PETRONAS Syntium Team
Super Taikyu Endurance Series
Season 2009
Japan's motorsports landscape offers fans an assortment of different series featuring some of the best racing in the region. To add to the popular single-seaters formula car racing series like the Formula Nippon and All Japan Formula 3, the "Box Car" category is commonly associated with the popular Japan GT series and the Super Taikyu Endurance series.
The demand for the country's own endurance and touring car series gathered momentum in the early 1990's which led to the creation of the All Japan Touring Car Championship or JTCC in 1994. Drawing participation of the best touring car drivers and teams in the nation, the series ran for four seasons until 1998 before eventually switching to adopt an endurance format. This led to the rebirth of the championship with the creation of the Super Taikyu Endurance Series in 1999.
As the premier endurance series in Asia, the Super Taikyu Endurance Series has since 1999 gained popularity drawing participation of over 35 cars on the grid at every round. The stock-car series is divided into four different categories boasting some of the widest variety of race cars. Among the different cars participating in the series are the BMW M3; Honda NSX; Integra DC5 and S2000; Mitsubishi EVO; Subaru WRX; Mazda RX7 and RX8; Nissan 350ZX; Toyota Lexus GS450H; and the Porsche GT3 models, to name a few. The addition of the PETRONAS Syntium Team to the line-up in 2007 brought a new marquee to the grid with the BMW Z4M Coupe.
Aside from rounds held at arguably the region's, if not the world's best race circuits, the series has also established itself as one of the feature race events in the region, able to attract large crowds to the events. With participation of the country’s best drivers from other series, including Formula Nippon and Japan Super GT has also helped to elevate the Super Taikyu Endurance Series to become one of the most influential series in the country. Moreover, the cars in the series have also come to play an influential role on the popular import performance on the street-racing scene in the United States.
The 2009 Super Taikyu Endurance Series Calendar
|
Round
|
Date
|
Format
|
Venue
|
|
1
|
27th – 29th March
|
400km
|
Twin Ring Motegi
|
|
2
|
8th – 10th May
|
400km
|
Sportsland Sugo
|
|
3
|
5th – 7th June
|
500km
|
Suzuka International Circuit
|
|
4
|
31st July – 2nd August
|
4hours
|
Fuji Speedway
|
|
5
|
4th – 6th September
|
400km
|
Okayama International Circuit
|
|
6
|
10th – 12th October
|
400km
|
Sendai Hi-Land Circuit
|
|
7
|
28th – 29th November
|
2 x 50laps
|
Twin Ring Motegi (Oval)
|
* Note: Calendar is correct at time of publication and is subject to changes
For more information on the Super Taikyu Endurance Series, visit the official website at http://www.so-net.ne.jp/s-taikyu