Intercontinental GT Challenge Suzuka 1000km preview: 30 Cars Set for the 50th Edition

Suzuka Circuit will once again host a GT3 battle on September 11–13, 2026, as the Suzuka 1000km celebrates its 50th edition and serves as the fourth of five rounds of this season’s Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). A total of 30 cars will take part in this year’s event, with nine Pro-class cars eligible to fight for the overall victory.

Looking Back at Last Year

The 2025 edition was won by Team WRT with the #32 BMW M4 GT3 driven by Kelvin van der Linde, Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts. The trio finished with a time of 6h30m27.081sec after completing 170 laps, covering 987.19 km, and also started the race from pole position. The victory marked the Suzuka 1000km’s return to the IGTC calendar after being absent since 2019.

BMW, meanwhile, does not have an overall Pro-class contender this year. All four BMWs entered are outside the Pro class, including the #69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, which will be driven by Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper in the Bronze class.

The clash with the seventh round of DTM at Sachsenring on the same weekend has also forced several drivers to choose between their two programs. One of the biggest names affected is IGTC championship leader Maro Engel, who will miss Suzuka due to his DTM commitments. His absence gives his Mercedes-AMG teammates a chance to close the gap in the drivers’ standings.

The Title Fight

Maro Engel still leads the IGTC drivers’ standings with 68 points, 17 points ahead of Luca Stolz in second with 51 points. Maxime Martin sits third with 50 points, just one point behind Stolz, while Porsche drivers Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller follow in fourth and fifth with 47 and 46 points respectively.

With Engel absent, Stolz and Martin have a chance to reduce the gap at Suzuka.

This makes the #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 one of the cars to watch. Stolz and Martin will share the car with Japanese driver Kakunoshin Ohta, who also brings experience from Super Formula. A strong result would help Mercedes-AMG in the manufacturers’ title fight and could also bring Stolz and Martin closer to Engel heading into the Indianapolis 8 Hour finale.

Porsche, meanwhile, arrives with two strong contenders through Absolute Racing. The #7 Porsche 911 GT3 R will feature 2025 DTM champion Ayhancan Güven alongside Alessandro Ghiretti and Dorian Boccolacci, while the #8 AO by Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R brings Alessio Picariello, Laurin Heinrich and Julien Andlauer.

Porsche currently leads the manufacturers’ standings by eight points over Mercedes-AMG, giving the German manufacturer another opportunity to extend its advantage at Suzuka.

Ford Adds More Competition

One of the new entries this year is the Ford Mustang GT3 through the #64 Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC. Christopher Mies, Dennis Olsen and Frédéric Vervisch will form the trio bringing the Mustang to the Suzuka 1000km for the first time.

All three drivers have experience with the Mustang GT3. Vervisch also won the Suzuka 1000km in 2019 with Audi, while Olsen finished on the podium in the same edition. Team MPC, or Melbourne Performance Centre, is known for its long association with Audi in Australia. Both Mies and Vervisch have campaigned with MPC in past Bathust 12 Hour races.

Ford’s presence adds another manufacturer to the Pro-class fight, with the Mustang joining Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Lexus and Nissan as potential contenders for the overall victory.

Chevrolet also has a chance through the #2 Johor Motorsports Racing – JMR Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Alexander Sims, Nicky Catsburg and Scott McLaughlin will reunite after taking the Corvette to third place at the 2025 Suzuka 1000km.

The fight at the front is not limited to European teams. The #45 Ponos Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 will rely on the Japanese trio of Seita Nonaka, Takuro Shinohara and Tadasuke Makino. Makino is a former GT500 champion, while Nonaka arrives with strong form from Super GT.

K-tunes Racing with the #96 Lexus RC F GT3 and Team 5ZIGEN with the #500 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 also bring experienced Japanese line-ups with the potential to challenge the leading contenders. The #96 will feature Hideki Yamauchi, Sena Sakaguchi and Takumitsu Matsui, while the #500 will be driven by Kazuki Hiramine, Atshushi Miyake and Blancpain Endurance Series, Super Taikyu and Bathurst 12 Hour winner Katsumasa Chiyo.

Despite the European firepower, a Japanese home victory as a very real possibility.