Latest Suzuka 10 Hours entry list features 40 cars
25 entries now nominated for Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli
The provisional entry for August’s Suzuka 10 Hours now stands at 40 thanks to the addition of five new cars, while the number of Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli-nominated entries has also increased to 25.
The first provisional entry list issued in April featured 37 cars. And although two of those were subsequently withdrawn, their places have been taken by five new entrants from Japan, Asia and Australia.
Two additional NSX GT3s increase Honda’s total to four on home soil where Modulo Drago Corse has also been nominated to score #IntGTC points alongside Team Motul and UpGarage. The team’s Super GT300 duo of Ryo Michigami and Hiroki Otsu are joined by one of the manufacturer’s GT500 drivers, Daisuke Nakajima.
The other new NSX GT3 is entered by Arrows Racing whose all-Am crew comprising Philip Ma and Licka Lu compete in Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia.
The latest list also features a new Nissan. Tairoku Racing has added a second, Pro-crewed GT-R NISMO to its roster after confirming its Super Taikyu drivers, Harrison Newey and Nicolas Costa, will be joined by multiple Super GT and Formula Nippon champion Satoshi Motoyama. They, like KCMG’s two entries, are also eligible to score #IntGTC points for Nissan at Suzuka.
Wall Racing’s Bathurst 12 Hour crew of Adrian Deitz, Cameron McConville and Tony D’Alberto are also making the trip from Australia to Japan with their Lamborghini, while Hong Kong squad Craft-Bamboo Racing – which recently claimed a Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia victory at Suzuka – has added a second Mercedes-AMG.
Elsewhere, the withdrawal of EBM and Absolute Racing’s second Porsches sees the manufacturer’s third and fourth #IntGTC nominations switch to LM Corsa and AMAC Motorsport whose participation was confirmed in April.
Team UpGarage were also on the initial list but have now been selected as one of Honda’s #IntGTC-nominated teams. Their regular Super GT300 crew of Takashi Kobayashi and Kosuke Matsuura is bolstered by current Super Formula driver Tadasuke Makino who won in FIA Formula 2 last season.
The list continues to feature 13 manufacturers, eight of which are registered to score points in 2019’s five Intercontinental GT Challenge events.
This year’s 48th Summer Endurance Race at Suzuka takes place on August 23-25. The Intercontinental GT Challenge reaches its halfway mark at the Total 24 Hours of Spa one month earlier (July 25-28) before culminating with the revived Kyalami 9 Hour in South Africa on November 21-23.
