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WELCOME TO GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA POWERED BY AWS - THE CONTINENT’S BIGGEST MULTI-CLASS GT SERIES
It also comprises a quarter of SRO Motorsports Group’s worldwide GT3 sprint racing platform where the performances of manufacturers and drivers contribute towards a global championship as well as domestic titles.
Previously, from its inception in 2017 until the end of 2023, GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS was a multi-class series comprising GT3 and GT4 cars. This changed at the start of 2024 when it adopted the same GT3-only format as the other World Challenge continents.
Cars feature a maximum of two drivers, each of whom qualifies for and then starts one of the weekend’s two races. They must then swap places with their co-driver during the mandatory pitstop window, which lasts 10 minutes.
GT3 CLASSES PRO-AM SILVER CUP SILVER-AM AM CUP
Three types of driver pairings compete for outright victories: the mix of a professional and amateur (Pro-Am), two professionals graded no higher than Silver by the FIA (Silver Cup), and a Silver paired with a Bronze (Silver-Am). The Am Cup, which comprises two Bronze-graded drivers per car, completes GT World Challenge Asia’s class structure.
At least one Asian driver per crew is mandatory in Pro-Am, Silver Cup and Silver-Am, while events feature a dedicated test session for amateur drivers.
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SRO JAPAN CUP: A STANDALONE DOMESTIC CHAMPIONSHIP
SRO Japan Cup will again comprise eight races across four events in 2025.
In 2022 and '23 Japan Cup was a ‘championship within a championship’ whose entrants contested all four GT World Challenge Asia events on Japanese soil. But that changed in 2024 when Japan Cup became a series in its own right, as well as the country’s only sprint format GT championship.
GT3 and GT4 will remain Japan Cup’s primary classes this year. However, GT2 and GTC cars are also eligible to compete.
As well as contesting their own races, Japan Cup competitors will also benefit from separate test, practice and qualifying sessions during all SRO GT PowerTour weekends.
As per the existing regulations, only drivers with a JAF license are eligible to contest Japan Cup’s GT3 Pro-Am and Am classes. But GT4 – which retains its Silver-Am and Am categories – will be opened up to all Asian drivers (subject to some criteria).
Sugo stages the standalone season opener before Japan Cup teams join their continental counterparts at Fuji and Okayama. These two events, which each feature four 60-minute races split equally between the two series, are collectively known as the SRO GT PowerTour.
It's then on to Suzuka where Japan Cup shares the bill with Intercontinental GT Challenge. The schedule has been optimised to allow Japan Cup entrants to contest both their own season finale and the 1000km, which forms part of IGTC's global calendar.
As well as their own races, Japan Cup competitors will also benefit from separate test, practice and qualifying sessions during all SRO GT PowerTour weekends.
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TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS, COMMON REGULATIONS
Pitstop success penalties are applied at all races to prevent any single crew from dominating. The top-three finishers from the previous race must respectively serve an additional 15, 10 or 5 seconds on top of the mandated minimum pitstop time.
Just like all SRO championships, GT World Challenge Asia and Japan Cup benefits from the organisation’s world-renowned Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations. These ensure that a car’s natural attributes or shortcomings are not the determining factors in overall results.
But SRO’s BoP is just the start. Its expertise extends into Race Control, stewarding, scrutineering, management and regulatory matters, all of which combine to deliver an accountable and trustworthy GT racing environment.
Points are awarded to the top-10 finishers overall and in class:
1. 25pts - 2. 18pts - 3. 15pts - 4. 12pts - 5. 10pts - 6. 8pts - 7. 6pts - 8. 4pts - 9. 2pts - 10. 1pt