Okayama's GT4 Japan and Fanatec GT Asia entry lists confirmed

Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS stages its penultimate event of the season on August 18-20 at Okayama, which also hosts the Fanatec Japan Cup title decider and SRO Motorsports Group’s first-ever standalone Asian GT4 races.

Eight entries will contest the latter’s two 60-minute ‘GT4 Japan’ races, which also count towards the class’ 2023 Overall and Japan Cup classifications, while 31 GT3 cars are confirmed for the Fanatec GT Asia/Japan Cup main event.

Both class’ Japan Cup titles will be decided, while the GT3 and GT4 championships might also be won before 2023’s campaign concludes at Sepang next month.

GT4 Japan’s eight entries – which comprise five manufacturers – is a modest total by European and American standards. However, it is also the largest number ever assembled by SRO for an event in Asia where the class is less well established. Organisers hope Okayama’s GT4 Japan races will help to ignite interest ahead of 2024.

Benjamin Franassovici, Championship General Manager: “The response to our standalone GT4 races and where the experiment might lead us next year has been really encouraging. We originally said numbers didn’t matter at Okayama, which is a test case for GT4’s potential in Japan. But on this evidence there is clearly appetite for a GT4 sprint series. 

“Other entries were close to materialising – for instance, K-Tunes’ Supra was scheduled to compete before its accident at Suzuka – and I’ve had positive discussions with prospective teams ahead of next season when we are aiming to double Okayama’s entry. That’s an ambitious target but also one I believe to be attainable. 

“GT4’s success partly depends on 2024’s wider Fanatec Japan Cup format. That’s something we’ll further discuss with teams at Okayama.”

Masaki Kano and Max Orido (YZ Racing with BMW M Team Studie) lead Naohiko Otsuka and Sho Kobayashi (Checkshop Caymania Racing) by 16 points in both the GT4 Overall and Fanatec Japan Cup standings. The latter championship will be decided come what may at Okayama, but the Overall title might remain unresolved until Sepang.

Theirs are two of six Japanese GT4 entries that are joined by two teams with existing Fanatec GT Asia experience. Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia and its drivers Haridarma Manoppo and Nonaka Seita make their first appearances since the opening round in Thailand, while former champions Craft-Bamboo haven’t contested the class since 2019.

Both GT4 Japan races will be shown live on the SRO GT World and J Sports YouTube channels.