Watch out for the veteran driver duo who represent the SUPER GT
The 2024 season of SUPER GT, Japan’s premier GT car race, began at Okayama International Circuit in Okayama Prefecture on 13-14 April 2024. In contrast to the GT500 class, in which three manufacturers (Toyota, Nissan, and Honda) compete, the GT300 class has become a kind of cross-fighting competition with import car brands mixed in. Here we introduce the machines competing in the GT300 class. In this sixth volume, we bring you Car No. 88 to No. 777!
The D’station, returning after a long absence, will take on the 2024 season with a strong line-up
Car 88 “JLOC Lamborghini GT3” from JLOC, the same team as car 87, will also have the same driver lineup, with Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima joining the team. The 2023 season ended with a win in the final round at Motegi and a 7th-place finish in the series standings. With his strong performance, he will inevitably be aiming for even higher positions in the 2024 season.
Car 96, the K-tunes RC F GT3, continues the veteran duo who have competed in SUPER GT for many years. Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi both know the GT300 class inside out, and their battle in the 2024 season will be closely watched. The car is the Lexus RC F GT3, which has matured over the years. They will be one of the few domestic GT3 machines to take on the powerful European GT3 teams.
Takuya Otaki, Takayuki Aoki, Rin Arakawa and Atsushi Tanaka are the annual entries for Car 360 “RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R”. The opening round in Okayama will be contested by Otaki and Aoki. The machine is the Nissan “GT-R Nismo GT3”, which is also undergoing maturation. Aoki, who has been competing since the days of the All Japan GT Championship, will be looking to show off his driving skills, and although he, unfortunately, did not score any points in the 2023 season, he will be aiming to score points in 2024.
The No. 777 D’station Vantage GT3 will make its first entry for the 2020 season. The drivers are the team’s ace drivers, Tomonobu Fujii and Marko Sørensen. Marco Sørensen is a works driver for Aston Martin and a former WEC World Endurance Championship champion. He knows the Vantage GT3 inside out and will be a welcome addition to the team. Fujii knows the Super GT inside out, and Marco knows the car inside out. With these two working together, the team is sure to show its strength from the opening round.
The attraction of the GT300 class, where a wide variety of machines battle it out, is that it is a different battle from the fierce battle between domestic manufacturers in the GT500 class. There are probably not many races where everyone from foreign works drivers to Japanese gentleman drivers compete. That is why every race is a high-profile battle and drama. We hope that you will continue to watch the 2024 season right up to the final race.
