertrand Baguette transferred to Nissan and joined Team Impul, replacing Nobuharu Matsushita and partnering Kazuki Hiramine. Katsumasa Chiyo was retained at NDDP Racing, who are now wholly operated by NISMO. Chiyo will be joined by Mitsunori Takaboshi, who transferred from Kondo Racing. In exchange, two-time GT500 champion Kohei Hirate moved to Kondo Racing alongside Daiki Sasaki.
GT300 Class
- Audi Team Hitotsuyama announced that they would not take part in the 2022 Super GT season.[22]
- Super Taikyu Series championship winning team SHADE Racing will enter Super GT for the first time.[23] SHADE Racing will enter the new Toyota GR86 GT300 riding on Dunlop tyres.Three-time GT300 championship runner-up Katsuyuki Hiranaka (who had spent the previous 13 seasons at Gainer),[24] and F4 Japanese Championship graduate Eijiro Shimizu were announced as the team's driver line-up.[9]
- Takuro Shinohara transferred from Audi Team Hitotsuyama to K2 R&D LEON Racing, taking the place of Togo Suganami.[16]
- 2013 GT300 champion Hideki Mutoh, and Japanese F4 graduate Iori Kimura, formed a new driver line-up for Autobacs Racing Team Aguri. Mutoh takes the place of two-time GT300 champion Shinichi Takagi, and Kimura replaces Ren Sato, who will only compete in Super Formula in 2022.[5]
- Another Japanese F4 graduate, Kakunoshin Ohta, joined Team UPGarage, replacing reigning Super Formula Lights champion Teppei Natori.[5]
- GAINER signed Ryuichiro Tomita (who previously raced for the team between 2015 to 2017) and Formula Regional Japanese Championship graduate Riki Okusa to drive their number 10 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. Yusuke Shiotsu will be the team's third driver for endurance races. Keishi Ishikawa moved into their number 11 Nissan, joining Hironobu Yasuda.[12]
- 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.[25]
- BMW Team Studie 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, partnering Seiji Ara. GT300 race winner and reigning Super Taikyu ST-X class champion Tsubasa Kondo has been signed as a third driver, and would replace Farfus in the event that he cannot enter Japan due to immigration restrictions.[11]
- muta Racing INGING replaced their Lotus Evora MC with the new Toyota GR86 GT300. Yuui Tsutsumi, a first time race winner in 2021, transferred from Max Racing to partner Hiroki Katoh.[8]
References
- ^ "SUPER GT releases eight-round 2022 schedule". motorsport.com. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ O'Connell, R.J. (20 October 2021). "2022 Super GT Calendar Update; Sugo Moves To Avoid WEC Clash". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Nissan and NISMO announce 2022 Super GT GT500 class driver lineup". NISMO. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "New Honda NSX-GT "Type S" Spotted Testing At Motegi". dailysportscar.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Honda Announces 2022 Super GT Lineups". dailysportscar.com. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Nissan Reveals New Z GT500 Race Car". dailysportscar.com. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Toyota Announces 2022 Sportscar Racing Activities". dailysportscar.com. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Muta Racing INGING Announces 2022 Lineup With New Toyota GR86 GT300". dailysportscar.com. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Apr reveals Toyota GR86 GT300 car for SUPER GT 2022". dailysportscar.com. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Goodsmile Racing & Team UKYO Aims For 2022 Success With Expanded HWA Partnership". dailysportscar.com. 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "BMW Team Studie Unveil New M4 GT3; All-Pro Drivers and Michelin Tyres". dailysportscar.com. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Gainer Announces 2022 Super GT Drivers". dailysportscar.com. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ a b "R'Qs Motor Sports Not Finished Yet; 2022 Entry Confirmed". Dailysportscar. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Hoppy Team Tsuchiya To Construct New Toyota GR Supra GT300". dailysportscar.com. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Subaru confirms SUPER GT title defence plans". motorsport.com. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Gamou & Shinohara For K2 R&D LEON Racing in 2022". dailysportscar.com. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi Reunited At K-Tunes Racing". Dailysportscar. 24 January 2022.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help) - ^ "2022 Nissan Z SUPER GT car revealed as replacement for GT-R". motorsport.com. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "TOYOTA GAZOO Racing announced its 2022 motorsport team setups". Toyota Gazoo Racing. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Ex-F1 driver Kovalainen announces retirement from SUPER GT". motorsport.com. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "Baguette announces exit from Honda SUPER GT fold". motorsport.com. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "Hitotsuyama Audi team withdraws from SUPER GT". Motorsport.com. 30 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Hayashi Telempu SHADE Racing Enters Super GT Series". Dailysportscar. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Katsuyuki Hiranaka Leaves Gainer After 13 Seasons". Dailysportscar. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi Reunited At K-Tunes Racing". Dailysportscar. 24 January 2022.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help)