All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC is a grand touring car race series authorized by the Japan Automobile Federation. In 2005 the series changed its official name to Super GT. GTP sports cars racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1991 Sportscar racing is a form of circuit racing, with cars that have two seats and enclosed wheel wells. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The JGTC - established in 1992 by the JAF (Japanese Automobile Federation) via its subsardisary company the 'GT-A (GT Association) - replaces the defunct All-Japan Sports Car Championship for Group C cars that was terminated by the end of 1992 and at the same year Japan Touring Cars Championship for Group A touring cars, which would adopt the Supertouring formula which were used worldwide. Seeking to prevent the spiraling budgets and one-team/make domination of both series, JGTC imposed strict limits on power, and heavy weight penalties on race winners in an openly-stated objective to keep on-track action close with an emphasis on keeping the race goers happy. Group C was a category of auto racing, and was introduced into sports car racing by the FIA (the governing body of World motor racing) during the early 1980s. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. ... Supertouring or Class II Touring Cars were the rules laid out by the FIA for national touring car racing in 1994, based on the 2. ...

In its first ever race which was also an IMSA exhibition race, apart from the GTS and GTU cars from the US series, as with the rest of the season, the grid consisted of mostly Japan Sport Sedan cars with the only genuine JGTC cars were two Nissan Skyline GT-R entered by NISMO, which were in fact modified Gr. A cars. The prototypes, and European GT cars would only appear in one race to be joined by the IMSA and Group N cars at the Suzuka 1000km. The International Motor Sports Association (generally referred to as IMSA) is an American auto racing sanctioning body. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Nismo (Nissan Motorsports International) Skyline GT-R 400R The Nissan Skyline GT-R is an iconic Japanese sports coupe in the Nissan Skyline range. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N referred to a set of regulations providing a set of rules for standard production vehicles for competition, often referred to as the Showroom Class. This contrasts with the Group A all-out competition production-derived vehicles. ...

For the following season, the series would undergo a rules overhaul, class 1 for cars similar to that of the FIA's GT1 category and class 2 for cars that were the equivalent to the GT2 category. The JSS series would altogether dissolve into the latter category. What made the series more significant was compared to the series from other countries, JGTC teams had at the time the freedom to enter whichever cars they preferred, even if it is the JSS cars from the inaguaral season and IMSA GTS spaceframe racers. The Group C prototypes, whilst easily showing dominant form were banished at the end of the 1994 season. The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ...

By the end of the season, as the cost of attaining a FIA's GT1 cars show through the roof dramatically, in order to keep costs down and determined not to go the same was as the JSPC series it replaced, the GT-A would go through another rules overhaul. This time was a change adoption of the newly formed GT500 and GT300 regulation which capped cars depending on weight and brake horsepower with an air restrictor. In 2002, the GT-A, made another rule change, this time as the series had intended to be a GT championship, this meant all competing cars must remain as 2 doors with special waiver was given to allow Cusco Racing to race their Subaru Impreza sedan. For the high-performance versions of the Impreza, see Subaru Impreza WRX and Subaru Impreza WRX STi The Subaru Impreza is a compact car that was first introduced by Subaru in 1993. ...

The JGTC would first venture abroad with its first oversea race at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia and after another sucessive year, the Malaysian race would become a regular championship fixture. After GT-A's abortive attempt at hosting a street race in Shanghai, the series would also venture into the United States with an exhibition race to be run as a with the D1 Grand Prix exhibition event at California Speedway in Fontana which was not shown to be a sucess and would not return for the following season. The Sepang International Circuit is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand Prix aswell as the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix. ... Shanghai (Chinese: 上海 pinyin: ; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is Chinas largest city. ... The D1GP short for D1 Grand Prix is a production car drifting series from Japan. ... The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. ... Fontana is a city located in San Bernardino County, California. ...

After years of successive rules changes, the series would win the acceptance of the FIA. On December 10, 2004, while the series had been mainly focused on Japanese domestic teams, sponsors and fans with an ever rising international fan following and TV coverages shown all over the world it was announced that JGTC would now be called Super GT with goals of 'challenge to the world', 'challenge from the world', and 'challenge to entertainment'. The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ...

