While many eyes will understandably be drawn towards the Nürburgring 24 Hours this weekend, the 2026 SRO Japan Cup season also kicks off with a pair of 60-minute sprint races at the notorious Sportsland Sugo, on Saturday and Sunday.
16 cars have entered the opening rounds of a four-round calendar which also includes trips to Fuji Speedway and Okayama International Circuit, each supporting GT World Challenge Asia, and a support round for the 50th annual Suzuka 1000km on 13 September.
It was in a thrilling finale at Suzuka last year where Hitotsuyama Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Akihiro Tsuzuki and Shintaro Kawabata, held on to win the GT3 overall title. That same combination of Tsuzuki and Kawabata has returned for 2026, and the Hitotsuyama with Cornes Racing Ferrari will now carry the champion’s number 1 plate.
They are just one of nine competitive Pro-Am entries in the field, though missing from this battle are 2025 title contenders seven x seven Racing, and due to a late driver change, PONOS Racing has also stepped out of the fight. Bingo Racing with LM Corsa is back, but the duo of Shinji Takei and Ukyo Sasahara will change manufacturer allegiances from Ferrari to Porsche, running the latest evolution of the 911 GT3 R.
Three-time and defending SUPER GT GT500 Champion Kenta Yamashita forms a new, dynamic partnership with two-time and defending Am Cup champion Tadao Uematsu, driving the Miracolo Tokyo McLaren 720S GT3.
And Sena Sakaguchi joins K-tunes Racing owner/driver Kazunori Suenaga in the team’s newest ride, a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, similar to the one that has already had success in the American and Asian GT World Challenge series. K-tunes has also called up Betty Chen Yinyu to drive its #97 Ferrari alongside 2024 Japan Cup GT3 Champion Shinichi Takagi.
Elsewhere on the Pro-Am grid, flashy entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his Maezawa Racing team return to action, as does Naoki Yokomizo, in the team’s white and red #555 Ferrari. Norikazu Shibata also features for Ferrari alongside past GT300 champion Taku Bamba. Max Racing’s comeback continues, now pairing GT300 Champion Yuya Motojima with five-time national gymkhana champion Yusaku Shibata in its Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
And Hitotsuyama Racing’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II will now be run by AWD Racing, an upstart team headlined by Canadian driver Jesse Anthony Swinimer and Australian veteran Jake Parsons (both will race with Japanese licenses).
Lamborghini is represented by The Spirit of FFF Racing in the Am class, as Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Mineki Okura drive the team’s Huracán GT3 EVO2. The Am class also features RunUp Sports’ Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, and CarGuy Racing’s old-but-gold Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo driven by team owner Takeshi Kimura and co-driver Kazuki Ota.
As mentioned, PONOS Racing has changed drivers and classes, now forming an Am/Am duo with Yorikatsu Tsujiko and Yusuke Yamasaki.
GT4 has only three entries, but with some intriguing names attached to each. 2016 Super Formula Champion Yuji Kunimoto will drive the #11 Akiland Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 (with Masayoshi Oyama), second-generation driver Maaya Orido (daughter of Manabu) steps up to Pop Race’s Mercedes-AMG GT4, and 2024 GT4 Champion Takeshi Suehiro is with Sunrise Blvd and its Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport.
Both races will be streamed live on the official SRO GT World YouTube channel with English and Japanese commentary available.
Images © SRO Motorsports Group
