GT300 is more than just another standard GT3 category – yet it is still one of the strongest GT3 classes anywhere in the world. Of course, the omnipresent FIA GT3 homologated race cars share the stage with SUPER GT’s uniquely constructed GTA-GT300 regulation cars. Two different sets of technical regulations (three, if you include the sole remaining GT300 Mother Chassis) competing together on a level playing field thanks to Balance of Performance, it’s a bit like the convergence era of top-tier prototype racing between LMH and LMDh, isn’t it?
Most of the 28 cars in this field are blessed with all-pro driver line-ups, driving one of 13 unique models from nine makes. Add a four-way tyre competition between Yokohama, Bridgestone, Dunlop, and Michelin and you have one of sports car racing’s most colourful grids, in any category.
Last year was a strange year in GT300, which included multiple changes to qualifying procedures and Success Weight rules before and during the season. And much of the changes made this season are something of a course correction: Qualifying is back to normal, championship points are now paid to the top 15 finishers, and Success Ballast in the class has been reworked – refuelling restrictors are now part of the equation of levelling the playing field.
And, just announced today: Each team’s lowest-scoring round will be dropped from the final championship classification, which offsets the fact that only 18 GT300 teams will be able to venture out to the series’ return to Sepang.
The complexion of the grid has changed a bit in 2025. Gone are the BMW and Honda GT3 platforms, but Porsche is finally back on the grid. New teams and drivers have arrived this year as others depart for different pastures. There have been some tweaks to the GTA-GT300 technical regulations too, specifically the mandate of a smaller front tyre that now has the same dimensions as a GT3 car.
Expect plenty of fireworks this year, as always!
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3
- #777 – D’station Racing – Dunlop – Tomonobu Fujii, Charlie Fagg
D’station Racing gave the new-for-2024 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 ‘EVO’ its first win in worldwide competition, the first of several key wins for the revamped car. And after pulling out of the WEC this off-season, D’station’s primary focus in 2025 will be chasing down the GT300 title.
Charlie Fagg was picked up for Fuji after the sudden departure of factory driver Marco Sørensen (a price to pay for the new Vantage’s sudden success), and the Englishman almost immediately fit right into GT300, as he helped propel D’station to fourth in the championship last year. He’s back for another season – so is Tomonobu Fujii, the perennial GT300 title challenger who looked more at home in SUPER GT after some tough seasons in ACO-rules racing.
Little else has changed besides a new livery to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the team’s parent company. The combination of the Vantage GT3 and its Dunlop tyres was a good one last year, as shown by their run of consistent form following the win at Suzuka. That continuity will be something to build on for the upcoming season, even if Fagg missed the second pre-season test at Fuji he should be able to plug back in without any issues.
After showing strength upon returning to SUPER GT last year, can D’station Racing win the GT300 title in 2025?
Ferrari 296 GT3
- #6 – Velorex – Yokohama – Yoshiaki Katayama, Roberto Merhi Muntan
- #7 – CarGuy MKS Racing – Yokohama – Zak O’Sullivan, Rikuto Kobayashi, Takeshi Kimura, Keita Sawa
- #45 – PONOS Racing – Dunlop – Kei Cozzolino, Takuro Shinohara
Ferrari’s customer base of 296 GT3s continues to grow each year, and in Japan, it has grown stronger with the addition of CarGuy MKS Racing to its GT300 contingent.
The new team is a collaboration between Takeshi Kimura’s CarGuy Racing, and ex-Yogibo Racing manager Misato Haga’s new company (Misato Knockout Sports). And through Kimura’s good relationship with Toyota, they snagged top Toyota young driver Rikuto Kobayashi and Englishman Zak O’Sullivan to drive the #7 Ferrari.
After making his Super Formula debut last month, former Williams F1 academy prospect O’Sullivan is very much looking forward to using this campaign to enhance his experience in Japan – while Kobayashi should impress in an all-pro line-up, boasting a strong single-seater pedigree of his own. Kimura and veteran Keita Sawa are on standby as reserves, though it is more likely Sawa will get to drive due to Kimura’s busy schedule in Europe.
