Fuji 24 Hours

Last updated
Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours
Fuji.svg
Super Taikyu Series
Venue Fuji Speedway
Corporate sponsor NAPAC (Nippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee)
First race1967 (original)
2018 (current)
Duration24 hours
Most wins (driver) Kiyoto Fujinami (3)
Most wins (manufacturer) Nissan (5)

The Fuji Super TEC 24 Hour Race, also known as the NAPAC Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour GT, touring car, and production sports car endurance race held annually at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Contents

The race is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and promoted by the Super Taikyu Organisation (STO), and is the longest round of the Super Taikyu Series. Since its revival in 2018, the Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours has traditionally been held late in the spring season, either in early June or late May.

History

Multi-class racing during the 2021 Fuji 24 Hours. 2021Nian noFu Shi 24Shi Jian resu danrotsupukonadenoHun Zou .jpg
Multi-class racing during the 2021 Fuji 24 Hours.

The first 24-hour automobile endurance race in Japan was held at Fuji Speedway in April 1967, but the Fuji 24 Hour Race would only be held one more time in 1968 before the event was discontinued for several decades.

On 1 September 2017, 50 years after the race was first held, Fuji Speedway announced the revival of the Fuji 24 Hour Race as a round of the Super Taikyu Series, beginning in 2018. This was the first 24-hour endurance race to be held in Japan since the Tokachi 24 Hours was last staged in 2008. [1] The "Super TEC" event name is a homage to the Fuji Inter TEC Race, which was held from 1985 to 1998 as part of the All-Japan Touring Car Championship.

Beginning in 2021, Super Taikyu introduced the ST-Q class for manufacturer-developed, non-homologated special vehicles. At that year's Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours, Toyota introduced a specially-developed Toyota GR Corolla concept vehicle powered by a hydrogen internal combustion engine. [2] The car successfully completed the 24-hour race. [3] In 2023, the GR Corolla H2 Concept re-debuted at the Fuji 24 Hours after being converted from using gaseous hydrogen to liquid hydrogen and also completed the race.

Nissan introduced a new car for the 2022 race, the Nissan Z Racing Concept, which would serve as the prototype for the Nissan Z GT4 that launched in 2023. [4]

List of winners

YearDriversTeamCarLayoutDistanceSeries
1967 Flag of Japan.svg Shihomi Hosoya
Flag of Japan.svg Yoshio Otsubo
Flag of Japan.svg Toyota Motor Sports Club (TMSC) Toyota 2000GT 6 km537 laps
1968 Flag of Japan.svg Tōru Itaya
Flag of Japan.svg Takatoshi Teranishi
Flag of Japan.svg Sports Car Club of Nissan (SCCN) Nissan Fairlady 2000 512 laps
2018 Flag of Japan.svg Teruhiko Hamano
Flag of Japan.svg Kazuki Hoshino
Flag of Japan.svg Kiyoto Fujinami
Flag of Japan.svg Hironobu Yasuda
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Sun Zheng
Flag of Japan.svg GTNET Motor Sports Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 (MY2015)4.563 km759 laps Super Taikyu
2019 Flag of Japan.svg Teruhiko Hamano
Flag of Japan.svg Kazuki Hoshino
Flag of Japan.svg Kiyoto Fujinami
Flag of Japan.svg Kazuki Hiramine
Flag of Japan.svg GTNET Motor Sports Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 (MY2015)801 laps
2020 Flag of Japan.svg Daisuke Yamawaki
Flag of Japan.svg Shinichi Takagi
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Shaun Thong
Flag of Japan.svg Yuki Nemoto
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Mercedes-AMG Team Hirix Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO 528 laps
2021 Flag of Japan.svg Noboyuki Ōyagi
Flag of Japan.svg Takayuki Aoki
Flag of Japan.svg Kiyoto Fujinami
Flag of Japan.svg Natsu Sakaguchi
Flag of Japan.svg GTNET Motor Sports Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 (MY2018)763 laps
2022 Flag of Japan.svg Yutaka Toriba
Flag of Japan.svg Yuya Hiraki
Flag of Japan.svg Reiji Hiraki
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Shaun Thong
Flag of Japan.svg HELM Motorsports Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 (MY2018)760 laps
2023 Flag of Japan.svg Ryuta Ukai
Flag of Japan.svg Naoya Gamou
Flag of Japan.svg Hibiki Taira
Flag of Japan.svg Tatsuya Kataoka
Flag of Japan.svg Zhongsheng Rookie Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO 730 laps

Records

Multiple overall wins by driver

WinsDriverYears
3 Flag of Japan.svg Kiyoto Fujinami 2018, 2019, 2021
2 Flag of Japan.svg Teruhiko Hamano2018, 2019
Flag of Japan.svg Kazuki Hoshino 2018, 2019
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Shaun Thong 2020, 2022

Overall wins by manufacturer

WinsManufacturerYears
5 Flag of Japan.svg Nissan 1968, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
2 Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes 2020, 2023
1 Flag of Japan.svg Toyota 1967

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References

  1. ""24-hour domestic race revived for the first time in 10 years! Announces Plan to Hold 24-Hour Race at Fuji Speedway"" (PDF) (in Japanese). 1 September 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  2. CORPORATION, TOYOTA MOTOR. "Toyota Developing Hydrogen Engine Technologies Through Motorsports | Corporate | Global Newsroom". Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  3. CORPORATION, TOYOTA MOTOR. "TOYOTA NEWS #150|The 24-Hour Challenge of the Hydrogen-Powered Engine|TOYOTA TIMES". TOYOTA TIMES. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  4. "Nissan Z Racing Concept for Fuji 24-hour race unveiled". Global Nissan Newsroom. 2022-06-04. Retrieved 2023-07-17.