August 18, 2025
33 Cars Entered in the SUZUKA 1000km! IGTC Title Battle Intensifies
Key Points
Point 1. BMW's WRT to Participate in the Summer Endurance RacePoint 2. Title Rivals Separated by Only 2 Points
Point 3. Current IndyCar Driver Scott McLaughlin to Compete from JMR Corvette
With less than a month remaining until the event, this historic 49th summer endurance race corresponds to Round 4 of the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). Initially, a provisional entry list of 30 cars was released, but following the August 4 entry application deadline, it was confirmed that 33 cars will participate.
Also, the driver lineups are listed in this entry list.
Among the world’s star drivers, Augusto Farfus and Kelvin van der Linde, who are only 2 points apart in the IGTC standings, will drive car numbers 31 and 32 respectively. At the 2019 Suzuka10H, van der Linde took the victory, but it was Farfus who secured pole position in qualifying.
Including WRT's entry, there are several teams that were not yet listed in the provisional entry list announced in July. It has also been newly decided that K-tunes Racing's Ferrari and Runup Sport's Nissan, both participating in the Japan Cup, will join the race.
On the other hand, the No. 19 Lamborghini has withdrawn its entry. As a result, the number of participating manufacturers has become eight. Among the 33 entries, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche, which account for 26 cars, are eligible to earn points in the IGTC manufacturer and driver rankings.
Among them, the 11 cars competing in the Pro class are expected to contend for the overall victory.
Particularly attracting attention are the three Porsche cars, each adorned with special heritage colorings. Among the Porsche contenders, the most promising IGTC driver champion, Alessio Picariello, will drive a car that pays homage to the Kremer Racing design that won the 1981 Suzuka 1000km, alongside Bastian Buus and Laurin Heinrich.
Another car is the No. 23, affectionately known as the Pink Pig, which first appeared in 1971 as the Porsche 917/20 and celebrated victory when it made a comeback at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans. The driver lineup includes Klaus Bachler, Dorian Boccolacci, and Patrick Niederhauser. The final car is the No. 7, sporting the Joest Racing livery that won Le Mans during the Group C era. The lineup features champion Lawrence Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, and Patrick Pilet.
From Mercedes-AMG, GMR, which won the inaugural IGTC Suzuka 10H in 2018, will participate. Additionally, attention is focused on the lineups of Craft-Bamboo and Goodsmile Racing, which is composed solely of Japanese drivers. The favorite to win for Ferrari is likely MAEZAWA RACING, which employs factory driver Thomas Neubauer.
Although Corvette cannot earn IGTC points, from the Pro class, works drivers Alexander Sims and Nick Catsburg will participate, along with Supercar Champion and active INDYCAR driver Scott McLaughlin. McLaughlin uses a General Motors engine in INDYCAR, and his return to IGTC competition for the first time since 2018 is not to be missed.
Nissan, familiar to domestic fans, is also entered in the Pro class. From Team Handwork Challenge, Daiki Sasaki, Atsushi Miyake, and Iori Kimura will participate.
Other notable drivers include Rafael Marchelo, who won the 2018 Suzuka 10H, and current champion Charles Weerts, both competing in car number 32. Additionally, Kaku Ota, active in SUPER FORMULA, will challenge from Craft-Bamboo alongside Maximilian Götz and Ralf Aron. Giancarlo Fisichella, who has won in F1, is entered by LM Corsa, making for a truly star-studded entry list.
Furthermore, there are 5 drivers participating in the Independent Cup, which has the largest entry since the IGTC was established in 2016. There are 12 entries in the Bronze class, one more than the Pro class, 6 in the Pro-Am class, 3 in the Silver class, and 1 in the Am class.
Article provided by: SRO