Velorex is the new label for Team LeMans, two-time GT500 Champions of years past and now firmly entrenched as a team to watch in GT300. On talent alone, Roberto Merhi has emerged as one of GT300’s best drivers. Yoshiaki Katayama has progressed massively every year, not far off the level of his F1-experienced co-driver.
The red #6 Ferrari was constantly at or near the top of the pre-season testing timesheets, in wet and dry conditions. They’re still seeking their first win together, but if Velorex can clear that hurdle, it will cement their true status as genuine title contenders this season.
Finally, PONOS Racing already expected a shake-up this year, changing from Dunlop to Michelin tyres as they seek more consistent results in year two. But the sudden departure of Lilou Wadoux just days before the season started was a significant loss for the team, and a loss for the series as a whole.
And yet, the black and orange Ferrari is still one to watch. Kei Cozzolino is at the peak of his powers behind the wheel and will be motivated to get the team’s first win. And Wadoux’s 59th-minute replacement isn’t bad at all: Takuro Shinohara, last year’s GT300 runner-up, comes in looking to prove himself after being without a ride just a few short days ago.
A Ferrari has not won in SUPER GT since November 2009, several generations ago. But with three outstanding customer teams brimming with talented drivers, it would be a stunning blow if that drought didn’t come to an end this year.
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
- #0 – JLOC – Yokohama – Takashi Kogure, Yuya Motojima
- #87 – JLOC – Yokohama – Kosuke Matsuura, Natsu Sakaguchi
The Japan Lamborghini Owner’s Club team emerged from the pack of GT300 challengers to not just win its first championship in 31 years of SUPER GT/JGTC racing, but to record one of the most dominant seasons ever: Four wins, the most since 1998, for Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima – and three in a row to close out the season.
Some will question if the combination of dual-class champion Kogure and superstar talent Motojima (who some believe should be a Lamborghini factory driver by now) can even get in the window to repeat this year. No GT300 team and driver combination has ever won back-to-back championships. There have been several sporting regulation changes and rollbacks.
The flagship car, now carrying the champion’s number 0 instead of its signature 88, has also lost Chief Engineer Hitoshi Iyoki. But Yasuhiro Tasaka is a suitable replacement, with years of GT500 and Super Formula experience on his side.
And here’s the reality: JLOC will be a stronger team going forward after having the experience of fighting for a championship throughout last season. The results from pre-season testing at Okayama and Fuji showed that the red #0 Lamborghini is still the car to beat in 2025.
That’s the A-team wrapped up, but what about the green #87 car of Kosuke Matsuura and Natsu Sakaguchi? They consistently scored in the points yet were still a ways off of what their sister car could achieve.
Matsuura has plenty of racing experience, and we’re still waiting to see if Sakaguchi can take another crucial step in his career. They’ll want to run closer to Kogure and Motojima this year, as tough a task as it seems on the surface.
Isao Noritake’s team has the people, the cars, and the experience to show that last year was no fluke, they’re here to stay at the front and continue to build on last year’s windfall of success.
Lexus LC500/h GT300
- #31 – apr – Bridgestone – Oliver Rasmussen, Miki Koyama, Yuki Nemoto
- #60 – LM corsa – Dunlop – Hiroki Yoshimoto, Shunsuke Kohno, Reimei Ito
The first GTA-GT300 model in our list is the Lexus LC500 which now has a second iteration in 2025.
Osaka-based LM corsa has switched from its previous GR Supra to the apr-constructed LC500, which still has the same 2UR-G V8 engine and great downforce as the Supra, but will have different cornering and braking characteristics due to its longer wheelbase.
It’ll be interesting to see how the two LC500s compare this year – LM corsa’s version has Dunlop tyres and no hybrid element, versus the Bridgestone clad, hybrid-powered apr #31 machine which is a bit heavier but has more power potential and Bridgestone tyres.
LM corsa has opted for driver continuity, keeping 20-year veteran racer/rocker Yoshimoto and co-driver Kohno as its primary drivers, plus giving Reimei Ito another chance as the third driver after his magnificent performances in other series last year.
apr has a new cast of drivers in the #31 LC500h GT thanks to Jin Nakamura’s new endeavours in European single-seater racing, and Kazuto Kotaka’s promotion to GT500 reserve driver.
