Intercontinental GT Challenge Suzuka 1000KM Comeback: 2025 Preview

The Suzuka 1000km has long been regarded as one of Japan’s most iconic endurance events. First held as a standalone race on 26 June 1966, it formed part of Suzuka Circuit’s growing reputation as a home for long-distance challenges, joining the Suzuka 500km and the Suzuka 12 Hours.

After a hiatus between 1974 and 1979 caused by the global energy crisis, the event returned in 1980 as a non-championship endurance race and began to carve out a legacy that would last for decades.

From 1981 onwards, the 1000km settled into its traditional date on the fourth weekend of August, a slot it would keep all the way until its last pre-pandemic edition in 2019, with the sole exception of the weather-hit 1989 race, which was delayed to December.

1981 Suzuka 1000km Grid | Credit: Honda Mobilityland

During its early decades, the Suzuka 1000km aligned itself with several international and domestic championships, evolving alongside the motorsport world.

Between 1983 and 1991, it was a fixture in the All Japan Endurance Championship, which was later rebranded as the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. In 1992, the race joined the FIA World Sportscar Championship, but with the series folding at the end of that season, the 1993 edition was held as a non-championship round.

Just one year later, it became part of the brand-new BPR Global GT Series, with Pokka stepping in as title sponsor. The “Pokka 1000km” name would go on to define the event throughout the 1990s, as it carried on through the FIA GT Championship era until 1998.

When the race was dropped from the FIA GT calendar in 1999, the Pokka 1000km reverted to a standalone format once again, but continued to attract top-level machinery. Until 2005, the event featured cars from both the JGTC’s GT500 and GT300 classes as well as the domestic Super Taikyu Series.

In 2006, Suzuka’s crown jewel officially joined the newly-renamed Autobacs Super GT Championship, quickly becoming the longest and most prestigious race of the series. Its 1000km distance, demanding conditions, and generous points allocation made it a true highlight of the Japanese racing season.

However, economic pressures during the Great Recession led to the race being shortened to 700km in 2009 and 2010, and again to 500km in 2011 following the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. By 2012, the race had been restored to its original format and distance, cementing its position as a fan and driver favourite.

In 2017, a new era began when the GT Association (GTA) and Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) joined forces to rebrand the event as the Suzuka 10 Hours. With the switch to GT3 and GT300 machinery, the endurance classic was integrated into the Intercontinental GT Challenge in 2018, replacing the Sepang 12 Hours as the Asian round of the championship.

Most Win Driver and Manufacturer

Kunimitsu Takanashi drove Nissan Fairlady 240Z-R | Credit: Honda Mobilityland

Several names remain etched into Suzuka folklore. Among drivers, Kunimitsu Takahashi holds the all-time record with four overall victories, while Daisuke Ito, Ryo Michigami, Naoki Nagasaka, Sébastien Philippe, and Juichi Wakisaka all triumphed three times. Porsche sits atop the manufacturers’ leaderboard with eleven overall wins between 1967 and 1994. Among Japanese marques, Honda and Toyota are tied with eight victories each, while Nissan is just behind with seven.

2018-2019 Season

Team GruppeM Racing 2018, Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Credit: SRO/JEP

Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing claimed victory in the inaugural 10 Hours with Maro Engel, Raffaele Marciello, and Tristan Vautier. Audi Team WRT then took honours in 2019 with Kelvin van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, and Frédéric Vervisch. Those two years proved to be the final chapters before the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellations in 2020 and 2021, while Suzuka’s place on the IGTC calendar was temporarily filled by the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi.

Credit: Team WRT in 2019, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO

The absence of the Suzuka 1000km left a notable void in the endurance calendar, but the story does not end there. During the 2024 SRO press conference at Spa-Francorchamps, Stéphane Ratel confirmed that the race would return in September 2025 as the 49th edition of the event and the fourth round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. This announcement marked a significant revival for a race that has seen countless legends grace its entry lists, from sports prototypes to Super GT machines and modern GT3 challengers. It also reopens the door for drivers and manufacturers to chase history at one of the sport’s most punishing circuits. The event’s prestige means that each win carries significance beyond just points – it is about endurance, strategy, and survival against Suzuka’s relentless heat and technical corners.

The Comeback and Entry Lists

Credit: SRO/JEP

The 2025 edition promises a grid brimming with quality and intrigue. A provisional entry list released in July featured 30 cars, later expanding to 33 by August. Eight manufacturers will be represented, led by Porsche with 11 entries, including a switch from Lamborghini by Absolute Racing.

Mercedes-AMG brings seven cars, with GruppeM Racing fielding Mikael Grenier, Luca Stolz, and Maxime Martin – the team which delivered victory at the Gulf 12Hours in 2023. Maro Engel, however, will miss the race due to DTM commitments.

BMW’s Team WRT enters with two M4 GT3 Evos, including a star-studded line-up of Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts, and Raffaele Marciello, combining talent across different GT disciplines.

Ferrari contributes four 296 GT3s, including the popular K-tunes Racing entry, while Corvette brings three cars split between the Z06 GT3.R and a C7 GT3-R. Nissan returns with RunUp Sports and their GT-R Nismo GT3, while Audi and Lamborghini are represented more lightly – the latter losing its sole entry when Absolute Racing changed allegiances to Porsche.

With 33 GT3 machines set to roar into action, the Suzuka 1000km’s return promises to be one of the defining spectacles of the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge season. Endurance racing’s best will face off on one of motorsport’s most unforgiving circuits, where victory is never guaranteed, and history is waiting to be made once again.

The Suzuka 1000km will officially return on 12–14 September 2025, serving as the fourth round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge

Full Suzuka 1000km entry lists here

Timetable

Friday 12 September

09:40 – 10:40 JST / 02:40 – 03:40 CEST: Paid Test Session 1
12:00 – 13:00 JST / 05:00 – 06:00 CEST: Paid Test Session 2
17:45 – 19:15 JST / 10:45 – 12:15 CEST: Night Practice

Saturday 13 September

10:45 – 12:15 JST / 03:45 – 05:15 CEST: Pre-Qualifying
17:05 – 17:20 JST / 10:05 – 10:20 CEST: Qualifying 1
17:27 – 17:42 JST / 10:27 – 10:42 CEST: Qualifying 2
17:50 – 18:05 JST / 10:50 – 11:05 CEST: Qualifying 3