LEXUS TEAM PETRONAS TOM'S
Super GT Series
Season 2009

SGT09: The 2009 Super GT Series - A guide to the season ahead

In motorsports there are two main categories in racing. The first represents the single-seaters open-wheel formula categories. In its simplest and crudest definition, these are where the tyres of the car stick out from the body. The category most people identify with is the Formula One. There are other formula categories besides F1, such as GP2, Formula 3 and Formula BMW.

The second type is the "Box Car" race. These are commercial cars with a roof and can encompass a plethora of different racing categories, which can include everything from normal commercially produced cars for racing to prototype commercial cars modified and souped-up to the likes one would find in the Super GT.

Super GT represents the highest category "Box Car" race with the majority of the cars in the field modified and engineered to meet race specifications. The Super GT series finds its roots some 15 years ago when in 1994 the series was born known then as the "All Nippon GT Championship". In that time the series has expanded with an ever growing fan base that goes beyond Japan, so much so that it's popularity has crossed into the gaming world with the Super GT cars featured in Sony playstation's racing games.

In 2000, the popularity of the sport outside of Japan, particularly in the Asian region saw the series head to the shores of Malaysia when Sepang was granted the rights to host the first ever Japan GT Festival, although it featured as a special stage race with no points being awarded to the competitors. That changed in 2002 when the Sepang round was billed as a points-scoring fixture of the championship season. The SARS outbreak that hit the region in 2003 forced officials to re-route the round to instead take place at the Fuji International Speedway billed as the Malaysian JGTC in Fuji Speedway. A year later, the GT caravan returned to Sepang.

In 2005 the then Japan GT Championship or JGTC was revamped and rebranded as the Super GT Series, with Malaysia once again occupying the Super GT International Series round. For the 2009 season, the Super GT Series includes a mix of rounds that will feature different formats throughout the season.

2009 Super GT Series - Calendar**