JGTC races

Races are held as part of a yearly series. Races take place on well known Japanese racetracks like Twin Ring Motegi, Fuji Speedway, and Suzuka Circuit. Races have also been held in Malaysia, China, and most recently California Speedway, although only the races at Sepang International Circuit have counted for points. Twin Ring Motegi is an automobile racing track located in Motegi, Japan. ... Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, is a former Formula One race track standing in the foothills of the majestic Mount Fuji and which was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. ... Suzuka Circuit is the host of the Formula One Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix and one of the oldest and most-famous racing circuits in Japan. ... The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. ... The Sepang International Circuit is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand Prix aswell as the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix. ...

Races are held either as a single long endurance race of 500km or greater, or as a set of twinned sprint races.

The cars

The cars are divided into two groups: GT500 and GT300 (cars with no more than 500 and 300 horsepower [374 and 224 kW], respectively). These power outputs are capped via the use of intake restricters although some heavier cars are given allowances to run larger restrictors to maintain parity.

In order to ensure maximum excitment, both GT500 and GT300 groups are run at the same time although points are awarded separately for each group.

GT500

The top class in Super GT, GT500, is dominated by the Big 3 Japanese automakers: Toyota (Supra / Lexus SC430 (new for 2006)), Honda (NSX) and Nissan (Fairlady Z) with some privateer teams running Ferrari, Lamborghini, or other European marques.. Toyota redirects here. ... The Toyota Supra is a sports car produced by Toyota Motor Company starting in 1979. ... The Lexus SC series is a personal luxury coupé manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation under the Lexus brand and sold in Japan as the Toyota Soarer. ... For other uses, see Honda (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nissan Motor Co. ... Z-car Z-car usually refers to a series of sports cars manufactured by Nissan. ... The current Ferrari logo Ferrari is an Italian automotive manufacturer in the Formula One World Championship, also involved in high-end and high-performance race cars, supercars, and sports cars. ... The official automobili Lamborghini logo Lamborghini logo symbol 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo Lamborghini Gallardo operated by the Italian Motorway Police 2004 Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ...

Regulations in GT500 are considerably looser than most GT classifications, and teams are free to change engines with other models made by the manufacturer, change the alignment of the engine, or add forced-induction to models which do not normally have it. The chassis may also be heavily modified, with lightweight tube-frame 'clips' being allowed forward and back of the main cockpit, although the car must overall look similar to its road-going variant. These regulations result in cars which are possibly the fastest GT racing cars in the world - a FIA GT1 spec Maserati MC12 entered by Team Goh was losing at least 1 second in the corners during testing at the Suzuka Circuit. Many sports-car fans however spurn these cars as being outside the limits of 'acceptable' modifications. The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ... Maserati MC12 The Maserati MC12 is a mid-engined supercar derivative of the Ferrari Enzo Ferrari. ... Suzuka Circuit is the host of the Formula One Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix and one of the oldest and most-famous racing circuits in Japan. ...

Electronic aids such as ABS, Traction Control and Stability control are not allowed even if fitted to the road going variant and Carbon brakes are prohibited. There are also restrictions regarding placement and size of aerodynamic aids such as wings and spoilers. The choice of tyres is also varied with Bridgestone, Yokohama, Dunlop, Kumho, Michelin and Hankook (new for 2006) available to teams.

GT300

Few works teams participate in GT300, so the field tends to be much more varied in terms of types of cars entered; although here, as in many European and North American events, Porsche tends to dominate with its 996GT3 model making up the bulk of the field. Smaller Japanese carmakers such as Mazda and Subaru also participate in this class, as well as more exotic kit-builder cars from the likes of Vemac and ASL. Since 2006, European-style GT cars have chosen to concentrate in this series, with Lamborghini leading the move from the higher division with some success, namely winning the class in the opening round of the 2006 season at Suzuka. Porsche (), properly pronounced as a two syllable word (porsh-eh, IPA: ) , is a German manufacturer of sports cars, founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the engineer who created the first Volkswagen. ... Porsche 911 A 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine-eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ... Mazda Motor Corporation ) (TYO: 7261 ) is a Japanese automobile maker based in Hiroshima, Japan. ... Subaru Logo Subaru (In katakana: スバル), a Japanese car company, is a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). ... Current Autobacs logo Autobacs Seven Co. ... The official automobili Lamborghini logo Lamborghini logo symbol 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo Lamborghini Gallardo operated by the Italian Motorway Police 2004 Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ...

GT300 cars are much more regulated than their GT500 counterparts, and much more closely resemble road-going versions. Chassis clips are not allowed, nor are engine substitutions or realignments, which results in a much more affordable racing experience for privateers. While engine outputs and modifications are at a lower level than the GT500 cars, the GT300 cars still post competitive times and races are very competitive.

