1999 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship
The 1999 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship was the seventh season of Japan Automobile Federation GT premiere racing. It was marked as well as the seventeenth season of a JAF-sanctioned sports car racing championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The GT500 class champion of that season was the Pennzoil Nismo GT-R driven by Érik Comas and Satoshi Motoyama and the GT300 class champion was the MOMOCORSE A'PEX MR2 driven by Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi. Both Comas and Nitta won their respective driver's title on their own since Motoyama and Takagi missed a round each; Motoyama skipped the second round at Fuji because he was participating in the pre-qualifying session of that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans while Takagi missed the first round at Suzuka because he was in the United States on a bid to find a seat in Indy Lights.[1]
The season was marred by the death of reigning GT300 Champion, Shingo Tachi, in a pre-season testing crash at TI Circuit Aida on March 11, 1999. Tachi was to drive the number 6 Esso Toyota Supra for Toyota Team LeMans.[2] Kunimitsu Takahashi retired from his racing career at the end of the season at aged 59.
Drivers and teams
GT500
GT300
| Team | Make | Car | Engine | No. | Drivers | Tyre | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Amemiya Racing | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 7 | Tetsuya Yamano | Y | All |
| Haruhiko Matsumoto | All | ||||||
| Team Daikokuya | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 9 | Teruyuki Tokada | D | 1, 3, 5 |
| Yukihiro Hane | 1, 3, 5 | ||||||
| 99 | Akira Yoshitomi | All | |||||
| Tsunefumi Hioki | 1–2, 4–7 | ||||||
| Kiichi Takahashi | 3 | ||||||
| Ability Motorsport | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 10 | Yasutaka Hinoi | Y | All |
| Hidehiko Aso | All | ||||||
| Alta Racing Team | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S14) | Nissan SR20DET 2.1 L Turbo I4 | 14 | Tetsuo Kozai | Y | 1–3, 5, 7 |
| Nobuo Komiya | 1–3, 5, 7 | ||||||
| Nismo | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S15) | Nissan SR20DET 2.1 L Turbo I4 | 15 | Takeshi Tsuchiya | Y | All |
| Yuji Ide | All | ||||||
| Racing Project Bandoh | Toyota | Toyota Celica | Toyota 3S-GE 2.0 L I4 | 19 | Manabu Orido | Y | All |
| Takahiro Hara | All | ||||||
| TOM'S Spirit | Toyota | Toyota Celica | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 20 | Masahiro Matsunaga | Y | 2, 4–7 |
| Yasuhisa Fujiwara | 2, 4 | ||||||
| Kumi Sato | 5–7 | ||||||
| Hitotsuyama Racing | BMW | BMW M3 (E36) | BMW S14 2.2 L Turbo I4 | 21 | Daisuke Itō | T | All |
| Yasushi Hitotsuyama | 1–3, 5 | ||||||
| Mikio Hitotsuyama | 4, 6–7 | ||||||
| Hirano Motorsport | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GTS-i (R32) | Nissan RB20DETT 2.0 L Twin Turbo I6 | 24 | Toshiyuki Hirano | Y | 2, 5 |
| Teruhiko Someba | 2, 5 | ||||||
| Momo Corse Racing Team with Tsuchiya | Toyota | Toyota MR2 | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 25 | Morio Nitta | Y | All |
| Yasushi Kikuchi | 1 | ||||||
| Shinichi Takagi | 2–7, NC | ||||||
| Team Taisan | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT3-R (Rd. 1–4) Porsche 996 GT3-R (Rd. 5–7) |
Porsche M96/77 3.6 L F6 | 26 | Hiroaki Suga | Y | 1–4 |
| Dilantha Malagamuwa | 2–3 | ||||||
| Dominik Schwager | 4–7, NC | ||||||
| Hideshi Matsuda | 5–7, NC | ||||||
| Tomohiko Sunako | 1 | ||||||
| Porsche 993 GT3-R | Porsche M64/75 3.6 L F6 | 55 | Hiroaki Suga | 5–7 | |||
| Eiichi Tajima | 5–7 | ||||||
| Team Taeivon Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Mitsubishi FTO | Mitsubishi 4G63 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 61 | Ralph Firman | T | All |
| Akihiko Nakaya | 1, 3–7 | ||||||
| Rubén Derfler | 2 | ||||||
