Big grids of GT3 machinery may be nothing out of the ordinary in Europe, but the sight of 36 cars assembling for the GT World Challenge Asia round at Fuji in June marked an important achievement for a championship that was forced into hibernation for two seasons during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With cross-border travel in Asia made impossible, GT Asia ground to a halt in 2020-21 before relaunching last year with a new ‘Japan Cup’ element. The idea was simple: four of that year’s initially-planned six races were held in Japan, and teams could opt to enter those races and have their own classification.
The decision to anchor the SRO-run series’ relaunch in Japan was made in late 2021, when countries like China and Thailand were still in the grip of lockdown. Sepang would hold the 2022 season opener before the first of four events in Japan and a season finale in Mandalika in Indonesia, which was ultimately cancelled. And, while only eight GT3 cars took to the track for the curtain-raiser, it was an important first step to prove to wavering teams that the series was back in business.
“We had to go somewhere where there are clients, cars and race tracks, and Japan was that place,” explains GT Asia general manager Benjamin Franassovici. “When we came to Fuji in 2017, ‘18 and ‘19, we always had a few extra cars there, so we knew there was interest.
“We gambled on Malaysia opening up in time, and it opened up three, four weeks before. We knew Sepang wouldn’t look good with eight cars. But I knew I had 20 cars committed for Fuji [the first of the four planned Japan Cup races], and you have to put cars on track to convince people that it’s really happening.”
Eight GT3s at Sepang became 16 at Suzuka, with each of the remaining rounds attracting 16-17 cars. That exponential growth continued into this year, with a bumper field of 36 cars at Fuji, 33 at Suzuka and 31 at Motegi last month, with a small contingent of GT4 cars boosting overall grid numbers further.
This year’s entry list features names that would be immediately recognisable to followers of European GT racing, with Dennis Olsen, Alessio Picariello, Matteo Cairoli, Alvaro Parente, Maximilian Gotz and Luca Stolz all in action last time out at Motegi. Rising Australian star Broc Feeney was also present in a Triple Eight-run Mercedes.
Source: Autosport