August 8, 2025

A Numerical Review of This Season's IGTC

The state of the race 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 machines 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 approximately 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 the race in 2019

　One distinctive feature of these pit stops is the set "minimum pit stop time." Unlike regular domestic races where there is no fixed stop time during pit stops, the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which features various GT3 vehicles competing, establishes 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 including Audi, Aston Martin, Chevrolet, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Porsche, Mercedes, McLaren, and Lamborghini entered. >>Click here for the 2025 Suzuka 1000km entry list (PDF:244KB)

The state of the race in 2019

　Also, while in regular GT3 races a team usually registers up to two drivers, in the Suzuka 1000km, due to the long race distance, almost all teams 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 not only the works drivers* from automobile manufacturers competing in GT3 races worldwide, but also professional drivers who usually race in categories other than GT3, as well as amateur drivers. A variety of drivers will be racing on Suzuka Circuit, one of Japan's premier driver's courses.

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