| Team Gaikokuya | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 70 | Yoshimi Ishibashi | Y | All |
| Patrick van Schoote | 1, 5, 7 | ||||||
| Kaoru Hoshino | 2, 6 | ||||||
| Hiroshi Sakai | 3–4 | ||||||
| SigmaTec Racing Team | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 71 | Masaki Jyonai | Y | All |
| Naohiro Kawano | All | ||||||
| Okura Rotary Racing | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 72 | Akira Ishikawa | Y | All |
| Koh Hirano | All | ||||||
| Cusco Racing | Subaru | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | Subaru EJ20 2.0 L Turbo F4 | 77 | Katsuo Kobayashi | Y | All |
| Tatsuya Tanigawa | All | ||||||
| Team Daishin | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S15) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 81 | Hideo Fukuyama | Y | All |
| Nobuyuki Ohyagi | All | ||||||
| I.A. Tec Racing Team | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S14) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 84 | Seiichi Sodeyama | Y | 2, 5–7 |
| Yoshikuni Nakamura | 2, 5–7 | ||||||
| KRAFT | Toyota | Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno (AE86) | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 86 | Minoru Tanaka | T | 2–7 |
| Eiki Amemiya | 2–7 | ||||||
| Team Gainer | Ferrari | Ferrari F355 GT | Ferrari F129B 3.5 L V8 | 111 | Junichi Ikura | Y | 2, 5–7 |
| Yusei Maki | 2, 5–7 | ||||||
| Club: Yellow Magic | Ferrari | Ferrari F355 GT | Ferrari F129B 3.6 L V8 | 355 | Taki Inoue | Y | 2–3, 5, 7 |
| Tsuyoshi Takahashi | 2–3, 5, 7 | ||||||
| 910 Racing | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 910 | Atsushi Yogo | Y | 1–3, 5–7 |
| Hideyuki Tamamoto | 1–3 | ||||||
| Dilantha Malagamuwa | 5–6 | ||||||
| Tomohiko Sunako | 7 | ||||||
| 911 | Masamitsu Ishihara | 5 | |||||
| Hiroyuki Noji | 5 |
Schedule
| Round | Race | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suzuka GT 300 | Suzuka Circuit | March 21 |
| 2 | All Japan Fuji GT Race | Fuji Speedway | May 2 |
| 3 | SUGO GT Championship | Sportsland SUGO | May 30 |
| 4 | CP Mine GT Race | Mine Circuit | July 11 |
| 5 | JPN Special GT Cup | Fuji Speedway | August 8 |
| 6 | GT Championship in TI | TI Circuit | September 26 |
| 7 | Motegi GT Championship Race | Twin Ring Motegi | October 24 |
| NC | Nicos Cup GT AllStar | Autopolis | November 28 |
Season results
Point Ranking
Drivers
| Rank | No. | Driver | SUZ | FUJ | SUG | MIN | FUJ | TAI | MOT | AUT | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Érik Comas | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 77 |
| 2 | 36 | Takuya Kurosawa | 4 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 73 |
| 3 | 1 | Satoshi Motoyama | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 69 | |
| 4 | 18 | Juichi Wakisaka | 1 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 2 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 47 |
| 5 | 64 | Tom Coronel | 11 | 14 | 4 | Ret | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 41 |
| 6 | 2 | Aguri Suzuki | 5 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 40 |
| 6 | 2 | Michael Krumm | 5 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 40 | |
| 8 | 12 | Kazuyoshi Hoshino | 10 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 40 |
| 9 | 37 | Toshio Suzuki | 3 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 10 | Ret | 38 |
| 10 | 16 | Osamu Nakako | 14 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| 11 | 100 | Kunimitsu Takahashi | Ret | 1 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 34 |
| 12 | 6 | Hideki Noda | 8 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 33 | |
| 13 | 64 | Hidetoshi Mitsusada | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 31 | ||||
| 14 | 38 | Hironori Takeuchi | 7 | 2 | Ret | 8 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 31 |
| 15 | 37 | Ukyo Katayama | 3 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 10 | Ret | 28 | |
