2025 Super GT Series

The 2025 Autobacs Super GT Series is a motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and run by the GT Association (GTA). It will be the thirty-third season of the JAF Super GT Championship, which includes the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era, and the twenty-first season under the Super GT name. It will be also the forty-third overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.

TGR Team au TOM'S of Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita entered the season as the defending champions of the GT500 class. And JLOC Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima entered the season as the defending champions of the GT300 class.

The provisional calendar for 2025 was confirmed on 1 August 2024, which consists of eight races.^[1] The series will race abroad for the first time since 2019, and they will return to Sepang International Circuit for the first time since 2013.^[2] The series announced that most of the rounds consist of regular 300km race format, with the first Fuji round and Autopolis round held a 3 Hour race format, and they introduced a double sprint weekend that will be held at the fourth round.^[3]

The GTA confirmed several changes for the 2025 Super GT season.^[4][5]

After a year of using the aggregate qualifying format, the qualifying system reverted back to the knockout format. For GT500 qualifying, 10 cars advance to Q2 instead of 8 which previously held before. And for the GT300, 9 cars advance to Q2 from 2 groups of 14 cars. The qualifying points revert back to awarding a single point for pole position in both classes.

There is also big changes in the GT300 drivers' and teams’ championship points, classified top 15 finishers able to collect points up from 10 finishers. The winner awarded 25 points while 2nd place receive 20 points. 3rd place receive 16 points, then 4th and 5th will get 13 and 11 points respectively, and from 6th to 15th, 10 points down to 1 point awarded. Also, races over 700km in length or four hours in duration no longer have a fixed points system, instead this announced by the series in advance of each round. There also the implementation of dropped scores points system in the wake of the Sepang round, in which 10 GT300 teams not able to compete in Malaysia. Only 7 of the 8 best scores count towards GT300's drivers' and team championships.^[6] For the Fuji Sprint Race, the points would be handed half of the normal points.^[7]

Teams are allowed to bring in 4 sets of dry and 6 sets of wet tyres for the 300km races. New: One wet tyre set must be functioning in heavy rain conditions. From Round 2 onward, GT500 tyre manufacturers who haven't won a race in 2024 may bring in one extra dry set.

During the formation lap, the distance to the car in front should be within 5 car lengths to avoid a spread out start. To avoid slow driving to save fuel when driving to the grid, a speed minimum of 80 km/h or more has to be maintained. Infractions will see a time penalty applied, along with the previous grid penalty and drive-through penalty.

To comply with a new FIA standard, carbon helmets will be mandatory from this season onward with satisfactory helmets given GTA stickers. However, there will be a grace period for drivers who can't obtain one for the opening race.

The series also announced a revision to the system of handicaps for the GT300 class, introducing the modification of refueling times as a form of success penalty. The nominal limit returns to 100 kg where previously was 80 kg, but the actual weight loaded not exceed 50 kg, and with the adjustment of refueling times added as a secondary measure to further penalize the most successful cars. This will be achieved by way of a GTA-supplied restrictor to be attached to the refueling rig, the diameter of which will be announced by bulletin prior to each race. Success ballast to continue to be accrued at the rate of 2 kg per point, with the handicap halved for the penultimate round at Autopolis and eliminated for the Motegi finale.^[8]

• Team UpGarage has acquired Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to replace Honda NSX GT3 Evo22 which had raced with the team for six seasons.^[42][22]
• LM corsa has switched their Toyota GR Supra GT300 which had raced for four seasons, to the Lexus LC 500 GT.^[25][31]

• Honda announced its driver line-ups on 11 December 2024.^[11]
  • Kakunoshin Ohta left Real Racing and the series to compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship's GTP class with Meyer Shank Racing.^[43] The team has signed 2024 Super Formula Lights champion Syun Koide, who previously drove for Team UpGarage in the GT300 class for over two seasons.
  • Honda Racing Corporation took over Team Kunimitsu maintenance from ATJ, which makes them the de facto team of Honda.^[44]
• Toyota announced its driver line-ups on 25 December 2024.^[9]
  • au TOM'S has elected to use the GT500 champion's number "1".
  • Yuichi Nakayama left SARD after raced together for six years to race in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Nordique Racing.^[45] Sacha Fenestraz returns to the series after a two-year stint in Formula E with Nissan, replacing Nakayama. This move reunites him with Yuhi Sekiguchi for the first time since 2020.
• Nissan announced its line-ups on 17 January 2025.^[10]
  • Four-time GT500 champion Ronnie Quintarelli retired from the Super GT Series after the 2024 season to take up the role of NISMO ambassador and advisor to the GT500 program.^[46] Mitsunori Takaboshi promoted to the main NISMO team from NDDP to replace the retired Quintarelli, reuniting him with Katsumasa Chiyo, whom he raced in the NDDP for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. Daiki Sasaki returned to GT500 after spending a year in GT300 with Kondo Racing, taking over Takaboshi's NDDP seat.
  • Marelli, which sponsored Team Impul before with previous brand Calsonic for over 43 years, ended their association. Tokyo Radiator will be the team main sponsor.^[47][48]

