2017 Super GT Series
Appearance
The 2017 Autobacs Super GT Series is the 24th season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the 13th season under the name Super GT. It is the 34th overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship. The season began on April 9 and will end on November 12, after 8 races.
Schedule
Round | Race | Circuit | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Okayama GT 300 km |
Okayama International Circuit | April 9 |
2 | Fuji GT 500 km |
Fuji Speedway | May 4 |
3 | Autopolis GT 300 km |
Autopolis | May 21 |
4 | Sugo GT 300 km |
Sportsland SUGO | July 23 |
5 | Fuji GT 300 km |
Fuji Speedway | August 6 |
6 | 46th International Suzuka 1000km 1000 km |
Suzuka Circuit | August 27 |
7 | Buriram United Super GT Race 300 km |
Chang International Circuit | October 8 |
8 | Motegi GT 250 km |
Twin Ring Motegi | November 12 |
Calendar Changes
- The series will return to Autopolis for the first time since 2015. The race scheduled to be held there in 2016 was cancelled due to damage caused to the circuit and local infrastructure by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.
- This will be the last season that Suzuka 1000km is included as a round of Super GT, as the current 1000 km format would be dropped in favour of a 10-hour timed race for 2018. The new race will be aimed primarily at FIA GT3 and GT300 machinery.[1]
Drivers and Teams
GT500
GT300
Driver Changes
Team Transfers
- Lexus: Kazuki Nakajima returns to Super GT for the first time since 2014, with Lexus Team au TOM's. He'll be joined by James Rossiter, who swaps seats at TOM's with Nick Cassidy.
- Nissan: Jann Mardenborough makes his GT500 debut with Team Impul, replacing João Paulo de Oliveira, who moves to Kondo Racing to replace Masataka Yanagida.
- Honda: Hideki Mutoh and Daisuke Nakajima will drive for the revived Team Mugen in 2017. Kosuke Matsuura moves to Nakajima Racing from ARTA, who promote Takashi Kobayashi from their GT300 team back to GT500 for the first time since 2012.
- Masataka Yanagida will move down to GT300 with Audi Team Hitotsuyama, replacing Tomonobu Fujii, who will drive for the newly-christened D'Station Racing.
- Yuichi Nakayama moves from apr Racing to LM Corsa and the new Lexus RC F GT3, and sophomore driver Rintaro Kubo will replace him in the #31 apr Toyota Prius.
- Hiroki Yoshida replaces former GT300 champion André Couto in the Gainer Nissan GT-R GT3. The latter drove for D'Station Racing as a substitute of Sven Müller during Round 3.
- Shinnosuke Yamada will join Team Taisan SARD after spending one season at Team Upgarage with Bandoh.
- Both Akihiro Tsuzuki and three-time GT300 champion Morio Nitta leave LM Corsa to join the newly-unified INGING and Arnage Racing team.
Entering Super GT
- At the Suzuka 1000 km, former Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi will make his Super GT debut in a one-off for Lexus Team WedsSport Bandoh.[16]
- At the Suzuka 1000 km, 2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button will make his Super GT debut in a one-off for Team Mugen.[17]
- Reigning Porsche Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champion Sven Müller joined D'Station Racing as a Porsche factory driver. However, he would not drive between Rounds 3 and 5 due to his involvement in the ADAC GT Masters, during which André Couto and Yuya Motojima would substitute for him.
- Former FIA F4 Japanese Champion Sho Tsuboi makes his Super GT debut with LM Corsa.[2]
- Takayuki Hiranuma will make his Super GT debut with Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave. Hiranuma has previously driven in Super Taikyu.[12]
- Shintaro Kawabata graduates from the FIA F4 Japanese Championship to Super GT with Team Upgarage with Bandoh.
- Sean Walkinshaw, son of legendary racing driver and team executive Tom Walkinshaw, will make his Super GT debut with Autobacs Racing Team Aguri in their BMW M6 GT3.
- Former Pro Mazda Championship driver Jake Parsons of Australia joins Team Taisan SARD for his first season in Super GT.
