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2016 Super GT Series

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2016 Super GT Series

The 2016 Autobacs Super GT Series is the 23rd season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era, and the 12th season under the name Super GT. It is the 33rd overall season of a national JAF sportscar championship. The season began on April 10 and ended on November 13, after 8 races.

Contents

Calendar Changes

  • The Super GT in Kyushu 300km at Autopolis was scheduled for May 22nd as the third round of the season but was subsequently cancelled in the aftermath of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. On May 20th, series organizers announced that the final weekend at Twin Ring Motegi would host two 250 kilometer races, with the race on Saturday being promoted as "Round 3" of the championship as it replaces the Autopolis race.
  • The SUGO GT 300km was brought forward to July from its previous date in September.
  • The overseas round at Buriram, Thailand was moved from its 2015 date of June to October. The series first visited the circuit in October 2014.

    • Team Transfers

  • Andrea Caldarelli switches from the KeePer TOM's team to the Wako's LeMans team.
  • Yuji Kunimoto moves over from Team LeMans to drive for the WedsSport BANDOH team.
  • Two-time and defending 1000 km Suzuka winner James Rossiter switches from the Petronas TOM's team to the KeePer TOM's team.
  • Takashi Kogure and Hideki Mutoh swap seats within the Honda fleet. Mutoh will drive for Drago Modulo Honda Racing alongside Oliver Turvey, while Kogure joins Koudai Tsukakoshi at Keihin Real Racing.
  • Katsumasa Chiyo steps up to the GT500 class for 2016 driving for MOLA, after helping GAINER secure their first GT300 championship last season.
  • Masataka Yanagida moves from MOLA to Kondo Racing, his third different team in four seasons.
  • Ryuichiro Tomita will now partner Andre Couto on a full-time basis in the #0 GAINER Nissan GT-R.
  • Kota Sasaki will drive a second Toyota Prius GT for apr.

    • Entering Super GT

  • Reigning Japanese Formula 3 champion Nick Cassidy joins the number 36 TOM's team. He is the first driver from New Zealand to race in the series since Mark Porter in 1998.
  • GT Academy champion and Nissan factory driver Jann Mardenborough joins the NDDP team, partnering Kazuki Hoshino.
  • Former Rolex 24 champion Jörg Bergmeister joins Excellence Porsche Team KTR on a full-time basis, after driving two rounds for the team in 2014.
  • WEC LMP1 driver Pierre Kaffer will drive for Audi Team Braille in his debut GT300 campaign.
  • Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion Yuya Motojima, as well as fellow PCCJ drivers Rintaro Kubo and Hiroaki Nagai, will race in GT300 for Team Taisan SARD, Arnage Racing, and apr respectively.
  • Shinnosuke Yamada graduates from the F4 Japanese Championship to race for Team Upgarage with Bandoh.
  • South African Adrian Zaugg and Japanese-Italian driver Kei Cozzolino will each make their Super GT debuts for Lamborghini Team Direction.

    • Leaving Super GT

  • Three-time GT500 champion Juichi Wakisaka announced his retirement from racing at the Toyota Gazoo Racing press conference on February 4. He will stay in the series as the team principal of Lexus Team Wako's LeMans.
  • Inaugural GT Academy champion Lucas Ordóñez will return to racing in Europe, competing in the Blancpain GT Series for NISMO RJN Motorsport.
  • Mitsunori Takaboshi left the series after a successful rookie season with NDDP, to drive in Blancpain GT. However, he returned for the fourth race of the season at Fuji Speedway.
  • Former GT500 champion Michael Krumm has no plans to race in Super GT in 2016, after competing for Kondo Racing last season.
  • Alexandre Imperatori leaves Super GT to focus on his World Endurance Championship campaign with Rebellion Racing.
  • Former 24h Nürburgring winner Christian Mamerow will not return to the series after running a partial campaign with Audi Team Racing Tech.

    • GT500

  • Au replaces Petronas as the title sponsor of the number 36 TOM's RC-F.
  • Petrochem company WAKO's will replace Eneos as the title sponsor of Team Le Mans.
  • Forum Engineering takes over from D'Station as the title sponsor of Kondo Racing.

    • GT300

  • Goodsmile Racing with Team UKYO, the number 11 GAINER team, LEON Racing, and Rn-sports will field the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2016.
  • EVA Racing becomes the primary sponsor of the Rn-sports AMG.
  • apr will field two new Toyota Prius GTs, with the number 31 car on Bridgestone tyres, and the number 30 on Yokohama tyres.
  • Audi Team Hitotsuyama will debut the second-generation Audi R8 LMS and switch from Yokohama to Dunlop Tyres.
  • BMW Team Studie and Autobacs Racing Team Aguri will use the new BMW M6 GT3 in 2016. ARTA switches to BMW after the retirement of their previous Honda CR-Z, while Studie receives additional support from BMW.
  • Gulf Racing have merged with Pacific Racing Team to form Gulf Racing with PACIFIC, fielding an all-new Porsche 911 GT3-R.
  • Excellence Porsche Team KTR will also field the new 911 GT3-R, and will also receive additional support from Porsche.
  • LM Corsa's number 51 team will switch from BMW to the new Ferrari 488 GT3 for 2016. The number 60 team will continue to use the Lexus RC-F GT3.
  • JLOC will be one of two teams introducing the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 to Super GT in 2016.
  • Direction Racing change their name to Lamborghini Team Direction, and will also field two Huracán GT3s.
  • After withdrawing from the 2015 season, Team Taisan have returned to GT300 in alliance with SARD.
  • Before the start of the season, an entry was announced for Audi Team Braille, with a new 2016 Audi R8 LMS and veteran World Endurance Championship driver Pierre Kaffer. However, the team never appeared in the 2016 season.

    • Mid-season changes

  • From the secound round, Team Taisan SARD have switched to a 2016 model Audi R8 LMS.

    • Championship Standings

    Scoring system

    References

    2016 Super GT Series Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA