2026 Super GT Series
Sho Tsuboi & Kenta Yamashita, driving for TGR Team au TOM'S, are the defending GT500 drivers' champions. Togo Suganami & Naoya Gamou, driving for K2 R&D LEON Racing, are the defending GT300 drivers' champions.
The 2026 Super GT Series (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2026 Autobacs Super GT Series) is a planned motor racing championship based in Japan for grand touring cars, which will be the thirty-fourth season of the Super GT series, tracing its lineage to the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship era. It is the twenty-second season for the series under the Super GT name, and the forty-fourth season of a Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) national sportscar championship, dating back to the All Japan Endurance/Sports Prototype Championship.
TGR Team TOM'S drivers Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita enter the season as the defending champions of the GT500 class.
Calendar
The provisional calendar for 2026 was confirmed on 5 August 2025, which consists of eight races.[1] On 9 January 2026, the dates of the Sepang International Circuit round were shifted from 19–20 June to 20–21 June.[2]
| Round | Race | Circuit | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Okayama GT 300 km Race | Okayama International Circuit | Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture | 11–12 April |
| 2 | Fuji GT 3 Hours Race | Fuji Speedway | Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture | 3–4 May |
| 3 | Sepang GT 300 km Race | Sepang International Circuit | Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia | 20–21 June |
| 4 | Fuji GT 300 km Race | Fuji Speedway | Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture | 1–2 August |
| 5 | Suzuka GT 300 km Race | Suzuka Circuit | Suzuka, Mie Prefecture | 22–23 August |
| 6 | Sugo GT 300 km Race | Sportsland Sugo | Murata, Miyagi Prefecture | 19–20 September |
| 7 | Autopolis GT 3 Hours Race | Autopolis | Hita, Oita Prefecture | 17–18 October |
| 8 | Motegi GT 300 km Race | Mobility Resort Motegi | Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture | 7–8 November |
Regulation changes
On 19 October 2025, it was announced that the 2026 season would be the last with different tire manufacturers competing against one another. The series will switch to a single tire manufacturer in each class in 2027.[3]
Teams are now only permitted to use one engine per season, and the standard fuel flow rate of GT500 engines has been reduced from 95 kilogrammes per hour to 90.2 kg/h.[4]
GT500 Success Weight has been modified. Once a car accumulates over 50 kilogrammes of Success Weight, the engine fuel flow rate is reduced to 88 kg/h. When that car accumulates more than 67 kg of Success Weight, a "success refuelling restrictor" is installed in to lengthen the refuelling time during pit stops. An even smaller restrictor is installed once the car accumulates more than 84 kg of Success Weight. In addition, none of the original 50 kg of physical ballast weight is removed until the Success Weight is reduced over the final two rounds of the season.[4]
| 2026 GT500 Success Weight Formula[4][5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Success Weight (SW) | 0–50 kg | 51–67 kg | 68–84 kg | 85–100 kg |
| Ballast weight | 0–50 kg | 50kg | ||
| Engine fuel flow rate | 90.2 kg/h | 88.0 kg/h | ||
| Success fuelling restrictor | Standard (25mm) | Level 1 (21mm) | Level 2 (19mm) | |
No individual can serve as both an active racing driver and as a team director simultaneously.[4]
Teams and drivers
GT500
GT500 vehicle changes
- Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) introduced the new HRC Prelude-GT as its GT500 vehicle, replacing the Civic Type R-GT after two seasons.[9][10]
GT500 entrant changes
Nissan announced its line-ups on 9 December 2025.[7]
- Two-time GT500 Champion Tsugio Matsuda retired from Super GT after 20 seasons as a Nissan GT500 driver, and 26 seasons in GT500 in total.[11] Matsuda become the new team director for NISMO, replacing Takeshi Nakajima. Atsushi Miyake transferred from NISMO NDDP to Kondo Racing, replacing Matsuda in the No. 24 car. Kondo Racing will also switch to Bridgestone tires, after competing in GT500 with Yokohama for 20 years.
- NISMO scaled down to one car from two, discontinuing the No. 3 car that had been running under the NISMO NDDP banner. Daiki Sasaki was retained by Nissan as its GT500 reserve driver.[12]
Toyota announced its driver line-ups on 19 December 2025.[8]
- TGR Team au TOM'S will revert to using the number 36 instead of the number 1 reserved for the reigning GT500 champion team.[8][13]
- TGR-DC driver Rikuto Kobayashi was promoted to GT500 with TGR Team KeePer Cerumo after two seasons in GT300. He will replace Hiroaki Ishiura, who retired from racing in GT500 after 18 seasons and will move to GT300 with Team ENEOS Rookie.[14][15]
Honda announced its driver line-ups on 23 December 2025.[16]
- The No. 8 ARTA Honda will be operated as a works team with direct support from HRC. The No. 8 car will be driven by Kakunoshin Ohta, who returns to the series after a year away, and Hiroki Otsu, who moves over from the No. 16 car. They replace Tomoki Nojiri, who will now drive the No. 16 car alongside Ren Sato, and Nobuharu Matsushita, who will drive exclusively in the Super Formula Championship for Honda customer team Delightworks Racing.
- 2025 Super Formula Lights champion and GT300 class race winner Yuto Nomura was promoted to GT500 with Real Racing, replacing Syun Koide, who will serve as Honda's GT500 reserve driver.
- Nakajima Racing Super Formula driver Igor Omura Fraga was promoted to drive the team's GT500 car after three years in GT300 with Anest Iwata Racing. Fraga replaces Takuya Izawa, who retired from the series after 17 years to become the new Team Director.[17][13]
GT300
GT300 vehicle changes
- Ferrari customer team Ponos Racing will receive the new Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo package. Velorex and CarGuy MKS Racing are expected to receive theirs during the season.[13][37]
- Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific customer team Seven x Seven Racing will receive the updated Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2).[34]
- SHADE Racing replaced its Toyota GR86 GT300 with the Lexus RC F GT3.[24]
- R&D Sport replaced the No. 61 Subaru BRZ GT300's four-cylinder EJ20 engine with the six-cylinder EG33 engine used in the Subaru Alcyone SVX.[29]
- Anest Iwata Racing replaced its Lexus RC F with the Nissan Fairlady Z GT300.[22]
- Pacific Racing Team replaced its Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, marking the first outing in Super GT for the latest version of the M4 and bringing BMW M back to the championship for the first time since 2024.[21]
GT300 entrant changes
- Kazuhisa Urabe was promoted to a full-time seat at Inging Motorsport, replacing apr bound Hibiki Taira.[8]
- Former Inging driver Hibiki Taira will drive the No. 30 apr Toyota GR86 GT300, which will revert to Yokohama tires after a season with Michelin. Kazuto Kotaka returns to the GT300 class to the No. 31 apr Lexus LC500h after serving as Toyota's GT500 reserve driver, replacing Oliver Rasmussen. Manabu Orido remained with the No. 30 GR86 as its third driver, and FIA Formula 3 Championship alumni Charlie Wurz will make his GT300 debut as the third driver of the No. 31 LC500h for apr, replacing Yuki Nemoto.[8]
- FIA F4 Japanese Championship graduate Ryota Horachi will make his series debut with Hoppy Team Tsuchiya, with Kimiya Sato move to Super Taikyu ST-Z class with Aoyama Gakuin Automobile Club.[25][38]
- K-tunes Racing changed tyre suppliers from Dunlop to Bridgestone.[33]
- Reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion Iori Kimura joined Kondo Racing from Team Mach. Kimura replaces last season's championship runner-up Kohei Hirate, who left Nissan and will take a year sabbatical from racing.[12][39][40]
- Team UpGarage will receive technical support from Real Racing, replacing Servus Japan. HFDP driver and F4 Japan graduate Kotaro Shimbara will make his series debut, replacing newly-promoted GT500 driver Yuto Nomura.[6][23]
- Rookie Racing expanded its presence into GT300 class by entering the No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. 2007 GT300 champion Hiroaki Ishiura returns to the category after 18 seasons in GT500, and reigning FIA F4 Japanese Champion Tokiya Suzuki will make his series debut.[26] The team will use Bridgestone tires.[15]
- Along with the change to the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Pacific Racing Team changed tire suppliers from Yokohama to Michelin. Yuta Fujiwara has been promoted to a full-time driver, replacing new Sporting Director, Ryohei Sakaguchi. Rintaro Kubo returns to the series for the first time since 2020 as Pacific's third driver.[21]
- Former Formula One driver and current Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory driver Daniil Kvyat will make his series debut with JLOC.[32] Kvyat will drive the No. 88 car alongside Takashi Kogure. Yuya Motojima, who won the 2024 GT300 championship alongside Kogure, moves to the No. 87 car to drive alongside Kosuke Matsuura. Natsu Sakaguchi has been retained as a reserve driver for JLOC, joined by returning 2023 GT300 champion Kohta Kawaai.[31]
- Two-time Super Taikyu TCR champion Lee Jungwoo will make his series debut with Anest Iwata Racing, replacing newly-promoted GT500 driver Igor Fraga.[22]
- 2025 Formula Regional Japanese Champion Kiyoshi Umegaki will make his GT300 debut with CarGuy MKS Racing, replacing newly-promoted GT500 driver Rikuto Kobayashi.[8] 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Japan champion and former LM corsa driver Reimei Ito joins the team as the third driver.[20]
- Porsche contracted driver and GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion Sven Müller will return to the series for the first time in eight years, joining Seven x Seven Racing. Müller replaces Harry King, who left the series to compete full-time in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with AO Racing.[35][41] Seven x Seven Racing also saw Tsubasa Kondo left to compete in GT World Challenge Asia with Porsche Centre Okazaki.[42] they signed reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East champion Taichi Watarai to be their third driver.[13]
- Former BMW M Team Studie driver Niklas Krütten returns to the series after a year away, replacing Roberto Merhi at Velorex.[13]
- Ponos Racing changed tire suppliers from Dunlop to Yokohama.[27]
- Former GT World Challenge Europe and Super Taikyu Series driver James Pull will make his series debut with Nilzz Racing, replacing Yusaku Shibata.[28]
- Former Red Bull and HFDP driver Souta Arao will make his series debut with Team Mach, replacing Kondo-bound driver Iori Kimura.[19]
- Tomei Sports signed Yu Kanamaru, who competed in GT World Challenge Asia with Team 5ZIGEN, with Takayuki Aoki going the other way and Hironobu Shimizu compete in Super Taikyu ST-Z with Aoyama Gakuin Automobile Club.[12][38]
Results
Drivers credited with winning Pole Position and the race's fastest lap for their respective teams are indicated in bold text.