- Keishi Ishikawa and Ryosei Yamashita will each make their Super GT debuts with Rn-sports. Ishikawa graduates from All-Japan Formula Three, whilst Yamashita steps up from Super Taikyu and the Toyota 86/BRZ Race.
- Former Honda Formula Dream Project driver Natsu Sakaguchi, and former Nissan Driver Development Programme driver Kiyoto Fujinami will make their Super GT debuts for Team Mach.
- Nattavude Charoensukhawatana and Nattapong Horthongkum will run their first full seasons in Super GT in 2017 for Panther Team Thailand. Charoensukhawatana has run two races as a local wildcard driver, while Horthongkum is making his series debut.
Returning to Super GT
- Kazuki Nakajima returns to Super GT for the first time since 2014, driving for Lexus Team au TOM's.[2]
- Reigning All-Japan Formula Three champion Kenta Yamashita will return to Super GT full-time in 2017, replacing Takeshi Tsuchiya at VivaC Team Tsuchiya.
- Mitsunori Takaboshi returns to Super GT full-time with NDDP Racing.[4]
- Yuji Ide returns to Super GT for the first time since 2015 with EIcars Bentley TTO.[15]
- 2011 GT300 champion Taku Bamba will return to Super GT for the first time since 2012, driving for Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave.[12]
Leaving Super GT
- Daisuke Ito will not drive full-time in Super GT this season, and will serve as the team director of Lexus Team au TOM's. He would only drive at the second round of the championship at Fuji Speedway, replacing Kazuki Nakajima, who would instead compete in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
- Tadasuke Makino will move to the FIA European Formula 3 Championship with HitechGP.
- After winning his first Super GT championship in 2016, Takeshi Tsuchiya retired from full-time driving. He will focus primarily on his role as chief engineer for VivaC Team Tsuchiya.
- Oliver Turvey left Drago Modulo Honda Racing after five races in 2016, and will not return to Super GT in 2017.
Mid-season changes
- After André Couto was seriously injured during a round of the China GT Championship held at Zhuhai, D'Station Racing announced Yuya Motojima would replace Couto as substitute driver for Sven Muller, driving in Rounds 4 and 5.[18]
Team Changes
GT500
- Lexus teams will race the new LC 500 machine, replacing the Lexus RC F which debuted in 2014. Nissan and Honda will continue to run the Nissan GT-R and Honda NSX-GT, modified to updated aerodynamic regulations. The updated NSX-GT will be based upon its newly launched production counterpart.
- Drago Modulo Honda Racing announced their withdrawal from the series on 8 November 2016, after just two seasons.[19]
- Intent on continuing to field five teams, Honda announced on 14 November 2016 that Team Mugen would return to the GT500 category for the first time since 2003. The team will run using Yokohama tyres.[5]
GT300
- Saitama Toyopet GreenBrave announced that they will enter the Super GT Series for the first time in 2017, fielding a brand new Toyota Mark X based on the Mother Chassis platform.[12]
- LM Corsa will field two 2017 specification Lexus RC F GT3s, replacing both their older model RC F GT3, and their Ferrari 488 GT3, used in 2016.[2]
- K2 R&D LEON Racing will switch from Yokohama to Bridgestone tyres in 2017.[14]
- Excellence Porsche Team KTR changed their name to D'Station Racing following a change of ownership and title sponsors. Former baseball pitcher Kazuhiro Sasaki will serve as the team's general representative.[11]
- Bentley and their Continental GT3 race car will make their Super GT debut with the new EIcars Bentley TTO (Teramoto Technical Office) team.[15]
- INGING Motorsport and Arnage Racing will enter under a unified banner in 2017, with the ex-LM Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 used last season.
- Lamborghini Team Direction have suspended activities in Super GT for the 2017 season, leaving JLOC as the sole representative for Lamborghini in Super GT.
