Dunlop, Yokohama Gear Up for Suzuka GT500 Testing

Dunlop and Yokohama teams will both participate in an in-season SUPER GT test next week at Suzuka, the first of series of on-track opportunities to be held in the two-month gap until the next round of the season at Fuji Speedway in August.

The Suzuka test on June 2-3 is set to feature five cars, including two GT500s: the Dunlop-shod No. 64 Nakajima Racing Honda HRC Prelude-GT and the No. 19 Racing Project Bandoh Toyota GR Supra that uses Yokohama rubber.

They will be joined on-track by a JLOC Yokohama test car, understood to be one of the team’s old EVO1 spec Lamborghini Huracan GT3s, Nakajima’s Honda NSX GT3 mule car on Dunlops and an additional Porsche Cup car fielded by Dunlop itself.

Nakajima team director Takuya Izawa is expected to drive the NSX with the team’s regular duo on GT500 duties, while Tetsuya Tanaka, the former GT500 and GT300 racer who now serves as D’station Racing’s team supervisor, is set to pilot the Porsche.

It comes as Dunlop prepares for its still unannounced role as the sole supplier for the GT300 class from next season onwards, once SUPER GT’s tire war comes to an end.

Bridgestone will not be involved in next week’s test, but will instead hold a gathering of its own at Suzuka on June 25-26, expected to feature the No. 12 Team Impul Nissan Z NISMO, the No. 100 Team Kunimitsu Honda and the No. 90 Toyota test car.

A further test is slated to be held by Bridgestone at Sportsland Sugo on July 20-21, likely involving the same three cars.

SUPER GT’s 2026 campaign is set to resume at Fuji Speedway on August 1-2.