Friday at Suzuka marked the return of the Intercontinental GT Challenge to the iconic Japanese circuit after six years away, and the action did not disappoint. Three practice sessions — morning, afternoon, and night — produced a varied picture of the balance of power, with surprise names at the top, tricky weather influencing results, and Ferrari closing the day looking strongest under the lights.

Practice 1

Bingo Racing and its Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R emerged as the surprise pacesetter in Friday morning’s opening practice for the Suzuka 1000km, catching many of the established favourites off guard.

In the IGTC’s first on-track running at Suzuka since 2019, Reimei Ito (#9 LM Corsa Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R) set the fastest lap of 2m01.549sec with just over 20 minutes to go. The Japanese driver, sharing with Ukyo Sasahara and Shinji Takei, benefitted from improving track conditions and showcased how effective the ageing Callaway still is in mixed situations compared to the latest GT3 machinery.

Ito’s lap narrowly eclipsed Thomas Neubauer (#555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari 296 GT3), whose early benchmark of 2m01.635sec was laid down when the surface was still damp in places. Remarkably, Bronze Cup-entered cars locked out the top two positions — a reminder of how tricky conditions can shake up the order at Suzuka.

Third overall and best of the Pro runners was Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo) on a 2m01.686sec, the South African quickly adapting to the Evo-spec BMW in IGTC trim. Nicky Catsburg (#2 JMR Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) placed fourth, ensuring Corvette had both its models in the top five, just ahead of Augusto Farfus (#31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo).

Among Porsche’s large contingent, Laurens Vanthoor (#7 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R) carried the NewMan colours to sixth, only a fraction quicker than Laurin Heinrich (#6 Origine Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R). Luca Stolz (#888 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) ended up eighth, keeping Mercedes inside the top ten despite limited running early in the session.

Yu Kanamaru (#5 ZIGEN Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3) vaulted to ninth late on, topping the Silver runners, while Yu Kuai (#88 Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II) completed the top ten. Despite the damp start, the one-hour session ran clean and incident-free, setting a smooth tone for the weekend.

Practice 2

The second practice session was shaped by rain, strategy calls, and a late dry-line lottery, with Harmony Racing seizing the opportunity to top the timesheets.

Lorenzo Patrese (#21 Harmony Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) delivered the best lap of 2m02.101sec in the closing stages as conditions swung from wet to nearly dry. The Italian’s commitment in the final sector gave Ferrari the edge, over half a second clear of the rest of the field.

Thomas Neubauer (#555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) again proved consistent, placing second and underlining Maezawa’s strong start to its home event. Yuya Motojima (#5 ZIGEN Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3) impressed in third overall, making the most of the improving track to showcase the Nissan’s straight-line speed.

Early on, Laurens Vanthoor (#7 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R) had briefly held the spotlight with a 2m06.595sec, some five seconds clear when conditions were at their worst. But as more drivers switched to slicks, the Belgian quickly dropped down the order, eventually settling for eighth.

Ralf Aron (#77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) was the fastest Pro entry in fourth, his lap underscoring Craft-Bamboo’s ability to adapt in changeable conditions. Scott McLaughlin (#2 JMR Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) slotted into fifth, showing pace despite the tricky balance on a half-dry track. Richard Lietz (#10 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R) followed as the best Bronze runner in sixth, while Maxime Martin (#888 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) finished seventh.

Behind Vanthoor in eighth, Sven Müller (#911 EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R) and Loek Hartog (#23 Phantom Global Porsche 911 GT3 R, Pink Pig livery) rounded out the top ten. The session highlighted just how rapidly the order could shift with weather swings, a trend that could easily resurface on race day.

Night Practice

The day closed with the first night session, where once again Ferrari proved the benchmark as Harmony Racing continued its dominant Friday run.

Dennis Marschall (#21 Harmony Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) set the session’s best lap, a 2m01.536sec, underlining the team’s adaptability across all conditions. His time, logged with 40 minutes remaining, came as the track finally offered proper grip after earlier showers and two red-flag interruptions.

The session began dramatically. Yusaku Maezawa (#555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) slid off early, triggering the first stoppage, while almost simultaneously Prince Jefri Ibrahim (#99 JMR Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) spun exiting Degner 2. Shortly after the restart, disaster struck JMR as the #99 Corvette suffered an explosive engine failure, ending its night prematurely.

Behind Marschall, Ferrari locked out a one-two, while Alexander Sims (#2 JMR Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) salvaged the marque’s pride with a late push to fourth-fastest on a 2m01.718sec, narrowly behind the leading Ferraris. Harry King (#61 EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R) placed fifth, followed by Loek Hartog (#10 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R).

Kei Cozzolino (#27 PONOS Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) claimed seventh, while the rest of the top ten featured Laurens Vanthoor (#23 Phantom Global Porsche 911 GT3 R, Pink Pig), Laurin Heinrich (#6 Origine Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R), and Ralf Aron (#777 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo).

It was a more subdued night for BMW, with Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo) only managing 13th and Augusto Farfus (#31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo) in 16th. For WRT, the lack of headline pace raised questions, but with clear skies forecast for qualifying, the team may yet have more to reveal.

Qualifying day

The 49th Summer Endurance Race weekend continues on Saturday, 13 September, with Pre-Qualifying at 10:45–12:15 JST (03:45–05:15 CEST), followed by Qualifying 1 at 17:05–17:20 JST (10:05–10:20 CEST), Qualifying 2 at 17:27–17:42 JST (10:27–10:42 CEST), and Qualifying 3 at 17:50–18:05 JST (10:50–11:05 CEST).

Photo: SRO/Gruppe C Photography