Oliver Rasmussen was meant to make his GT300 debut at Okayama, and after getting a much-deserved, full-time opportunity, Miki Koyama was meant to be one of two female drivers on this year’s grid. Rasmussen’s back injury in his Super Formula debut has kept him on the shelf indefinitely, and Wadoux’s sudden GT300 departure means that Koyama is the only woman racing in SUPER GT this year.
With Rasmussen out of action, Koyama will be joined at Okayama by Yuki Nemoto, who was very impressive in this car back in 2023 – but curiously spent 2024 watching the apr LC500h’s races from the garage instead of in the cockpit. Nemoto will be motivated to make up for lost opportunities when he gets back behind the wheel to start the season.
Lexus RC F GT3
- #26 – Anest Iwata Racing – Yokohama – Igor Omura Fraga, Hironobu Yasuda
- #96 – K-tunes Racing – Dunlop – Morio Nitta, Shinichi Takagi
Ten years after the prototype version of the RC F GT3 first raced in GT300, it’s still in service – and the two examples on the 2025 grid have made bold off-season moves to stay competitive.
Anest Iwata Racing has split with its previous service partner Arnage Racing and will begin the process of setting up its own shop for the future. In 2025, they’ll receive technical support and service from Gainer. Igor Fraga stays in the renumbered #26 RC F and will be joined by 2008 GT300 Champion Hironobu Yasuda, who’s back after a year out of the series.
Yasuda will be familiar with most of the Gainer staff, and will be motivated to show that he’s still in peak form – but many eyes will be on Fraga, who has big expectations for the revamped team this year. He’s shown in Super Formula that he has the talent to run with the very best drivers in Japan.
K-tunes Racing is back with GT300’s most experienced and successful line-up: Three-time champion Morio Nitta and two-time champion Shinichi Takagi. GT300’s Golden Pair showed they still had something left in the tank last year: They returned to the podium last year at Autopolis, and Takagi won an SRO Japan Cup title last season with K-tunes (ahead of Nitta in a separate car).
This is Nitta’s 30th full season in SUPER GT and Takagi’s 28th year in the series, and despite their average age of 56, they still harbour dreams of winning another championship.
Both cars also have flashy new engineering hires. K-tunes has hired ex-ARTA/Mugen Chief Engineer Toshihiro Ichise, who won back-to-back Super Formula titles with Tomoki Nojiri, to be its new Technical Director. Anest Iwata has brought in Norimitsu Yoshida as its race engineer, who’s recently found great success as the strategist for Kaku Ohta in Super Formula.
Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO
- #4 – Goodsmile Racing & TeamUKYO – Yokohama – Nobuteru Taniguchi, Tatsuya Kataoka
- #9 – Pacific Racing Team – Yokohama – Ryohei Sakaguchi, Yusuke Tomibayashi, Yuta Fujiwara
- #18 – Team UPGarage – Yokohama – Takashi Kobayashi, Yuto Nomura
- #22 – R’Qs Motor Sports – Yokohama – Hisashi Wada, Masaki Jyonai, Masaki Kano, Yuma Shoji
- #65 – K2 R&D LEON Racing – Bridgestone – Naoya Gamou, Togo Suganami
With five AMG GT3 EVOs, Mercedes has the biggest customer contingent of GT3 cars on the GT300 grid, and most of its teams have proven, winning pedigree.
Leading the way is K2 R&D LEON Racing, last year’s championship runners-up with wins at Fuji and Sugo. The black, Bridgestone-clad Mercedes still has ace driver Naoya Gamou leading the way, but for 2025 he’s reunited with Togo Suganami – who returns to the team after three years adrift.
How will Suganami use what he’s learned after two difficult seasons at Hoppy Team Tsuchiya to be stronger in his second run with LEON Racing? Gamou, of course, is a master of the Mercedes platform and will be the catalyst for success this year, working with engineer Tadashi Mizota and manager/occasional reserve driver Haruki Kurosawa.
Team UPGarage is new to the Mercedes-AMG contingent after parting ways with its old Honda NSX GT3 Evo22. But the team still has ties to Honda – and is using them to give reigning F4 Japanese Champion Yuto Nomura his first GT3 racing opportunity.
Nomura is a real talent – he will benefit from working alongside veteran co-driver Takashi Kobayashi and the technical staff of Servus Japan, who’ve also worked with Nomura’s HFDP predecessors.
