The Suzuka 10 Hours may be more than five months away, but twenty-seven cars across twelve different manufacturers have already committed to compete in the event at the legendary Japanese circuit.
The event, which is a joint venture between FIA GT3, GT300 and JAF GT, is expected to see even more entries to come in the months running up to the event, with entrants from full-time Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers set to be joined by competitors from both Japan’s Super GT and Super Taikyu championships, as well as the Blancpain GT Series Asia championship.
Intercontinental GT Challenge entrants Strakka Racing (Mercedes-AMG), Bentley Team M-Sport and Manthey Racing (Porsche) have all committed to the event, while an Audi entry has been logged, although the team has yet to be confirmed, though it is expected to be Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, who were victorious in the season opening Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hours in February.
The Ferrari 488 GT3 will be represented by Super Taikyu’s ARN Racing, as well as Blancpain GT Series Asia competitors HubAuto Racing, while Japanese outfit JLOC will field two Lamborghini Huracan GT3s.
The Corvette C7 GT3-R will race in the hands of Callaway Competition in conjunction with Bingo Racing, while the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 will have an entry with Super GT outfit Gainer as well as two entries from Blancpain GT Series Asia outfit KCMG.
D’Station Racing, regulars in both Super GT and Super Taikyu, will field two Porsche 991 GT3 Rs, with a further car from the German marquee being entered by Super Taikyu outfit Nissoku.
Mercedes-AMG will also be represented by Goodsmile Racing and Team Ukyo, while a fourth AMG GT3 will be entered by Super Taikyu’s RN Sports.
Audi Team Hitotsuyama will field an R8 LM3 GT3, while Modulo Drago Corse will race with a Honda NSX GT3, with a further Honda entry expected from CarGuy Racing, while three BMW M6 GT3s are expected, one from FIST–Team AAI, one from Sutekina Racing Team and a third from a yet-to-be-confirmed outfit.
Super GT outfits Tokai Dream28 and Team UpGarage are both confirmed to race with JAF GT-spec machines, with the former running with a Lotus Evora MC and the latter with a Toyota GT86 MC.
All cars will be set to the same Balance of Performance levels to ensure close competition throughout the field, while standardised Pirelli tyres and prize money of 100-million Yen has already been confirmed.
