Super GT - Super GT Round 5

The 2026 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Round 5 takes place at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan. This fifth round of the 2026 Super GT Series brings together Japan's premier motorsport manufacturers in a two-class racing format. The supergt championship features 43 cars competing across GT500 and GT300 categories, with 14 entries in the top GT500 class and 29 in GT300.

Suzuka Circuit

Suzuka Circuit opened in 1962 and spans 5.807 kilometers with 18 turns. Honda Mobilityland operates this facility, which was built as a Honda test track under founder Soichiro Honda's conviction that racing improves automotive development. The circuit features a unique figure-of-eight layout where the back straight passes over the front section via an overpass. This makes Suzuka the only FIA Grade 1 licensed track with this configuration.

The circuit challenges drivers with high-speed sections and technical corners. The flowing esses in the first sector demand precision. The famous 130R left-hander tests courage and commitment. Spoon Curve at turns 13 and 14 requires a well-balanced car. Suzuka places sustained lateral loads on tires, making tire management critical. The circuit can accommodate 155,000 spectators.

GT500 Class Participants

The GT500 class showcases three Japanese manufacturers: Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. The 2026 grid includes 14 entries competing for victory.

Toyota GR Supra

Toyota fields six entries for the 2026 season. TGR Team au TOM'S runs defending GT500 champions Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita in car number 36. TGR Team KeePer Cerumo features Toshiki Oyu and Rikuto Kobayashi, who earned promotion from GT300. Team TOM'S operates car 37 with Giuliano Alesi and Ukyo Sasahara. ENEOS ROOKIE runs car 14 with Nirei Fukuzumi and Kazuya Oshima. Racing Project Bandoh fields car 19 with Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi. Team SARD completes the Toyota lineup in car 39 with Yuhi Sekiguchi and Sacha Fenestraz. Most Toyota teams use Bridgestone tires, while Team WedsSport Bandoh uses Yokohama.

Honda HRC Prelude GT

Honda introduces the new Honda HRC Prelude GT for the 2026 season. ARTA Mugen runs two cars: number 8 with Kakunoshin Ohta and Hiroki Otsu, and number 16 with Tomoki Nojiri and Ren Sato. Team Kunimitsu operates car 10 with Tadasuke Makino and Naoki Yamamoto. Nakajima Racing fields car 64 with Igor Omura Fraga. Most Honda teams use Bridgestone tires, with Modulo Nakajima Racing on Dunlop.

Nissan Z NISMO GT500

Nissan campaigns three entries. NISMO runs car 23 with Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi. Team Impul operates car 12 with Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette. Kondo Racing fields car 24 with Atsushi Miyake and Teppei Natori. Kondo Racing switches to Bridgestone tires after 20 years with Yokohama. NISMO and Team Impul also use Bridgestone.

GT300 Class Participants

The GT300 class mixes FIA GT3 cars, Japan's GTA-GT300 regulation cars, and the Mother Chassis platform. The 2026 season features 29 entries across these technical regulations.

Notable GT300 Entries

The SUBARU BRZ GT300 receives a new 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine based on the EG33, replacing the EJ20. Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi drive this entry, with Shunji Okumoto as reserve. Team Eneos ROOKIE enters the number 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with Hiroaki Ishiura and rookie Tokiya Suzuki. Velorex runs the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo in car 6 with Yoshiaki Katayama and Niklas Krütten. D'station Racing operates the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO in car 777 with Tomonobu Fujii and Charlie Fagg.

Team Mach fields the sole surviving GT300 Mother Chassis, the number 5 Toyota (Dome) 86 MC, with Yusuke Shiotsu confirmed as one driver. JLOC runs two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 entries, with Daniil Kvyat confirmed in one car. Seven x Seven Racing operates the Porsche 992.1 GT3 R in car 666 with Sven Müller. PONOS RACING fields the Ferrari 296 Challenge GT3 in car 45 with Kei Cozzolino and Takuro Shinohara. TEAM UPGARAGE runs the Mercedes AMG GT3 in car 18 with Takashi Kobayashi and Kotaro Shimbara.

Technical Specifications

GT500 Regulations

GT500 cars are silhouette race cars built to unified regulations. These purpose-built machines weigh less than a road-going Mazda MX-5 despite housing 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines that produce over 550 horsepower. They generate downforce comparable to Le Mans Hypercars. The 2026 season introduces several regulation changes. Teams must use one engine per season, with a 5-second stop penalty for engine changes. The standard fuel flow rate drops from 95 kg/h to 90.2 kg/h.

The revised Success Weight system adds performance restrictions. Teams carrying over 50kg of success weight face reduced engine fuel flow rates to 88 kg/h. Further thresholds introduce success refuelling restrictors that lengthen pit stop times. Aero development for GT500 cars remains frozen through 2029.

GT300 Technical Diversity

FIA GT3 cars compete under Balance of Performance regulations. These production-based GT3 cars come from various manufacturers. GTA-GT300 cars are built specifically for Super GT, often heavily modified from street-legal counterparts. The Mother Chassis platform provides teams with a standard carbon fiber monocoque, a 4.5-liter V8 engine, and common components. Teams design their cars around this base. GT300 cars use air restrictors and turbo boost pressure control for output restriction.

Super GT History

The Super GT series began as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) in 1993. The series adopted the Super GT name in 2005. Two-class racing has defined the championship throughout its history. Suzuka Circuit holds special significance as the spiritual home of Japanese motorsport. The circuit hosted the Suzuka 1000km endurance race from 2006 to 2017, which was the longest and most prestigious event on the Super GT calendar.

The 2026 season marks the final year of multi-tire manufacturer competition. Different tire brands compete against one another, with teams choosing between Bridgestone, Yokohama, and Dunlop. The series will switch to a single tire manufacturer in each class in 2027.

The Race at Suzuka

Super GT races at Suzuka Circuit have historically covered 300 kilometers. The combination of Suzuka's demanding layout and the diverse field of GT500 and GT300 cars creates compelling racing. The circuit's high-speed nature and technical sections test every aspect of car setup and driver skill. Teams must balance aerodynamic efficiency with mechanical grip while managing tire degradation across the race distance. The 2026 season grid of 43 cars promises close competition across both classes at this celebrated Japanese circuit.