A bumper field of 43 cars is entered for the 2022 season, with 42 of those set for battle in Sunday's 300km opener at sometime Formula 1 Pacific Grand Prix venue Okayama (formerly TI Circuit Aida).
There's change in the air at Nissan with the introduction of the new Z model in the GT500 class, and the Yokohama marque will be keen for a repeat of its debut wins in 2004 with the original Z and 2008 with the GT-R.
Toyota dominated at Okayama last year with GR Supras locking out the top five in qualifying and the top four in the race, and will be hoping for a similar performance this time round following the aerodynamic revisions it has made to the car for this season.
Defending champion Sho Tsuboi (TOM'S) will also be aiming to avenge his Okayama defeat to Rookie Racing pair Kenta Yamashita and Kazuya Oshima alongside his new teammate in the #36 car, Giuliano Alesi.
Honda also comes into 2022 with an improved car, based on the Type S version of the NSX. Attention will be focused on Team Kunimitsu duo Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino, who will not only want to avenge their narrow 2021 title loss but also honour the memory of team founder Kunimitsu Takahashi.
It's not just the car manufacturers who are battling in SUPER GT either, as there are four tyre makers all vying for the upper hand. Bridgestone has dominated the series in recent years, but Michelin, Yokohama and Dunlop will all be eager to get their campaigns off to a winning start.
In the GT300 class, there are two new cars in the form of the Toyota GR86 and the BMW M4 GT3 that could shake up the order, as Subaru bids to become the first team to successfully defend the title with the same drivers following the marque's 2021 success with its BRZ.
SUPER GT time schedule for Okayama, Round 1
Times are Local/UK time (GMT+1)/EDT/PDT
Saturday April 16
Free practice (1h45 minutes) – 9.20am/1.20am/8.20pm (Friday)/5.20pm (Friday)
Qualifying – 2pm/6am/1am/10pm (Friday)
Sunday April 17
Warm-up – 12.40am/4.40am/11.40pm (Saturday)/8.40pm (Saturday)
Race (82 laps) – 2pm/6am/1am/10pm (Saturday)
Don't see your timezone listed? Check out our SUPER GT schedule page to see the session times in your local timezone
How can I watch SUPER GT at Okayama?
Motorsport.tv will once again be offering full coverage of both qualifying and the race for every round of the 2022 SUPER GT season (subscription required and some geo-restrictions apply).
Commentary will be provided by Jake Sanson and Motorsport.com’s own expert Japanese racing analyst Jamie Klein.
Click here for further information, and to get your subscription now
SUPER GT entry list for Okayama, Round 1
GT500 class:
| Manufacturer | Team | Tyre | No. | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Z GT500
| NDDP Racing | Michelin | 3 |
|
| Team Impul | Bridgestone | 12 |
| |
| NISMO | Michelin | 23 |
| |
| Kondo Racing | Yokohama | 24 |
| |
| Toyota GR Supra
| Rookie Racing | Bridgestone | 14 |
|
| Racing Project Bandoh | Yokohama | 19 |
| |
| TOM’S
| Bridgestone
| 36
|
| |
| 37 |
| |||
| Cerumo | Bridgestone | 38 |
| |
| SARD | Bridgestone | 39 |
| |
| Honda NSX-GT (Type S)
| ARTA | Bridgestone | 8 |
|
| Team Mugen | Dunlop | 16 |
| |
| Real Racing | Bridgestone | 17 |
| |
| Nakajima Racing | Dunlop | 64 |
| |
| Team Kunimitsu | Bridgestone | 100 |
|
Katsumasa Chiyo
Bertrand Baguette
Ronnie Quintarelli
Giuliano AlesiGT300 class:
| No. | Team | Car | Tyre | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Inging | Toyota GR86 GT | B |
|
| 4 | Goodsmile Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Y |
|
| 5 | Team Mach | Toyota 86 MC | Y |
|
| 6 | Motoyama Racing | Audi R8 LMS GT3 | Y |
|
| 7 | BMW Team Studie | BMW M4 GT3 | M |
|
| 9 | Pacific CarGuy Racing | Ferrari 488 GT3 | Y |
|
| 10 | Gainer | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 | D |
|
| 11 | Gainer | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 | D |
|
| 18 | Team UpGarage | Honda NSX GT3 | Y |
|
| 20 | Shade Racing | Toyota GR86 GT | D |
|
| 22 | R'Qs Motor Sports | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Y |
|
| 25 | Team Tsuchiya | Toyota GR Supra GT300 | Y |
|
| 30 | apr | Toyota GR86 GT | Y |
|
| 31 | apr | Toyota Prius PHV GR Sport | B |
|
| 34 | Busou Drago Corse | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 | D |
|
| 48 | NILZZ Racing | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 | Y
|
|
| 50 | Arnage Racing | Toyota 86 MC | Y |
|
| 52 | Saitama Toyopet GB | Toyota GR Supra GT300 | B |
|
| 55 | ARTA | Honda NSX GT3 | B |
|
| 56 | Kondo Racing | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 | Y |
|
| 60 | LM Corsa | Toyota GR Supra GT300 | D |
|
| 61 | Subaru/R&D Sport | Subaru BRZ | D |
|
| 65 | LEON Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | B |
|
| 87 | JLOC | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | Y |
|
| 88 | JLOC | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | Y |
|
| 96 | K-tunes Racing | Lexus RC F GT3 | D |
|
| 360 | Tomei Sports | Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 | Y |
|
Augusto Farfus
