2026 Autobacs SUPER GT Series Pre-Season Testing – Day 1 Summary

Fuji Speedway, Japan – The 2026 Autobacs SUPER GT Series pre-season testing commenced at Fuji Speedway, featuring all 43 entries across two two-hour sessions under cold and mostly cloudy conditions. Notably, no red flags interrupted the day’s activities.

In the GT500 category, the #24 Realize Corporation Nissan Z NISMO GT500, driven by newcomer Atsushi Miyake, set the early pace with a lap time of 1:28.087 during the first session. This performance dethroned Toyota’s earlier dominance noted in the Okayama tests. The session concluded with Sena Sakaguchi’s #19 WedsSport GR Supra clocking a 1:28.273, good for second place.

Defending champion Sho Tsuboi in the #36 au TOM’S GR Supra later emerged victorious in the afternoon session, registering a fastest lap of 1:27.500, the quickest lap of the day. Tsuboi observed, “The car’s balance was a bit off this morning, but after trial and error, we found a decent setup. Despite the cold, we assessed the tyre conditions well.”

Toyota secured a 1-2 finish as Sacha Fenestraz followed Tsuboi with a 1:27.697 in the #39 Denso Kobelco SARD GR Supra. Igor Omura Fraga in the #64 Modulo Prelude-GT took third with a time of 1:27.762.

In GT300, Tatsuya Kataoka propelled the #4 Goodsmile Hatsune Miku Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO to the top with a 1:36.190, the fastest time in class and overall for the day. Kataoka commented on the team’s adjustments, stating, “Today we were able to tackle the session with everything properly in place… if we couldn’t secure the top spot during good conditions, it would be tougher.”

The session saw strong performances from the #60 Syntium LM corsa Lexus LC500 (1:36.364) and #30 apr Toyota GR86 (1:36.385), rounding out the top three in GT300.

Other notable performances included Ryuichiro Tomita in the #11 Gainer Tanax Nissan Fairlady Z, who set a strong 1:36.259 in Session 2, further highlighting the revised car’s competitive edge.

The second day of testing will continue tomorrow, providing teams with critical data ahead of the season.

Key Times – Day 1:

• GT500:

  1. 36 au TOM’S GR Supra – Sho Tsuboi: 1:27.500

  2. 39 Denso Kobelco SARD GR Supra – Sacha Fenestraz: 1:27.697

  3. 64 Modulo Prelude-GT – Igor Omura Fraga: 1:27.762

• GT300:

  1. 4 Goodsmile Hatsune Miku Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO – Tatsuya Kataoka: 1:36.190

  2. 11 Gainer Tanax Nissan Fairlady Z: 1:36.259

  3. 60 Syntium LM corsa Lexus LC500: 1:36.364

Conclusion: The testing results indicate a competitive field in both GT500 and GT300 classes as teams finalize preparations for the upcoming season.