SRO Motorsports Group has joined forces with SUPER GT Series organiser GTA and Mobilityland to stage the ‘first ever’ joint GT3/GT300 race. The 10-hour endurance event will take place at the world famous Suzuka Circuit in Japan on 23-26 August 2018.
The event’s roots lie in SUPER GT’s successful Suzuka 1000km race, which will be staged for the final time later this season. However, its history will live on through the 47th Summer Endurance Suzuka 10 Hours.
“We are proud to announce that in August of 2018, the Suzuka Circuit will host as a new project the 47th end-of-summer Endurance Race in the new format of a 10-hour endurance race, as a new project,” said Susumu Yamashita, Mobilityland president.
“In collaboration, the Suzuka Circuit will provide the dream stage where worldwide GT series will gather in the prospect of future worldwide expansion. We are determined to, together with the entire local region, fully support the event, the public, the entrants and all of those involved in this promising project.
“By implementing this new project, we aim to create and nourish a brand new festive summer style which will certainly also promote new values. This summer Suzuka Circuit will host the last SUPER GT Series 1000km race at Suzuka. Hence, we will also be devoting ourselves to detailed preparations in order to assure the hosting of a further innovative and appealing 2018 Suzuka Round SUPER GT Series, which will include updates in race distance and event date.”
SRO already oversees SUPER GT’s GT300 Balance of Performance regulations, but this is the first time both the Japanese championship class and GT3 – the backbone of worldwide customer GT racing – have had the chance to compete against one another.
Times remain TBC but the race is expected to start at 10:30 local time and run into the evening before finishing at 20:30.
A total prize fund of 100million Yen ($874,000) has also been confirmed.
It is however up for dispute as to whether or not the race at Suzuka will be the ‘first ever’ GT300-GT3 race, as the Asian Le Mans Series’ 2013 race at Fuji saw both GT300 and GT3 cars share the same circuit.
That weekend, nine of Super GT’s regular teams boosted the Asian Le Mans grid, racing in a separate SGT class.
