Eight GT500 Cars Set for January Sepang Test

A total of eight GT500 cars are set to participate in SUPER GT’s first test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia in four years in January.

The four-day test, set to be held on Jan. 23-24 and 26-27 (with a rest day on Jan. 25), will mark the Japanese championship’s first trip to the Malaysian circuit since early 2020, immediately prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, all pre-season testing has been held entirely in Japan, but often in cold conditions unrepresentative of the season to come.

Earlier this year, it was announced by SUPER GT organiser GTA that the Sepang test would be revived as a first step towards a potential race overseas in 2025.

According to an entry list seen by Sportscar365, the test will be contested by eight cars: three Nissan Zs, three Toyota GR Supras and two Honda Civic Type R-GTs.

Nissan is represented by the No. 12 Team Impul Z and No. 230 test car, both running on Bridgestone tires, and the Yokohama-shod No. 24 Kondo Racing car.

Toyota meanwhile will have its Bridgestone-shod No. 90 test car present alongside the No. 37 TOM’S GR Supra and the No. 19 Racing Project Bandoh car, which uses Yokohamas.

It’s understood TOM’S is running the No. 37 car, and not the title-winning No. 36 machine, because the latter is planned to be put on display and is therefore unavailable to be shipped to Malaysia in time for the test.

However, the recently-announced No. 36 pairing of Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita are likely to be part of the driver lineup for the Toyota test car.

Honda has elected not to send its development car to Sepang, meaning it will be represented by only two of its race cars: the No. 100 Team Kunimitsu car on Bridgestones and the No. 64 Nakajima Racing Civic, the sole Dunlop user in the GT500 field.

A total of 24 hours of running, six hours per day, is planned at Sepang.

The six race cars that participate in the Sepang test will only be allowed to complete an additional eight hours (equivalent to two days) of testing in Japan before the first official pre-season test takes place at Okayama International Circuit.

Cars that do not travel to Sepang will be entitled to 24 hours of private testing, which usually equates to six days of running across three two-day tests.