• Anest Iwata ended its association with Arnage Racing after two years. Arnage would not continue to race after 11 years in the series, however they continue to operate R'Qs Motor Sports.^[49] Anest Iwata Racing operated independently with GAINER.^[24] Yuga Furutani left the team, as he focus on his Super Formula Lights campaign with TOM'S.^[50] 2008 GT300 champion Hironobu Yasuda returns to the series after a year in Super Taikyu ST-Z with Techno First.^[23]
• apr have a new lineup for the Lexus car following the departure of both Kazuto Kotaka and Jin Nakamura from the series. Kotaka focuses on Super Formula with TGMGP and also serve as the reserve driver for GT500 Toyota, while Nakamura moves to FRECA with R-ace GP. The team promoted Miki Koyama from their Super Taikyu ST-X program, Koyama previously raced as the fourth driver with R'Qs Motor Sports. The team also signed Oliver Rasmussen, who will make his debut in the series after competed in the WEC's Hypercar class with Jota Sport. The GR86 car switched from Yokohama to Michelin tires. Rikuto Kobayashi left the team to join CarGuy MKS Racing. Manabu Orido returns as the full-time driver after a year served as the team's third driver, with Ryo Ogawa returns to take the third driver role after a year away in Super Taikyu ST-4 with Endless Sports.^[9][23][25]
• As Syun Koide moves to GT500 with Real Racing, 2024 F4 Japanese champion Yuto Nomura joins Team UpGarage for his Super GT debut.^[22]
• Car wash equipment manufacturer Hyper Water replaced muta as INGING Motorsport title sponsor, and the team will compete under the name Hyper Water Racing Inging. The team also signed former F4 TGR-DC Racing School driver Kazuhisa Urabe as the third driver, while Hiroki Katoh focus on his management role with the team.^[14]
• TGR-DC F4 Japan driver Yuki Sano joins SHADE Racing as the third driver.^[23]
• Togo Suganami left Tsuchiya Engineering as he moves to LEON Racing.^[33] Kimiya Sato promoted back to full-time driver after served as the team's third driver for a year.^[23]
• Porsche makes its GT300 return for the first time since 2021. FCR-Vita & Kyojo Cup team KF Motorsport will make their debut and backed by Hotel chain FAV Hotel, racing as Seven x Seven Racing. They entered a Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) with Yokohama Tires. Two-time GT300 champion and team owner Kiyoto Fujinami moved from Team Mach and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion, Tsubasa Kondo returns to the series after competed in GT World Challenge Asia with Porsche Centre Okazaki.^[39] 2024 Porsche Supercup runner-up Harry King also joins the team as their third driver.^[40]
• GAINER get technical support from Nissan. Keishi Ishikawa left the team after competed with them for five seasons. Super Taikyu ST-Z driver Kazuki Oki joins the team where previously served as the third driver for the final round last season.^[21]
• With Daiki Sasaki promoted back to GT500 with NISMO NDDP, Two time GT500 champion Kohei Hirate returns to Kondo Racing from HELM Motorsports.^[21] Kondo also signed GT World Challenge Asia Silver-Am runner-up with Team 5ZIGEN, Yu Kanamaru as their third driver.^[13]
• As Kohei Hirate moved to Kondo Racing, HELM Motorsports promoted their third driver and co-owner Reiji Hiraki.^[21]
• Tomei Sports saw Takuya Otaki leave the team.^[21] The team promoted their third driver Rin Arakawa to replace Otaki, and signed F4 Japan race winner and Drago Corse driver, Hironobu Shimizu as the third driver.^[38]
• Ponos Racing has established themselves as a standalone operation after previously operated by GAINER.^[27] The team changed their tire supplier from Michelin to Dunlop.^[28] They also signed 2024 GT300 runner-up Takuro Shinohara as their third driver, after he was released from LEON Racing.^[51]
• Reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion Reimei Ito return to LM corsa as the third driver after appeared in the same role with them for the last round of last season.^[31]
• Takuro Shinohara left LEON Racing to join Ponos Racing.^[29] Togo Suganami replaced Shinohara from Team Tsuchiya, as he reunited with the team for the first time since 2021.^[33]
• R'Qs Motor Sports signed Super Taikyu ST-3 driver Yuma Shoji as the fourth driver to replace Miki Koyama who moves to apr.^[13] The team rotated again all their drivers.^[26]
• JLOC has elected to use the GT300 champion's number "0".^[13]
• Team LeMans rebranded their team as Velorex.^[13]
• Studie left the series after competed for 5 years since their return for the second time in 2020, as they compete in GT World Challenge Asia.^[13] Race winner Seiji Ara followed Studie to race in the series.^[52] Niklas Krütten moved to International GT Open with Team Motopark, while Bruno Spengler left the team to join Bugatti as their official driver.^[53][54]
• CarGuy Racing returns to the series after 2 year hiatus as they partnered up with MKS Racing, a new team created by former Yogibo Racing team director, Misato Haga.^[13][55] They took over the no. 7 spot previously used by Studie, and competing under the name CarGuy MKS Racing. They entered a Ferrari 296 GT3 with Yokohama tire. They signed former Williams Academy driver Zak O'Sullivan, who will make his debut in the series after competed in Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix and 2024 Super Formula Lights runner-up Rikuto Kobayashi joins the team from apr, he was planned to join Saitama Green Brave as their third driver.^[23] CarGuy's owner Takeshi Kimura appointed as the third driver alongside team director role, and 2015–16 Asian Le Mans GT champion Keita Sawa as the fourth driver.^[19][20]
• Kiyoto Fujinami left Team Mach as he moves to Seven x Seven Racing.^[39] They signed former Honda driver and 2023 Super Formula Lights champion Iori Kimura, as he returned to the series after a year in Super Formula with B-Max Racing Team.^[17]
• Nilzz Racing signed Daiki Fujiwara, who previously raced at SRO Japan Cup GT4 with Sunrise BLVD, as their third driver.^[30]

