2024 SUPER GT Entry List Revealed

The GT Association (GTA) has revealed the 2024 Autobacs SUPER GT Series entry list, which consists of 42 cars across the GT500 and GT300 classes.

All 15 GT500 entries and drivers were announced in December and January. There was no change to the basic formation of six Toyota GR Supra GT500s, five all-new Honda Civic Type R-GTs, and four redesigned Nissan Z NISMO GT500s.

Following Michelin’s decision to end its involvement in the top class, 12 cars will be supplied with Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Two teams will be supplied by Yokohama, and one team will be supplied by Dunlop (Sumitomo).

Meanwhile, in GT300, the field clocks in at 27 cars – the same number that started the previous season. All 27 cars will use 50 per cent carbon-neutral synthetic fuel (CNF) supplied by ETS Racing Fuels, building on the successful implementation of 100% CNF last year in GT500.

Max Racing and Yogibo Racing have been replaced by the returning D’station Racing with its new-for-2024 #777 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, and HELM Motorsports which brings its title-winning #62 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 from Super Taikyu.

Two new Ferrari 296 GT3s debut in SUPER GT courtesy of PONOS Racing and Team LeMans. It was revealed today that Roberto Merhi (Muntan) will return to Team LeMans, partnering the already-announced Yoshiaki Katayama for a third season in the new #6 Ferrari. Another new car is the #11 Nissan Fairlady Z GT300 GT, built by Gainer and driven by Ryuichiro Tomita and Keishi Ishikawa.

K2 R&D LEON Racing confirmed no changes to the lineup of 2018 GT300 Champion Naoya Gamou and Takuro Shinohara in the #65 LEON Pyramid Mercedes-AMG GT3. Pacific Racing Team has brought former Team Mach driver and four-time Super Taikyu champion Yusuke Tomibayashi to join veteran Ryohei Sakaguchi in the #9 Pacific VSpo NAC AMG.

R’Qs Motor Sports will also return, with four drivers signed for 2024. Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai return as the primary pair of drivers in their 15th season together, and so does third driver Masaki Kano. But the significant addition here is Miki Koyama, who comes over from Arnage Racing as the fourth driver at R’Qs. In the likely event that Koyama enters a race this year alongside PONOS Racing’s Lilou Wadoux, it will mark the first time since 1998 that two women have entered a JGTC/SUPER GT race.

Hoppy Team Tsuchiya’s comeback to the series with its rebuilt Toyota GR Supra is confirmed. Not only has 2016 GT300 Champion Takamitsu Matsui returned to join Togo Suganami in the full-time lineup, but Kimiya Sato has rejoined the outfit as the third driver.

JLOC is expected to enter two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s this season, the #87 for Kosuke Matsuura and Natsu Sakaguchi, and the #88 for Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima. Both driver lineups remain unchanged from 2023.

Tomei Sports’ drivers have been revealed, and the team has confirmed an all-pro lineup for 2024 with Takuya Otaki returning to the team full-time alongside 2001 GT300 Champion Takayuki Aoki.

Two teams on the grid have yet to announce their drivers. One of them is BMW M Team Studie, which has partially revealed a new black livery for its #7 BMW M4 GT3, yet is still soliciting offers for sponsorship according to team boss Yasuaki “Bob” Suzuki.

The other is Team Mach, which intends to return with its sole surviving Dome MC86 (Toyota 86 MC). Two-time GT300 Champion Kiyoto Fujinami and Yusuke Shiotsu tested the #5 MC86 at a GTE (GT Entrants’ Association) sanctioned test at Fuji Speedway on 8/9 February. Also, NILZZ Racing has at least one vacant driver slot to share with Taiyo Ida in the #48 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.

There are some notable omissions from the list of GT300 drivers. Most prominent is the reigning GT300 champion Kohta Kawaai, who is a free agent after being dropped by Saitama Green Brave (formerly Saitama Toyopet Green Brave) in the off-season. Kawaai has since confirmed that he’d planned to move up to GT500 this off-season, but that step up never materialised.

2008 GT300 champion and former Nissan works mainstay Hironobu Yasuda, 2016 GT300 runner-up Koki Saga, and former Yogibo Racing drivers Yugo Iwasawa and Reimei Ito are also absent.

Within GT300 there are 17 FIA GT3 models, nine GTA-GT300 original construction vehicles, and one GTA-GT300 Mother Chassis.

Yokohama will supply rubber to 15 teams. Dunlop will supply five teams – Gainer, LM corsa, R&D Sport, K-tunes Racing, and D’station Racing. Bridgestone will continue to supply tyres to Green Brave, muta Racing INGING, LEON Racing, and the #31 apr Lexus LC 500h. Michelin will support three teams – Studie, SHADE Racing, and PONOS Racing.

Official pre-season testing begins in March, with the first test at Okayama International Circuit on 16/17 March, followed by the second test at Fuji Speedway on 23/24 March.

Images © GTA, Honda, Nissan, Aston Martin, Ferrari