GT/Sportscar Racing in the Asia-Pacific

[JohnBM01]

Remember in 2000 with the "Race of a Thousand Years" in Adelaide, Australia? You may have seen banners for the Asia-Pacific Le Mans Series (which most likely drained down the toliet along with the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) the following year. But now that I think about it, there is a sort of sportscar series or sportscar in Thailand, of course there is the JGTC, which pretty much is the best racing series in Asia, and then some touring car leauges as well. I consider touring cars LIKE GT, but not exactly.

So I've created this thread out of of curiousity. The only bits of GT and Sportscar racing are in the ones I mentioned above, and not to mention Audi Sport Japan's Team Goh (good luck winning one for Japan, Goh!). The Asia-Pacific has no ALMS or LMES for what I know. Now note that I said Asia-PACIFIC. Meaning, the Pacific Islands and of course, Australia. And even then, I don't know of any GT/Sportscar racing in Australia. Only racing I know best there is V8 Supercar. And their Le Mans is one of the newest endurances, the 24 Hours of Bathurst. In the V8 series, the Bathurst 1000 is the Supercars' Le Mans. I think Suzuka would be perfect for a 1000 mile race into the night, or even better, a 24 hour race from Suzuka-Shi, Japan. That new Shanghai road course looks like it can use some GT/Sportscar love. Adelaide, Sandown, Eastern Creek, and Phillip Island seem like nice courses for GT race cars to go race on. The only reason why I didn't mention Bathurst is because I don't know if the track would be safe enough to have GT racers there. Or maybe I'm wrong...

Anyhow, GT/Sportscar in the America? Sure! In Europe? You bet. The Asia-Pacific? Uhh...

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Procar has the best racing series in Australia, other that the V8 supercar series.
They are sometimes support events for the V8's and they also do the Bathurst 24 hour. Yeah...ummm...ok.

 

[JohnBM01]

I just remembered that last season in the JGTC, there was a Malaysian-based team who competed in races in the JGTC. They were eyeing Le Mans in the future, so I hope everything works out swell for them.

I was looking online some time ago, and heard of this Japanese sportscar championship from the early 1990s. I want to say that it gave way to the JGTC in 1993 or 1994, but I'm not sure. I guess you can say that GT/Sportscar racing in the Asia-Pacific WAS around, but I don't think you hear about this sort of thing anymore.

When I created this topic, my intent was to look for a special GT/Sportscar series like the American Le Mans Series or the Le Mans Endurance Series. And before beginning, I already mentioned the JGTC, which is a great GT series in its own right. Maybe even better than FIA GT. But I'll keep looking. Maybe some of the sportscar racing in the Asia-Pacific was in the past. The JGTC is the best in the international sector, if not some of the Australian V8 races (like the Bathurst 1000, in which you'd have to be a fool to say that is not an endurance race). I'm guessing the Bathurst 1000 of this year is either coming up or passed already. The Bathurst 24H should be later this year.

I'll keep looking. Thanks for the replies and views.

 

[Yuichi]

The Bathurst 1000 is on in early October, Bathurst 24hr on in November, if it goes ahead.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

yup, October this year is the 1000Km race. I'm going to it, I shoulld remember to take a camera, then I can post the pics on GTP.

 

[Blake]

I think that Bathurst would be safe ENOUGH for a GT race and it would provide a hell of a spectacle! Apart from the fact that the inclines are too steep I would love to see some form of open wheelers race around the entire track.

 

[Schrodes]

Procar has the best racing series in Australia, other that the V8 supercar series.
They are sometimes support events for the V8's and they also do the Bathurst 24 hour. Yeah...ummm...ok.

Let's hope PROCAR sorts itself out soon. The Nations Cup championship, which is part of PROCAR, is the closest we have to a GT series. I suppose you could say they are GT racers. The field is made up of Chrysler Viper, Ferrari 360 Michelotto, Ferrari 550, Porsche GT3 RS, Lamborghini Diablo, Holden Monaro, Chevrolet Corvette, TVR Chimera and V8 powered Honda NSX. There are plenty of other GT cars which are eligible like the Mosler and Morgan Aero 8 which have both raced at the Bathurst 24hr. The Nations Cup cars and the V8 Supercars visit some of the same tracks during the season and the NC cars are usually only a couple of seconds slower. Thats quite quick when you think about how fast the V8's are. The NC cars are supposed to be based on N-GT cars, in reality they are a bit quicker than N-GT cars but not as quick as GTS cars. The Ferrari 360 Michelottos, which have been successful N-GT cars, have been off the pace and this year Mark Coffey Racing has imported a 550 Maranello for this years series to remain competitive. The car has had to cop plenty of parity restrictions to bring it back to the field.

Apart from the fact that the inclines are too steep I would love to see some form of open wheelers race around the entire track.

The Formula Fords used to race as support events at Bathurst until AVESCO dropped them from the program. I don't think the steepness of the track would have any effect on how an open wheeler would perform around the track, even an F1 car. Keep in mind that F1 cars generate enough down force that they could theoretically drive up side down.

I'm going to it, I shoulld remember to take a camera, then I can post the pics on GTP.

Be sure to walk all the way around the top of the track, from Reid Park to Forrests Elbow.