Results
Round | Circuit | Date | Class | Pole Position | Race Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Okayama International Circuit Report |
9 April | GT500 | No. 8 ARTA NSX | No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC 500 |
Takashi Kobayashi Tomoki Nojiri |
Nick Cassidy Ryo Hirakawa | ||||
GT300 | No. 65 LEON Racing AMG GT3 | No. 4 Goodsmile Racing AMG GT3 | |||
Naoya Gamou Haruki Kurosawa |
Tatsuya Kataoka Nobuteru Taniguchi | ||||
2 | Fuji Speedway Report |
4 May | GT500 | No. 38 Lexus Team ZENT Cerumo LC 500 | No. 38 Lexus Team ZENT Cerumo LC 500 |
Hiroaki Ishiura Yuji Tachikawa |
Hiroaki Ishiura Yuji Tachikawa | ||||
GT300 | No. 4 Goodsmile Racing AMG GT3 | No. 51 LM corsa RC F GT3 | |||
Tatsuya Kataoka Nobuteru Taniguchi |
Yuichi Nakayama Sho Tsuboi | ||||
3 | Autopolis Report |
21 May | GT500 | No. 100 Team Kunimitsu | No. 36 Lexus Team au Tom's |
Takuya Izawa Naoki Yamamoto |
Kazuki Nakajima James Rossiter | ||||
GT300 | No. 25 VivaC Team Tsuchiya | No. 25 VivaC Team Tsuchiya | |||
Takamitsu Matsui Kenta Yamashita |
Takamitsu Matsui Kenta Yamashita | ||||
4 | Sportsland SUGO Report |
23 July | GT500 | No. 8 ARTA NSX | No. 1 Lexus Team SARD |
Takashi Kobayashi Tomoki Nojiri |
Kohei Hirate Heikki Kovalainen | ||||
GT300 | No. 25 VivaC Team Tsuchiya | No. 11 Gainer AMG GT3 | |||
Takamitsu Matsui Kenta Yamashita |
Katsuyuki Hiranaka Bjorn Wirdheim | ||||
5 | Fuji Speedway Report |
6 August | GT500 | No. 8 ARTA NSX | No. 8 ARTA NSX |
Takashi Kobayashi Tomoki Nojiri |
Takashi Kobayashi Tomoki Nojiri | ||||
GT300 | No. 55 ARTA BMW M6 GT3 | No. 55 ARTA BMW M6 GT3 | |||
Shinichi Takagi Sean Walkinshaw |
Shinichi Takagi Sean Walkinshaw | ||||
6 | Suzuka Circuit Report |
27 August | GT500 | No. 24 Kondo Racing | No. 64 Nakajima Racing |
João Paulo de Oliveira Daiki Sasaki |
Bertrand Baguette Kosuke Matsuura | ||||
GT300 | No. 25 VivaC Team Tsuchiya | No. 65 LEON Racing AMG GT3 | |||
Tsubasa Kondo Takamitsu Matsui Kenta Yamashita |
Naoya Gamou Haruki Kurosawa | ||||
7 | Chang International Circuit Report |
8 October | GT500 | No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC 500 | No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC 500 |
Nick Cassidy Ryo Hirakawa |
Nick Cassidy Ryo Hirakawa | ||||
GT300 | No. 21 Audi Team Hitotsuyama | No. 51 LM corsa RC F GT3 | |||
Richard Lyons Masataka Yanagida |
Yuichi Nakayama Sho Tsuboi | ||||
8 | Twin Ring Motegi Report |
13 November | GT500 | No. 23 NISMO | No. 23 NISMO |
Tsugio Matsuda Ronnie Quintarelli |
Tsugio Matsuda Ronnie Quintarelli | ||||
GT300 | No. 4 Goodsmile Racing AMG GT3 | No. 65 LEON Racing AMG GT3 | |||
Tatsuya Kataoka Nobuteru Taniguchi |
Naoya Gamou Haruki Kurosawa |
Championship Standings
Drivers' championships
- Scoring system
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Pole |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Suzuka | 25 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
GT500
|
|
GT300
Rank | Driver | OKA |
FUJ |
AUT |
SUG |
FUJ |
SUZ |
CHA |
MOT |
Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nobuteru Taniguchi Tatsuya Kataoka |
1 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 77 |
2 | Haruki Kurosawa Naoya Gamou |
2 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 72 |
3 | Yuichi Nakayama Sho Tsuboi |
8 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 61 |
4 | Shinichi Takagi Sean Walkinshaw |
5 | 17 | 3 | Ret | 1 | Ret | 4 | 2 | 61 |
5 | Takamitsu Matsui Kenta Yamashita |
4 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 18 | 15 | 5 | 48 |
6 | Katsuyuki Hiranaka Bjorn Wirdheim |
18 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 45 |
7 | Tomonobu Fujii | 9 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 35 |
8 | Jono Lester Kyosuke Mineo |
3 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 31 |
9 | Takuto Iguchi Hideki Yamauchi |
Ret | 13 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 30 |