Goodsmile Racing & TeamUKYO returns with a new livery based on this year’s Racing Miku character design and the evergreen driver combination of Nobuteru Taniguchi & Tatsuya Kataoka. The three-time GT300 Champions only have one win since their last title-winning campaign in 2017, yet despite NOB & TK getting older, they’re never miles off the pace.
Taniguchi and Kataoka will have to step away from the Sepang round due to a clash with the 24 Hours of Spa – which gives 2013 Champion Yuhki Nakayama and freshman Shunji Okumoto a chance to make a strong impression in relief.
Pacific Racing Team has new sponsorship but the same trio of drivers: Experienced journeyman Ryohei Sakaguchi, talented sim-to-real-world racer Yusuke Tomibayashi, and young understudy Yuta Fujiwara. Their aim should be to crack the points positions consistently after some surprising results in pre-season testing.
Finally, perennial minnows R’Qs Motor Sports are back – but at Okayama, it won’t be 62-year-olds Hisashi Wada and Masaki Jyonai behind the wheel of the red #22. Instead, experienced Bronze driver Masaki Kano will line up alongside Yuma Shoji, a 31-year-old rookie making his series debut out of the Super Taikyu ST-3 class.
Nissan Fairlady Z GT300
- #11 – Gainer – Dunlop – Ryuichiro Tomita, Kazuki Oki
The continued development of the house-built Gainer Nissan Z will be one of the stories worth following in 2025. The GT300 Z made massive strides from the start of 2024 to the end – it has serious potential to be a contender for podiums and wins this year.
Many components are derived from the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, such as the VR38DETT V6 twin-turbo engine, but packaged differently around the mainframe of the current Z-car. Reliability was a weak point, to the extent that Gainer sat out the opening race – and thus forfeited their premium “seed rights” which would have guaranteed the #11 car a place on the grid at Sepang.
But if the development continues at the same trajectory that it did from the summer races onward, we can expect the Gainer Z to be a force on Dunlop rubber in all conditions.
The experienced and capable Ryuichiro Tomita is back for another year as Gainer’s lead man, joined by a new team-mate in rookie Kazuki Oki. The young protege of Hironobu Yasuda hopes to follow fellow Hirotex-backed youngster Riki Okusa’s road and make it to GT300 one day, showcasing his skills in Formula Regional and Super Taikyu before his first full-time SUPER GT opportunity.
While Yosuke Fukuda will continue his role leading the engineering and development of the Z-car, Mika Ishida will be the second woman to hold the role of Team Director in GT300 following her promotion this off-season.
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
- #48 – NILZZ Racing – Yokohama – Taiyo Ida, Yusaku Shibata, Daiki Fujiwara
- #56 – Kondo Racing – Yokohama – Kohei Hirate, João Paulo de Oliveira, Yu Kanamaru
- #62 – HELM Motorsports – Yokohama – Yuya Hiraki, Reiji Hiraki
- #360 – Tomei Sports – Yokohama – Takayuki Aoki, Rin Arakawa, Hironobu Shimizu
Complementing the Gainer Z is Nissan’s four customer GT-R NISMO GT3s which have still proven to be effective and desirable in their home market.
Kondo Racing still leads the pack, of course, leading all GT300 teams in total testing mileage. Matchy’s team has added two-time GT500 Champion Kohei Hirate to partner with two-time GT300 Champion J.P. Oliveira for the new year. They may be older but Oliveira and Hirate are still as sharp as they’ve ever been behind the wheel, especially Oliveira.
Watch for Yu Kanamaru to shine as Kondo’s new third driver. Kanamaru, who helped end Nissan’s GT World Challenge Asia winless drought last year, will make his long-awaited SUPER GT race debut at Fuji – once Oliveira steps away from the series momentarily to honour his new racing commitments in Brazil.
HELM Motorsports and the Hiraki brothers are back together, full-time, hoping for better results in year two after struggling through most of their first season in GT300. HELM has also given Yuki Urano her first chance as the lead engineer of the blue and orange #62 GT-R, making her SUPER GT’s first Chief Engineer in series history.