| Round | Circuit | Class | Pole position | Fastest lap | Race winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Okayama 300 km | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 2 | Fuji 3 Hours | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 3 | Sepang 300 km | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 4 | Fuji 300 km | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 5 | Suzuka 300 km | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 6 | Sugo 300 km | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 7 | Autopolis 3 Hours | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
| 8 | Motegi 300 km | GT500 | |||
| GT300 | |||||
Championship standings
Drivers' championships
- Race points
- Scoring system
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | Pole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT500 Points | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| GT300 Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Notes
- ^ Kvyat is a Russian driver competing under Italian license, as Russian national emblems were banned by the FIA following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
References
- ^ Klein, Jamie (5 August 2025). "Largely Unchanged 2026 Calendar Revealed". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Small modifications to the 2026 SUPER GT calendar｜SUPER GT オフィシャルサイト". SUPER GT オフィシャルサイト. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (19 October 2025). "Super GT's long-running tyre war to end after 2026". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d O’Connell, R. J. (2026-02-12). "Changes To 2026 SUPER GT Sporting Regulations Revealed". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
- ^ "【2026 SUPER GT規定改定】GT500車両の使用エンジンは更なる耐久性向上を目指し年間1基に制限。またGT500クラスにもサクセス給油リストリクターを導入。【3月14日更新】｜SUPER GT オフィシャルサイト". SUPER GT オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ^ a b c d e f "Honda 2026 Motorsports Program Overview". Honda. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Nissan/NMC announces 2026 Super GT GT500 team lineups". Nismo. 9 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Presents its 2026 motorsport team setups in Japan". Toyota Gazoo Racing. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (30 September 2025). "Honda Reveals Prelude GT500 Car for 2026". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (30 September 2025). "Honda reveals new Prelude GT500 challenger for 2026 Super GT season". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ^ "Tsugio Matsuda to retire from SUPER GT after 2025 season". NISMO. Nissan. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Nissan and NMC announces motorsports programs for 2026". Nismo. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i O'Connell, RJ (18 February 2026). "2026 SUPER GT Series Entry List Revealed". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ O'Connell, RJ (25 July 2025). "Hiroaki Ishiura Announces SUPER GT GT500 Retirement". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "SUPER GT 2026 SERIES 体制発表". Rookie Racing. 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (23 December 2025). "Honda Reveals GT500 Roster, ARTA Gains Works Status". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (21 August 2025). "Honda Veteran Izawa Calls Time on GT500 Career". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (13 December 2025). "Goodsmile Racing Switches Service Provider". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (23 February 2026). "Team Mach Signs Former Honda Junior Arao". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (16 February 2026). "CarGuy MKS Confirms Umegaki Alongside O'Sullivan". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ a b c O'Connell, RJ (17 February 2026). "Pacific Racing Team Switches To BMW For 2026". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ a b c O'Connell, RJ (15 February 2026). "Anest Iwata Gainer Racing To Run GT300 Nissan Z". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (9 January 2026). "Team UpGarage Confirms Real Tie-Up, Signs Shimbara". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (25 December 2025). "Shade Racing Switches to RC F GT3 After Troubled Year". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ a b O'Connell, RJ (5 February 2026). "Hoppy Team Tsuchiya Announces 2026 GT300 Programme". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ a b O'Connell, RJ (11 January 2026). "ROOKIE Racing Announces GT300 Entry With Mercedes-AMG GT3". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ a b "「PONOS RACING」2026年シーズン参戦体制のお知らせ" ["PONOS RACING" 2026 season participation system announcement]. PONOS Racing (in Japanese). 20 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (20 February 2026). "JLOC Finalizes GT300 Lineups, Pairs Kvyat With Kogure". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ a b "2026 SUBARU Motorsport Activities". Subaru. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ O'Connell, RJ (5 February 2026). "LEON Racing Renews Champions Gamou, Suganami For 2026". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ a b c O'Connell, RJ (20 February 2026). "JLOC Announces 2026 Driver Line-Ups". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (9 February 2026). "Kvyat to Race for JLOC With Lamborghini Backing". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (14 February 2026). "K-tunes Racing to Field Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Japan Cup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (4 December 2025). "Ferrari, Porsche GT300 Teams Set for Evo Upgrades". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ a b Klein, Jamie (16 February 2026). "Mueller to Make GT300 Return With Seven x Seven Racing". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
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- ^ Klein, Jamie (18 February 2026). "Kruetten Replaces Merhi as 43-Car Entry List Revealed". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ a b "第1戦 もてぎスーパー耐久". Super Taikyu Series. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (3 November 2025). "Hirate Parts Ways With Nissan After Title Near-Miss". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ O'Connell, RJ (22 February 2026). "Kohei Hirate Announces SUPER GT Sabbatical". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Dagys, John (November 26, 2025). "Tandy Moves to AO in All-New Full Season GTD Pro Lineup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
- ^ "Nagai, Kotaka, Uchiyama and Kondo return with Porsche Center Okazaki". gt-world-challenge-asia.com. SRO Motorsports Group. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.