10 | Manabu Orido Kazuki Hiramine |
19 | 25 | 16 | Ret | 7 | 2 | 5 | Ret | 28 |
11 | Sven Müller | 9 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 28 | |||
12 | Yuya Motojima | 4 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 24 | ||||
13 | Akira Iida Hiroki Yoshimoto |
22 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 27 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 24 |
14 | Shinya Hosokawa Kimiya Sato |
11 | 4 | 18 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 21 |
15 | Jörg Müller Seiji Ara |
13 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 18 |
16 | Koki Saga Rintaro Kubo |
10 | 12 | Ret | 10 | 3 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 17 |
17 | Kazuki Hoshino Mitsunori Takaboshi |
7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 14 | 9 | 10 | 17 |
18 | Akihiro Tsuzuki Morio Nitta |
Ret | 27 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 15 | |
19 | Ryuichiro Tomita Hiroki Yoshida |
6 | 24 | 15 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 19 | 13 | |
20 | Yuhki Nakayama Shintaro Kawabata |
12 | 9 | Ret | 17 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 6 |
21 | Richard Lyons Masataka Yanagida |
14 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 10 | Ret | 23 | 8 | 5 |
22 | André Couto | 7 | 4 | |||||||
23 | Natsu Sakaguchi Kiyoto Fujinami |
17 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 22 | 15 | 3 | |
24 | Tsubasa Kondo | 18 | 1 | |||||||
Rank | Driver | OKA |
FUJ |
AUT |
SUG |
FUJ |
SUZ |
CHA |
MOT |
Points |
Teams' championships
- Scoring system
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Suzuka | 25 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Class | Finished on lead lap | 1 lap behind | 2 or more laps behind |
---|---|---|---|
GT500 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
GT300 | 3 | 1 |
GT500
|
|
GT300
Rank | No. | Team | OKA |
FUJ |
AUT |
SUG |
FUJ |
SUZ |
CHA |
MOT |
Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Goodsmile Racing & TeamUKYO | 1 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 97 |
2 | 65 | K2 R&D LEON Racing | 2 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 95 |
3 | 51 | LM corsa | 8 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 85 |
4 | 55 | Autobacs Racing Team Aguri | 5 | 17 | 3 | Ret | 1 | Ret | 4 | 2 | 76 |
5 | 11 | Gainer | 18 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 65 |
6 | 25 | VivaC Team Tsuchiya | 4 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 18 | 15 | 5 | 65 |
7 | 33 | D'station Racing | 9 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 59 |
8 | 9 | Pacific with Gulf Racing | 3 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 53 |
9 | 61 | R&D Sport | Ret (Battery) |
13 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 7 | Ret (Drivetrain) |
Ret (Engine) |
45 |
10 | 88 | JLOC | 19 | 25 | 16 | Ret | 7 | 2 | 5 | Ret | 44 |
11 | 60 | LM corsa | 22 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 27 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 44 |
12 | 87 | JLOC | 11 | 4 | 18 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 41 |
13 | 7 | BMW Team Studie | 13 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 40 |
14 | 3 | NDDP Racing | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 14 | 9 | 10 | 36 |
15 | 31 | apr | 10 | 12 | Ret (Accident) |
10 | 3 | Ret | 12 | 12 | 35 |
16 | 50 | INGING & Arnage Racing | Ret | 27 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 29 | |
17 | 10 | Gainer | 6 | 24 | 15 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 18 | 19 | 29 |
18 | 18 | Team Upgarage with Bandoh | 12 | 9 | Ret | 17 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 23 |
19 | 21 | Audi Team Hitotsuyama | 14 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 10 | Ret | 23 | 8 | 21 |
20 | 5 | Team Mach | 17 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 22 | 15 | 18 | |