Parity

Super GT is fairly unique in its open and blunt statement that it is committed to providing exciting racing first, at the expense of runaway investment by works teams. Cars are therefore very heavily tampered with by the governing body. At the start of the season, each car is fitted with an air intake restrictor to limit power to the stated class maximums, thus restricing excessing development to make a more powerful engine. Weight penalties are assigned to the fastest qualifier in each class, as well as the top three finishers. Pitstops and driver changes during the race are done within mandatory windows, to prevent tactics from dominating a race. All regulations and adjustments to the regulations are publicly announced, in contrast to many other better-known racing promotions.

The drivers

Like the series, JGTC drivers are very popular in Japan with a huge international fanbase. One of these drivers who has gained international appeal is Keiichi Tsuchiya who raced for team ARTA and now manages the team. He is also one of the links between JGTC and D1 Grand Prix drift competition. Other drivers who were famously associated with the series and still have active involvement through team ownership are Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Aguri Suzuki, Kunimitsu Takahashi with the latter being President of the GT Association, who runs the series. The series also attracts drivers who see the series as a stepping stone to the Formula One championship (almost always parallel with their involvement with Formula Nippon) including Ralf Schumacher, and drivers who are no longer in F1 but want to continue their career, most famously Erik Comas, who was the series' most successful driver until he stepped down from his position as a number one driver. Keiichi Tsuchiya (土屋圭市 Tsuchiya Keiichi, born January 30, 1956, Nagano) is a professional racing driver from Japan. ... The D1GP short for D1 Grand Prix is a production car drifting series from Japan. ... Masahiro Hasemi was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... Kazuyoshi Hoshino(Japanese: 星野 一義) (Born July 1, 1947, Shizuoka Prefecture) was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... Aguri Suzuki Aguri Suzuki (鈴木 亜久里) (b. ... Kunimitsu Takahashi (高橋 国光) was a Formula One driver from Japan. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Formula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of open-wheeled racing in Japan. ... Ralf Schumacher (born June 30, 1975) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Toyota team. ... Erik Comas was a Formula One driver from France. ...

With very few professional GT300 drivers, many of them have a fanbase for their car, but very few of them have a fanbase as a driver, particularly Nobuteru Taniguchi formerly drivingthe Wedsport/Bandoh Racing Project Celica but now with the Direxiv team, who is also well known as a D1GP competitor. Nobuteru Taniguchi - born 18/5/1971, Hiroshima (Japanese 谷口信輝), nicknamed NOB (abbr. ...

2006 Series Schedule

• Round 1: March 17-19 - Suzuka Circuit
• Round 2: April 7-9 - Okayama International Circuit
• Round 3: May 2-4 - Fuji Speedway
• Round 4: June 23-25 - Sepang Circuit (Malaysia)
• Round 5: July 21-23 - Sportsland SUGO
• Round 6: August 18-20 - Suzuka Circuit
• Round 7: September 8-10 - Twin Ring Motegi
• Round 8: October 13-15 - Autopolis
• Round 9: November 3-5 - Fuji Speedway

Suzuka Circuit is the host of the Formula One Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix and one of the oldest and most-famous racing circuits in Japan. ... The Tanaka International Circuit (TI Circuit, Present: Okayama International Circuit) is a 2. ... Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, is a former Formula One race track standing in the foothills of the majestic Mount Fuji and which was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. ... The Sepang F1 International Circuit is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand Prix as well as the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix. ... Suzuka Circuit is the host of the Formula One Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix and one of the oldest and most-famous racing circuits in Japan. ... Twin Ring Motegi is an automobile racing track located in Motegi, Japan. ... Autopolis racing circuit. ... Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, is a former Formula One race track standing in the foothills of the majestic Mount Fuji and which was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. ...