| 16 | 35 | Pierre-Henri Raphanel | 13 | Ret | 2 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 27 | |
| 17 | 3 | Masahiro Hasemi | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 27 |
| 18 | 32 | Takayuki Kinoshita | 8 | 6 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 15 | 8 | 12 |
| 19 | 64 | Koji Yamanishi | 11 | 14 | 4 | Ret | 10 | ||||
| 19 | 37 | Darren Manning | 4 | 10 | |||||||
| 21 | 1 | Anders Olofsson | 5 | 8 | |||||||
| 22 | 39 | Keiichi Tsuchiya | 16 | 15 | Ret | 7 | 10 | 13 | Ret | 13 | 5 |
| 23 | 30 | Yoji Yamada | 17 | Ret | 12 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 2 |
| 23 | 55 | Eiichi Tajima | 9 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 2 | |||
| 23 | 55 | Hideshi Matsuda | 9 | 13 | 13 | 2 | |||||
| 27 | 11 | Takao Wada | 12 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| 2 | Armin Hahne | 11 | 0 | ||||||||
| 88 | Hisashi Wada | 15 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 17 | Ret | 14 | 12 | 0 | |
| 55 | Dominik Schwager | 15 | 0 | ||||||||
| 55 | Motoyuki Yasuyuki | 10 | 0 |
Teams' standings
For teams that entered multiple cars, only the best result from each round counted towards the teams' championship.
| Rank | Team | No. | SUZ |
FUJ |
SUG |
MIN |
FUJ |
TAI |
MOT |
AUT |
PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota Castrol Team TOM'S | 36 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 97 |
| 37 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 10 | Ret | |||
| 2 | Nismo | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 91 |
| 2 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 3 | Mugen x Dome Project | 16 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 81 |
| 18 | 1 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 2 | 3 | Ret | Ret | |||
| 4 | Mobil 1 Nakajima Racing | 64 | 11 | 14 | 4 | Ret | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 41 |
| 5 | Team Impul | 12 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 40 |
| 6 | Team Kunimitsu with Mooncraft | 100 | Ret | 1 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 34 |
| 7 | Esso Ultron Toyota Team LeMans | 6 | DNP | 8 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 33 |
| 8 | Toyota Team Cerumo | 38 | 7 | 2 | Ret | 8 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 31 |
| 9 | MatsumotoKiyoshi Team TOM'S | 35 | 13 | Ret | 2 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 27 | |
| 10 | Hasemi Motorsports | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 27 |
| 11 | cdma One Toyota Team Cerumo with Key's | 32 | 8 | 6 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 15 | 8 | 12 |
| 12 | Toyota Team SARD | 39 | 16 | 15 | Ret | 7 | 10 | 13 | Ret | 13 | 5 |
| 13 | Team Taisan Advan | 55 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 2 | |||
| 14 | Team Take One | 30 | 17 | Ret | 12 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 2 |
| 15 | Endless Sports | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| - | JLOC | 88 | 15 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 17 | Ret | 14 | 12 | 0 |
| Rank | Team | No. | SUZ |
FUJ |
SUG |
MIN |
FUJ |
TAI |
MOT |
AUT |
PTS |
Drivers
| Rank | Drivers | Number/Team | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morio Nitta | #25 MOMOCORSE A'PEX Toyota MR2 | 73 | 1 |
| 2 | Yuji Ide Takeshi Tsuchiya |
#15 Xanavi ARTA Nissan Silvia | 72 | 3 |
| 3 | Takahiko Hara Manabu Orido |
#19 Racing Project Bandoh Toyota Celica | 70 | 1 |
| 4 | Shinichi Takagi | #25 MOMOCORSE A'PEX Toyota MR2 | 70 | 1 |
| 5 | Tetsuya Yamano Haruhiko Matsumoto |
#7 RE Amemiya Mazda RX-7 | 58 | 0 |
References
- "Super GT's Uncrowned Champions". Super GT World. 2018-02-19. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- "Remembering Shingo Tachi, 20 Years Later". dailysportscar.com. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
External links
- Super GT/JGTC official race archive (in Japanese)
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