21 | 52 | Saitama Toyopet Green Brave | Ret | 27 | 20 | 14 | 23 | 12 | 22 | 20 | 13 |
22 | 360 | Tomei Sports | 15 | WD | 23 | 11 | 22 | 17 | 17 | 12 | |
23 | 111 | Rn-sports | 16 | 18 | 25 | Ret | 15 | 13 | 23 | 12 | |
24 | 26 | Team Taisan SARD | 21 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 19 | Ret | 19 | 14 | 11 |
25 | 30 | apr | Ret | 26 | 11 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 16 | Ret | 10 |
26 | 117 | EIcars Bentley TTO | 20 | 16 | 19 | 18 | Ret | 22 | 9 | ||
27 | 22 | R'Qs Motor Sports | 24 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 25 | 8 | ||
28 | 35 | Panther Team Thailand | 23 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 25 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 7 |
29 | 48 | Dijon Racing | 25 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | Ret | 26 | 6 | |
30 | 2 | Cars Tokai Dream28 | 26 | 22 | 24 | Ret | 24 | 23 | 20 | Ret | 6 |
Rank | No. | Team | OKA |
FUJ |
AUT |
SUG |
FUJ |
SUZ |
CHA |
MOT |
Points |
References
- ^ "Super GT's Suzuka 1000km to make way for 10-hour GT3 race". Motorsport.com. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Toyota GAZOO Racing Outlines 2017 Motorsports Activities". Toyota Motor Corporation. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Honda | SUPER GT | 2017年 参戦体制について:第2弾". Honda公式ホームページ. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
- ^ a b c d e f "Global Newsroom". Global Newsroom. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
- ^ a b c "Honda announces partial team plans for next season". Super GT. December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Tandds | SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE". supergt.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-02-27.
- ^ "team2017 | GOODSMILE RACING". www.goodsmileracing.com. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
- ^ "ふたりの"ポルシェ使い"を招集。PACIFIC with GULF RACINGが17年体制発表". AUTO SPORT web. 2017-01-12. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
- ^ "2017年SGT参戦概要|ニュース|SUPER GT300に参戦するレーシングチーム「GAINER」を運営する株式会社ゲイナーオフィシャルWEBサイト". www.gainer.asia (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-01-21.
- ^ "Audi Team Hitotsuyama 2017年参戦体制発表のお知らせ" (PDF). Hitotsuyama Racing. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
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(help) - ^ a b "『D'station Racing』発進! 強豪KTRとタッグで大魔神・佐々木が総監督就任". AUTO SPORT web (in Japanese). 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
- ^ a b c d "ディーラーチームの挑戦。埼玉トヨペットがスーパーGT300クラスに『トヨタ マークX』を投入し参戦". AUTO SPORT web. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
- ^ "SUBARUとSTI、2017年のモータースポーツ参戦計画を発表". SUBARU/STI MOTORSPORT | 公式モータースポーツサイト. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
- ^ a b "LEON RACINGが17年体制発表。ドライバー変更なしもタイヤはBSにスイッチ!". AUTO SPORT web. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
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- ^ "weds CO., LTD.|株式会社ウェッズ|WedsSport(ウェッズスポーツ)ブランドサイト|2017/03/06 "LEXUS TEAM WedsSport BANDOH" SUPER GT第6戦「鈴鹿1000km RACE」に小林可夢偉選手を起用". wedssport.jp. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ "Jenson Button to make Super GT debut for Honda in Suzuka 1000km". autosport.com. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ O'Connell, R. J. (20 July 2017). "Yuya Motojima to drive for D'station Racing at Sugo and Fuji". Super GT World. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Drago Modulo racing to cease activities". Honda. November 8, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ "Driver Ranking GT500". 株式会社GTアソシエイション. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
- ^ "Driver Ranking GT300". 株式会社GTアソシエイション. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
- ^ "Results SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE". supergt.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Results SUPER GT OFFICIAL WEBSITE". supergt.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 August 2017.