NILZZ Racing returns with true Bronze Taiyo Ida and gymkhana/time attack great Yusaku Shibata for most of the season, and Daiki Fujiwara will his first GT3 opportunities after success in GT4 racing. Their goal will simply be to breach the points-paying positions this year.
Then there’s Tomei Sports, which has invested more in developing youth. They promoted second-year driver Rin Arakawa to full-time status after good freshman performances, and gave rookie Hironobu Shimizu, the latest disciple of Honda legend Ryo Michigami, his first GT300 opportunity as the third driver with 2001 Champion Takayuki Aoki there to mentor them.
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
- #666 – seven x seven Racing – Yokohama – Kiyoto Fujinami, Tsubasa Kondo
After a three-year absence that was three years too long, Porsche is back in SUPER GT with a customer 911 GT3 R programme getting the full support of the Asia-Pacific Motorsport division. It’s been over a dozen years since the last Porsche GT300 race win and championship.
But that may change soon, now that seven x seven Racing is on the scene. With significant financial backing behind it, this new super-privateer has already made waves in SRO and Super Taikyu competition – and is now ready to challenge GT300 with an outstanding line-up of two-time GT300 Champion Kiyoto Fujinami and four-time Porsche Carrera Cup Japan Champion Tsubasa Kondo.
Fujinami – who’s also the nominal Team Director through his KF Motorsport company’s support – is now in firm control of rebuilding his reputation. He is still an undeniably talented driver – in spite of last year’s disappointing results at Team Mach. This is also an overdue opportunity for Kondo, a GT300 race winner who hasn’t run full-time since 2020. He has always had the talent to succeed in this series and has plenty of Porsche knowledge throughout his career.
Along the pit wall, decorated engineer Hitoshi Iyoki leads the way after successful, championship-winning stints at JLOC and Team Kunimitsu – but in reality, Iyoki has already engineered seven x seven Racing to wins in its other GT3 endeavours.
It has been very tough for new teams to make an immediate impact in GT300 lately, but after encouraging pre-season testing results, seven x seven Racing looks ready to challenge the established order from the first race of the year.
Subaru BRZ GT300
- #61 – R&D Sport – Dunlop – Takuto Iguchi, Hideki Yamauchi
On the surface, the 2025 Subaru BRZ GT300 from R&D Sport looks exactly like the car that won the championship in its first year of service in 2021, but has steadily trended downward since, bottoming out with a poor 2024 season.
But this year’s Subaru has been rebuilt from the frame out. A bit heavier than its previous iteration, but more rigid to better handle the extra weight of Balance of Performance. A new front aero package for more efficient downforce. Even in the cockpit, a new steering wheel with an electronically-driven shifting mechanism. Only the number, the blue paint, and the everlasting EJ20 flat-4 turbo engine remain.
And of course, the drivers – in their 11th season together, Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi are highly motivated to return the BRZ to its old form. So too is General Manager Masahiro Ozawa, a mainstay of Subaru Technica International who was the catalyst behind Subaru’s rise to championship glory four years ago.
Two talented drivers, a strong and experienced team, and Dunlop tyres that have often maximised the BRZ’s potential over the years. Even last year, the old BRZ was outstanding over a single lap and had the pace to achieve better results than it did.
Reliability will be the make-or-break component of R&D Sport’s season: Over half of their races last year were ruined by machine trouble, a historically up-and-down quality for the BRZ going back to the previous-generation model in the 2010s.
Toyota (Dome) 86 MC
- #5 – Team Mach – Yokohama – Yusuke Shiotsu, Iori Kimura
Ten years ago, Team Mach was one of the first teams to run the new GT300 Mother Chassis full-time. Now, the Fukuoka-based team is the last team to use the platform, and is determined to race with it as long as they possibly can after securing enough spare parts to keep it running through 2025.
Team boss Tetsuji Tamanaka has changed drivers again this off-season. Despite having some successful years in the Honda system, Iori Kimura was let go from the manufacturer this off-season – and now intends to rebuild himself as a freelancer, including this new programme at Team Mach alongside sophomore Yusuke Shiotsu.
The Mach 5-livered MC86 has had strong drivers and in the past, Team Mach was consistently able to threaten for podiums at least once a year.