• Toyota Gazoo Racing GT500 reserve driver Kazuto Kotaka joins Racing Project Bandoh as the team's third driver for the second round at Fuji.^[12]

• Oliver Rasmussen was not cleared to race for the opening round after his crash at the opening round Super Formula, apr promoted Yuki Nemoto in his place.^[56][26] Rasmussen returned for the second round.^[12]
• Lilou Wadoux withdrew before the opening round start, as she released from her contract ahead of the event to focus on European Le Mans Series LMGT3 class with AF Corse.^[57] Ponos Racing promoted Takuro Shinohara to replace Wadoux.^[29]
• João Paulo de Oliveira had to miss the second and third round due to his commitment in Stock Car Pro Series with Full Time Sports. Yu Kanamaru deputised for these two rounds.^[58]
• 10 teams absent for the third round due to the limited numbers of pit garages at Sepang Circuit.^[59] Team Mach, Pacific Racing, R'Qs Motor Sports, Anest Iwata Racing, Tsuchiya Engineering, apr car no. 30, and Nilzz Racing absent due to them finish outside the Top 20, while Carguy MKS Racing, Gainer and Seven x Seven Racing not included in the designated seeded teams. Shade Racing was planned to race but had to pulled out due to their car got fire damage in the midseason test at Suzuka Circuit.^[60][61][37]
• Goodsmile Racing recruited 2013 GT300 champion Yuhki Nakayama and reigning Super Taikyu ST-2 champion Shunji Okumoto for the Sepang round, as both Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka focus to race in the 24 Hours of Spa.^[15][16]
• GT World Challenge Asia regular, EBM will make their debut in the series as the Wildcard entries for Sepang round. Under the EBM Giga Racing guise, they entered an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo with Dunlop tire and a Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) with Michelin tire. Malaysian GT driver Jazeman Jaafar and GT World Challenge Asia Silver Am driver Kerong Li to race in the No. 333 Aston Martin, and for the Porsche No. 611 car to be driven by Porsche Carrera Cup France champion Dorian Boccolacci and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Masters Cup driver Adrian D'Silva.^[34][36]

Drivers credited with winning Pole Position and the race's fastest lap for their respective teams are indicated in bold text.

Race points

Scoring system

• For the Fuji Sprint Race, half points to be awarded.

Race points

Scoring system

• For the Fuji Sprint Race, half points to be awarded.

• Super GT Official Website