Super GT will head outside Japan next 12 months for the primary time because the COVID-19 pandemic. The championship’s first-ever night race at Sepang in Malaysia, which was as a result of happen in 2020 but was cut short by the outbreak of the worldwide health crisis, was a part of the series’ 2025 calendar released earlier this month.
You’ll be hard-pressed to search out anyone within the Super GT paddock who isn’t enthusiastic about heading to Sepang. There were strong indications that the previous Malaysian Grand Prix venue, the unique ‘Tilkedrome’ (and still arguably the very best), can be added to the calendar after the manufacturer’s GT500 test took place there in January for the primary time because the pandemic.
Masaaki Bandoh, head of the GTA organization that promotes the series, was a notable guest within the paddock on the time, talking to Malaysian government officials a couple of deal to bring Super GT back to Sepang for the primary time since 2013.
Bandoh-san revealed last 12 months, after Japan finally fully opened its borders to the world, that talks were underway with a lot of locations within the Asian region about hosting Super GT, including Buriram in Thailand, where the series raced from 2014 to 2019, and Shanghai. However, Sepang had at all times been considered a favorite as a result of its popularity as a testing venue, in addition to the Malaysian government’s willingness to assist develop the event.
Final details still must be ironed out before the signing ceremony later this month at Suzuka, however the plan is for the race to happen on Saturday evening under floodlights, avoiding the warmth. Qualifying would happen on Friday evening.
“We had winter testing there and it’s a shame we’re going to such a nice track just for testing!” two-time Sepang Nissan winner Ronnie Quintarelli told Motorsport.com. “It’s a very nice circuit, very demanding on the tyres with fast corners, especially at the front, and lots of overtaking opportunities. It’s great to have it back on the calendar.”
Sepang was previously a fixture on the Super GT calendar and its return for the primary time since 2013 is a welcome sight within the paddock
Photo: Yasushi Ishihara
Super GT sees the necessity to hold races outside of Japan as essential to meeting the demands of a global series (it has been 20 years because the series was generally known as the All-Japan GT Championship), to expand the fan base and to supply manufacturers with an extra incentive by giving them a platform to advertise their products to a wider audience. As such, it could not be surprising if the revamped Sepang race proved to be step one towards an expanded presence within the Asian region.
Bandoh-san has repeatedly suggested that this might take the shape of a “winter series,” with multiple races placed together in the course of the regular off-season between November and March, in the course of the Japanese winter. But that’s not all.
Japan’s other top-level series, Super Formula, can be planning to carry a global round next 12 months, even though it’s still unclear whether it’ll occur. When the provisional Super Formula calendar for 2025 was released earlier this month, it listed a date simply as “South Korea.”
It is just not known whether the Inje event will see the sunshine of day, but South Korea's plan might be seen as clear evidence that Super Formula is serious about its ambitions to change into a series spanning much of Asia
The intended venue for the event is thought to be the Inje Speedium, which has hosted events similar to the Asian Le Mans Series up to now and was set to host the World Touring Car Cup in 2020 before the pandemic. Assuming it’s Inje – there’s been no confirmation from Super Formula – it could be the primary time such a high-end single-seater race has taken place on the circuit, which is a two-hour drive from Seoul in Gangwon Province.
Super Formula organiser JRP has a history with Inje. The race was as a result of happen there in 2013, which might have been the championship’s first overseas race because it got here to Sepang in 2004, but was cancelled on the last minute as a result of Inje’s lack of preparation, including failing to realize the required FIA Grade 2 classification on time.
At the time, the track was still in its infancy, with the Super Taikyu race held in early 2013 as a ‘pilot’ event. The track is now rather more established, hosting the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia earlier this 12 months, in addition to domestic events, although there are concerns in regards to the unevenness of the track, in addition to the prices related to visiting Korea.
Super Formula could also enterprise beyond Japan next season and head to South Korea after its last planned visit in 2013 was cancelled
Photo: Masahide Kamio
Like Super GT, JRP bosses have increasingly talked about expanding overseas in recent times, however the inclusion of South Korea on the 2025 calendar got here as a surprise to many, not least due to what happened last time Inje was as a result of host a race.
It stays to be seen whether the Inje event will see the sunshine of day, however the South Korean plan could possibly be seen as clear evidence that Super Formula is serious about its ambitions to change into a series spanning much of Asia that might attract fans and drivers from outside Japan.
With Super GT set to return to Sepang and the Suzuka 1000km set to resume next 12 months, Super Formula’s move is one other sure sign that Japanese motorsport is able to put the difficult years of the pandemic behind it and start constructing a more international future.
Is Japanese motorsport finally beginning to get well from the difficult years of the pandemic?
Photo: Kazuya Minakoshi
