August 8, 2025

A Numerical Review of This Season's IGTC

The state of affairs in 2019

　From September 12 (Fri) to 14 (Sun), the "2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge Round 4 49th SUZUKA 1000km" will be held at SUZUKA CIRCUIT. For those wondering, "What’s different about the 1000km race compared to the usual races?", this time we want to explain the differences mainly using numbers.

　The race is a timed event aiming to reach "1000km" over a period of "6 hours and 30 minutes". By the way, the distance of 1000km can be easily imagined as a round trip between Tokyo and Osaka. The FIA-GT3 cars used in this event have fuel efficiency and a 1 stint* maximum continuous driving time per driver of "65 minutes", so it is expected that a pit stop will be required about once every hour. Therefore, the basic strategy for the race is anticipated to be "6 pit stops" and "7 stints".

*Stint: The section during which a driver continuously drives without pitting

The state of affairs in 2019

　One notable feature of the pit stops is the set "minimum pit stop time." While regular domestic races do not specify a stop time during pit stops, the Intercontinental GT Challenge, where various GT3 cars compete, sets a minimum pit stop time from entering the pit lane, performing pit work, to exiting back onto the course. This time varies depending on the event, but for the 2019 Suzuka 10-hour endurance race, it was set at "83 seconds". This rule helps minimize advantages or disadvantages related to fuel efficiency and refueling times among different car models.

　As one of the rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which spans across 5 continents, the participating teams are expected to be quite diverse. In the previous round, the Spa 24 Hours race, a total of 76 cars from 10 manufacturers—Audi, Aston Martin, Chevrolet, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Porsche, Mercedes, McLaren, and Lamborghini—entered. >>Here is the 2025 SUZUKA 1000km entry list (PDF:244KB)

The state of affairs in 2019

　Also, while in regular GT3 races up to two drivers per team are usually registered, in the SUZUKA 1000km, due to the long race distance, almost all teams will compete with three drivers per car. In the 2019 Suzuka 10 Hours Endurance Race, with 36 participating cars, each team had three drivers, totaling "17 countries" and "108 drivers" on the entry list.

　The Intercontinental GT Challenge categorizes drivers into four classes—Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze—based on their achievements and skill levels. The races are also divided into "4 classes"—'PRO,' 'PRO-AM,' 'SILVER,' and 'AM'—according to the driver combinations.

　This year's SUZUKA 1000km will feature a variety of drivers running on SUZUKA CIRCUIT, one of Japan's premier drivers' courses, including not only works drivers* from automobile manufacturers competing in GT3 races worldwide, but also professional drivers who usually race in categories different from GT3, as well as amateur drivers.

*Works Driver: A professional driver who has a direct contract with an automobile manufacturer and competes in races representing that manufacturer.