TOYOTA GAZOO Racing remains the Official Safety Car Partner of Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS and Japan Cup in 2024 after extending its deal with SRO Motorsports Group into a third season.
The Toyota Supra and Lexus RC F were prominent features at the front of Asia’s biggest regional GT series last year when overseeing formation lap and safety duties at all six events.
Now those cars – which also feature in the GT3 and GT4 classes – are returning to fulfil the same role in both Fanatec GT Asia and Japan Cup.
The two series have raced together as part of the same combined grid for the last two years but are splitting ahead of 2024 when Japan Cup stages its first standalone event at Sugo. It then joins Fanatec GT Asia but competes separately at Fuji, Suzuka and Okayama.
Fanatec GT Asia, meanwhile, continues to comprise six events and 12 one-hour races, the first two of which take place at Sepang in Malaysia on April 19-21. Trips to Thailand, Japan and China follow thereafter.
Together, Toyota and Lexus Safety Cars will lead the pack in 20 one-hour races across the season, while as many as 50 GT cars are expected to attend the joint SRO GT PowerTour events held in Japan.
Tomoya Takahashi, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing President: “We are delighted to extend the partnership with SRO Motorsports Group for 2024 again. In this year, the Japan Cup, which had been held as a series within a series until last year, will become a standalone series and a total of seven rounds and 20 races will be held together with Fanatec GT Asia, and there is no doubt that SRO is making efforts and contributions to the expansion of customer motorsport in Asia. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing also wants to actively contribute to the development of customer motorsport while continuing to aim for ‘making ever-better motorsports-bred cars’, and we are very grateful to be able to support such a great series and contribute to the safe operation of the races.”
Benjamin Franassovici, SRO Motorsports Group Asia General Manager: “Japan Cup has considerably expanded this year so I am really pleased to see Toyota – a manufacturer renowned for safety – at the forefront of its domestic series as well as SRO’s pan-Asia championship once again. It has been a highly valued Fanatec GT Asia partner since racing resumed in 2022, and is also represented on this year’s Japan Cup grids thanks to the RC F GT3 and GR Supra GT4. Across Asia’s series the car in front is quite literally a Toyota!”