Championship Winners

• 1993 - Class 1 - Masahiko Kageyama, NISMO Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
• 1994 - Class 1 - Masahiko Kageyama, Hoshino Racing Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
• 1994 - Class 2 - Sakae Obata, Kegani Racing Porsche 964 Carrera RS
• 1995 - Class 1 - Masahiko Kageyama, Hoshino Racing Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
• 1995 - Class 2 - Kaoru Hoshino/Yoshimi Ishibashi, Yoshimi Ishibashi Nissan Skyline GTS-R
• 1996 - GT500 - David Brabham/John Nielsen, Team Lark McLaren F1-GTR
• 1996 - GT300 - Keiichi Suzuki/Morio Nitta, Team Taisan Jr. Porsche 964 Carrera RSR
• 1997 - GT500 - Pedro de la Rosa/Michael Krumm, Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Supra
• 1997 - GT300 - Manabu Orido, Hideo Fukuyama, RS-R Racing Team with Bandoh Nissan Silvia S14
• 1998 - GT500 - Erik Comas/Masami Kageyama, NISMO Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
• 1998 - GT300 - Keiichi Suzuki/Shingo Tachi, Team Taisan Jr. Toyota MR-2 SW20
• 1999 - GT500 - Erik Comas, NISMO Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
• 1999 - GT300 - Morio Nitta, Momocorse Racing Team Toyota MR-2
• 2000 - GT500 - Ryo Michigami, Honda NSX
• 2000 - GT300 - Hideo Fukuyama, Porsche 996 GT3R
• 2001 - GT500 - Hironori Takeuchi/Yuji Tachikawa, Racing Team Cerumo Toyota Supra
• 2001 - GT300 - Nobuyuki Oyagi/Takayuki Aoki, Team Daishin Nissan Silvia S15
• 2002 - GT500 - Junichi Wakisaka/Akira Iida, Team LeMans Toyota Supra
• 2002 - GT300 - Morio Nitta/Shinichi Takagi, ARTA Toyota MR-S
• 2003 - GT500 - Satoshi Motoyama/Michael Krumm, NISMO Nissan Skyline GT-R
• 2003 - GT300 - Mitsuhiro Kinoshita/Masataka Yanagida, Hasemi Motorsports Nissan Fairlady Z Z33
• 2004 - GT500 - Satoshi Motoyama/Richard Lyons, NISMO Nissan Fairlady Z Z33
• 2004 - GT300 - Tetsuya Yamano/Hiroyuki Yagi, M-TEC Honda NSX
• 2005 - GT500 - Yuji Tachikawa/Toranosuke Takagi, Zent Cerumo Toyota Supra
• 2005 - GT300 - Kota Sasaki/Tetsuya Yamano, Reckless Toyota MR-S

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nismo (Nissan Motorsports International) Skyline GT-R 400R The Nissan Skyline GT-R is an iconic Japanese sports coupe in the Nissan Skyline range. ... 964, spoken simply as nine-six-four or nine-sixty-four is the company type-number for the version of Porsches 911 model sold between 1989 and 1993. ... Yoshimi Ishibashi is a professional race car driver born in Tokyo, Japan on 13 November 1949. ... The Nissan Skyline is an intermediate-size automobile range sold in Japan and other countries. ... David Brabham (born 5 September 1965 in Wimbledon, London, England) is an Australian Formula One driver who raced for the Brabham and Simtek teams. ... John Nielsen (born 7 February 1956 in Varde, Denmark) won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990. ... The McLaren F1 is a supercar engineered and produced by McLaren Cars, a British company subsidiary of the McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. ... Keiichi Suzuki is a Japanese composer and performer, most familiar to US audiences from his music for the Super Nintendo game EarthBound. ... Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (born February 24, 1971) is a Spanish Formula One driver. ... The Toyota Supra is a sports car produced by Toyota Motor Company starting in 1979. ... Hideo Fukuyama(pronounced FOO-KOO-ya-ma), is a former NASCAR driver. ... 1999 Nissan Silvia The Silvia or S-chassis series of cars are Nissans budget rear wheel drive (RWD), front mounted engine sports coupes on the Nissan S platform. ... Erik Comas was a Formula One driver from France. ... The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sportscar produced by Toyota from 1984 to present. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high performance version of Porsches sports car ,the 911. ... Takayuki Aoki is a race car driver born in Japan on the 28th of December 1973. ... Arta may refer to: Djibouti Arta District Arta, Djibouti Greece Arta Prefecture Arta, Greece Italy Piano dArta Ancient People Arta Kamuia or Arta Kamuio This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Second-generation Toyota MR2 Turbo Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Toyota MR2 The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sportscar produced by Toyota from 1984 to 2005. ... Satoshi Motoyama is a Japanese driver born March 4, 1971 in Tokyo. ... Nissan 350Z Coupe The 35th Anniversary 350Z The Nissan 350Z, also known as the Fairlady Z version S, is a coupé and roadster built by Nissan Motor Company. ... Richard Lyons is the name of more than one person. ... Toranosuke Takagi, known simply as Tora Takagi, (高木虎之介; born February 12, 1974 in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese race car driver. ...

External links

• JGTC USA website (English)
• Super GT website (English/Japanese)