How powerful is the Honda Civic Type R?
On 13-14 April 2024, the 2024 season of SUPER GT, Japan’s premier GT car race, began at Okayama International Circuit in Okayama Prefecture. The GT500 class, in which three manufacturers, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, compete, is a fierce battleground where the top drivers are engaged in heated battles every race. This video introduces the cars competing in the GT500 class. In this first installment, we bring you Car No. 3 to Car No. 16!
Both ARTA cars are taking on the season with new combinations
Honda has changed cars from the NSX, which it had competed in for many years, to the Civic Type R. The prestigious ARTA team will run two cars, but has changed its driver line-up: in Car 8, Tomoki Nojiri will remain in the same car, but Toshiki Oyu has been replaced by Nobuharu Matsushita; in Car 16, Hiroki Otsu will continue to drive, and Ren Sato has joined the team to replace Nirei Fukuzumi who has left the team.
Matsushita moved to Nissan in the 2021 season, but returned to Honda in the 2022 season. Ren Sato entered the GT300 class with ARTA in 2021, but stayed away from SUPER GT until 2023. In 2024, he will return to SUPER GT with ARTA, this time in the GT500 class. It will be interesting to see what kind of synergy will be created by the addition of both drivers to the team.
Nissan has a lot to talk about, including driver line-up changes
The Nissan camp entered its third season with a machine change from the GT-R to the Fairlady Z. Car 3, the Niterra MOTUL Z, has changed its driver line-up. Mitsunori Takaboshi will continue with the team from the 2023 season, but his partner Katsumasa Chiyo has moved to car no. 23. The replacement is Atsushi Miyake, who has competed in the GT300 class in SUPER GT, but this will be his first attempt in the GT500 class.
The driver line-up for No. 12 MARELLI IMPUL Z remains unchanged, with Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette, who finished fifth in the drivers’ standings in the 2023 season. The pair are both talented drivers, and we look forward to their performance in the 2024 season. Until 2023, the car was called MARELLI, but it was still Calsonic blue. However, from the 2024 season, it will be dark blue, and the team will be aiming to regain the championship title with a fresh look.
Noteworthy is the transfer of Nirei Fukuzumi from Honda to Toyota
Car 14, the ENEOS X PRIME GR Supra, will retain Kazuya Oshima but team up with Nirei Fukuzumi, who moved from Honda to Toyota to replace Kenta Yamashita, who moved to TOM’S. It will be interesting to see how Fukuzumi, a Honda-trained driver, will handle the ‘GR Supra’.
Check out the running of the GT500 class cars on video!
translated by DeepL