But whether it’s the heavier weight due to BoP, a bad mix between the GTA V8 engine and the current 50/50 renewable fuel blend – or that the car simply isn’t as capable as it was half a decade ago – the last two seasons have been very tough for Tamanaka-san and his team, and they didn’t get a lot of testing mileage this year either.
Team Mach aims to somehow return to its old form and restore pride to the team, whether or not 2025 is the final ride for the Mother Chassis.
Toyota GR86 GT300
- #2 – Hyper Water Racing INGING – Bridgestone – Yuui Tsutsumi, Hibiki Taira, Kazuhisa Urabe
- #20 – SHADE Racing – Michelin – Katsuyuki Hiranaka, Eijiro Shimizu, Yuki Sano
- #30 – apr – Michelin – Hiroaki Nagai, Manabu Orido, Ryo Ogawa
A trio of Toyota GR86 GT300s includes the only two GT300 teams running on Michelin tyres, following the departures of PONOS Racing (to Dunlop) and BMW M Team Studie (to Pirelli in GT World Asia). All three teams have their own subtle but visible aero developments on the base GR86 constructed by apr.
The strongest of the trio by far is INGING Motorsport, now with a new title sponsor and a less distinct livery, but the same core driver combination. Yuui Tsutsumi and Hibiki Taira have come within touching distance of a championship in each of the last two years and when the Bridgestone-clad GR86 is running at full song with the right strategy, they make the competition uncomfortable.
This year, Tsutsumi, Taira, and Team Director Hiroki Katoh are keen to finally finish what they started two seasons ago. What will the addition of rookie Kazuhisa Urabe bring in select races? The son of INGING’s founder spent time as a Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge trainee last season. He has potential, and perhaps a point to prove after being let go by Toyota this winter.
SHADE Racing’s switch to Michelin rubber last year didn’t produce the results they’d hoped, but with another year of experience comes the hope that a first win is within reach.
Three-time championship runner-up Katsuyuki Hiranaka and protegé Eijiro Shimizu are back for their fourth season together. They stood on the podium two seasons ago, which should be a target for this year. Third driver Yuki Sano is ready for his first experience in GT300 – he has massively impressed Toyota as a training driver in single-seaters and has all the makings of a future star.
Finally, apr returns with its Pro-Am line-up of Hiroaki Nagai, two-time GT300 Champion Manabu Orido – and now, they’re on Michelin rubber, a big change for both Nagai and for Orido, who has been loyal to Yokohama rubber for most of his illustrious career.
Second-generation driver Ryo Ogawa is back in SUPER GT as the reserve, boasting multiple Carrera Cup titles – and by proxy, some knowledge of the Michelin rubber, which will be quite valuable this year. An Orido/Ogawa combination could produce strong results.
Toyota GR Supra GT300
- #25 – Hoppy Team Tsuchiya – Yokohama – Takamitsu Matsui, Kimiya Sato
- #52 – Saitama Green Brave – Bridgestone – Hiroki Yoshida, Seita Nonaka
As the fifth-generation GR Supra winds down its production run, by coincidence there is also one fewer GR Supra in GT300 this year. Still an effective car, though Saitama Green Brave’s OG Supra GT300 is coming off a disappointing season.
A mid-summer triple from hell sunk Hiroki Yoshida’s chances of a second consecutive championship, but Green Brave’s ace is back and so too, is Seita Nonaka and the rest of the team. The Bridgestone-clad GR Supra has received updates for the upcoming season to comply with the new regulations.
However their pre-season testing plans were disrupted due to a lack of available spares, and the mixed weather at Fuji kept them from gathering all the data that they would have liked with the reworked GR Supra. Realistically, Green Brave is on the back foot heading into 2025, but on paper, they should be title contenders.
While one champion team is trying to get its bearings underneath it after a difficult season, another great team is simply seeking to build itself back up.
Hoppy Team Tsuchiya returns with its custom-constructed GR Supra that shares little with the Green Brave counterpart besides the production frame and the 2UR-G V8 engine. Takeshi Tsuchiya and his band of young engineers have worked feverishly this off-season to extract more performance out of the car.
2016 Champion Takamitsu Matsui and fellow Tsuchiya mainstay Kimiya Sato will work to test those improvements on track and restore competitive pride to SUPER GT’s most resilient privateer team.
