Super GT Action all set to rock Sepang In June 2013
A
gathering of the world’s fastest GT cars and world-class racing drivers.
5-star
Malaysian round for a more exciting and thrilling race weekend.
Malaysian
driver and sponsored team to make the most of home track advantage.
One of the most
entertaining, exciting and glamorous race weekends returns to the Sepang
International Circuit this month (15-16 June) with Malaysia once again being
given the honor of hosting the third round of the prestigious 2013 AUTOBACS
SUPER GT Series.
Formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car
Championship (JGTC), the Super GT Series is a grand touring car race series
promoted by the GT Association (G.T.A.). It was first established in 1993 by
the JAF (Japanese Automobile Federation) via its subsidiary company the G.T.A.
(GT Association).
The Malaysian round of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series is
being organised by JPM Motorsport and this will be the 13th
consecutive year that the Series is back in town to thrill fans. It is also the 20th year the
Series is being organized.
Internationally recognized for being one of the
world’s fastest and most exciting GT racing series, the 2013 AUTOBACS SUPER GT
Series consists of eight rounds, and is divided into the GT500 and GT300
classes, gathering what is the reputed to be the largest ensemble of latest
Japanese sports cars with manufacturers the likes of Lexus, Honda, Nissan,
Toyota and Subaru, as well as continental marques that include Porsche,
Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, Mosler, Chevrolet, Audi, Aston Martin and
Mercedes-Benz.
The Series is also a playground for top Japanese
drivers and some of the world’s top racing drivers among them, former Formula 1
driver and Super GT champion Ralph Firman who drives the Honda HSV for AUTOBACS
RACING TEAM AGURI this season; former South American and German Formula 3
driver Joao Paulo de Oliveira driving the Nissan GTR for Team Impul; former Le
Mans driver Seiji Ara; Michael Krumm the 2011 FIA GT Championship GT1 Series
champion; and former Macau Grand Prix winner Andre Couto.
Also racing in the Series and giving local fans more
to cheer about is Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy who alongside Japanese Yuki Iwasaki,
drives for team APR Audi R8 LMS Ultra in the GT300 class this season. The
pair’s best finish so far has been 14th place in the opening round
of the Series at the Okayama International Circuit in April. In round 2 at the
Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka, Japan Fairuz and Iwasaki and a third driver Kenji
Kobayashi came in 15th place.
Another hot favourite will be the Malaysian-backed
Petronas Toms SC430 Team which had only recently clinched victory at round 2 of
the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series at the Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka, Japan. The team,
competing in the GT500 class, is spearheaded by the pair of Kazuki Nakajima and
James Rossiter. Nakajima is the 2012 Formula NIPPON Series champion, while
Rossiter was formerly a Lotus factory driver and test driver for the Force
India Formula One Team.
Race fans are also in for another treat as for the
first time, they will be able to see fast action on the track by hybrid cars
competing in the GT 300 class. The competition is led by the Toyota PRIUS GT
which recently secured the first ever victory for a hybrid car in the SUPER GT
series at round 2, and joined by a fleet of MUGEN CR-Z GT cars.
“We’re gunning for a phenomenal race weekend with lots
of action and activities on as well as off the track. We’re working on a whole
host of activities and attractions and all I can say is that it’s going to be
exciting for everyone, race fans or otherwise,” said JPM Motorsport Managing
Director T.J. Chin.
In 2013, with the aim to further improve the
experience of spectators and provide greater value to sponsors, JPM Motorsport
has come up with the theme of having a 5-Star SUPER GT! The components are: the
SUPER GT Race, the Affin Bank Motorshow, a Japan Town by Sachi, the Biggest
Superbike Gathering and a Dash Berlin ‘Music is Life’ World
Tour 2013!
And unique to SUPER GT, fans can meet and greet the
drivers and teams during the Pit Walkabout, where the Race Machines and hot
race queens will be present. On Saturday, consistent with the SUPER GT
tradition, the pit walkabout session is free for children under 12 and their
accompanying parents too.
This year’s event will also witness the very first
Asia Cup race organized by Meritus. Off the race tracks, grass root racing
activities in the form of the Ultra Racing Gymkhana & Drifting, will
encourage enthusiasts to compete.
Other than exciting racing and race cars, JPM
Motorsports will also continue the tradition set in 2011 by having another star
attraction in the form of the Affin Bank Motorshow. This year, the total
exhibition size is as big as the size of the entire mall area at Sepang
International Circuit, which is around 7,500 sqm. Though similar in size to
2012, it incorporates innovative elements, namely SummerNat where on top of
amazing cars displayed by Japanese Marquee like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda,
Subaru and European heavy weights like Porsche and Lamborghini, JPM Motorsport
will exhibit and host a competition for Customs Cars and Bikes alike. SummerNat
is Australia’s premier event for street machines, an event gathering local
exotic and custom muscle cars as well as other street machines
which will take place in Malaysia and co-organised by JPM Motorsport in the
later part of the year.
JPM Motorsport will also be out to establish a record
in the Malaysia Book of Records. This year, instead of the Biggest Supercar and
Performance Car record that it managed to set with the help of various car
clubs in 2012, the company will be out to create the record for the Biggest and
Noisiest Superbike Gathering on track in Sepang International Circuit. This
will be the first time the track will accommodate so many bikes on the track in
a single event.
Moving away from Automotive related activities,
another Star to this year’s race weekend is the Japan Town by Sachi, and JPM
Motorsport in collaboration with sponsors such as Code 10, Luminox and OK is
attempting to make the audience feel like they are watching a Japanese Racing
event in Japan during summer.
Finally, when the sun goes down on Saturday night,
event goers, or more specifically party goers will be treated to the Dash
Berlin ‘Music is Life’ World Tour. This tour, touted as one of the most anticipated
party event of the year is organized by Global Sound Music together with JPM
Music and is expected to provide an unforgettable “let your hair down’ party
experience. And for partygoers, they are also entitled to attend the race,
making it an adrenaline filled weekend.
“There you have it, a 5 Star event which we hope will
make this year’s event more thrilling, engaging, glamorous and
spectator-friendly for all those who attend and sponsors alike,” said Chin.
“Race weekend at Sepang International Circuit is not
purely about action on the track, but we have made an enormous effort to make
it an attractive weekend destination for the entire family.”
JPM Motorsport is also inviting race fans to bring
their entire family to the Super GT weekend, and have put in place various
attractions that include a special Kids Zone and musical performances to keep
everyone – including non-race enthusiasts – happy and occupied.
Super GT fans will also be able to catch the action of
the 2013 Malaysian SUPER GT Queen Search Pageant. The pageant is being held for
the third consecutive year, and the crowned winner will stand the chance of
joining a line-up of Japanese GT Queens in Japan with objective of promoting
the sharing of knowledge, expertise and talent between Malaysian and Japanese
GT queens.
Tickets for the Malaysian round of the AUTOBACS Super
GT Series are priced at RM100, and fans can obtain it online via www.supergt.com.my, or tune in to the
entire season’s updates on www.facebook.com.my/supergt.my.
Aspiring candidates or the 2013 Malaysian SUPER GT Queen Search Pageant
meanwhile, can log on to the SUPER GT’s Facebook at www.facebook.com/supergt.my to
obtain updates about the pageant.
Vrooom all the way yo!
XD
