ABOUT GT4 | GT4 | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

ABOUT "GT4" CATEGORY?

WHAT IS THE
RECENTLY POPULAR
"GT4" CATEGORY?

Launched in 2006, GT4 is a "customer racing" oriented category proposed by SRO ^*1 as with the case of GT3. Thus, it coincided with the period when the FIA GT Championship was competed with GT1 and GT2 specification cars. After the disbandment of the GT1 and GT2 class championships, GT3 became the main class in international GT racing. Meanwhile, the GT4 regulation was used primarily for racing in Germany at the time. Then, the Dutch GT4 Championship was launched in 2009. And the series gradually grew as a competition category for amateur drivers in Europe.

GT3 was also conceived originally as a category for amateurs or new-career drivers, and with the GT1 and GT2 categories, in the course of its evolution and development, the machines reached higher levels of performance and, correspondingly, became more expensive year by year. This development has in turn led to greater interest in the GT4 category in recent years.

As customer racing with GT3 spec cars has reached peek popularity, the GT4 category has been a welcome alternative for those unable to enter GT3 competitions and amateur drivers, which has led to a growing demand for development and supply of GT4 cars.

While GT3 cars are officially certified by the FIA "Group GT3," GT4 cars are mainly certified by Belgium's RACB ^*2 authority, and as with GT3 cars, the Balance of Performance (BoP) is controlled by SRO to ensure equal performance levels.

*1 SRO：this is the acronym of Stephane Ratel Organisation. The organization is founded by former driver Stephane Ratel and is responsible for setting the standards for GT3 and GT4 car regulations, while also organizing the GT World Challenge Series.

*2 RACB: This is the acronym for the Royal Automobile Club Belgium. It is the oldest automobile club after the Automobile Club de France, and it is a member of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

GT4, a Category
Amateur Drivers Can Truly Enjoy

Today, GT races primarily for GT3 and GT4 cars are popular around the world, with international series also being held now in Europe, North America and Asia. The origin of this global boom in GT racing can be traced back to the GT endurance race series started in Europe in the mid-1990s, which were competed by privateer teams and with many of the drivers being amateurs.

Unlike the high-level competitions like F1, WEC and WRC competed by professional drivers, the history of GT racing developed originally as customer-oriented motorsport events competed mainly by privateer teams with amateur drivers. And, like all race series, as GT3 developed and evolved, not only did the cost of the GT3 cars rise but also the various costs involved for competing in the races.
That is why interest in GT4 is growing so noticeably today as a way for amateur drivers to enjoy racing at less expense than GT3 involves.

・Due to the limitations placed on race modifications of the base road-going (road-legal) cars, the investment that goes into a GT4 car is less than a GT3 car, as are the costs of maintenance and running costs.

・Because the base cars are manufactured and sold by leading automakers and their related companies, there is greater assurance in the safety standards and, although there may be differences in the performance levels of the cars, BoP measures help ensure equality in performance, and thus the competitive potential of all the cars for exciting racing.

For these reasons, GT4 is the ideal platform for amateur drivers as well as young drivers hoping to eventually move up to endurance racing.

Series and Race to Compete In

There are races held around the world that drivers can compete in with a GT4 regulation car. One of the big international races is Germany's Nurburgring 24 hours, which is well known to Japanese fans as well. Others include Australia's popular Bathurst 12 Hour race. This race is a round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge that can be seen as a pinnacle of GT3 racing.

In Europe, the competition series for GT4 cars include the GT4 European Series, the Championnat de France FFSA GT and the British GT Championship, and after the conclusion of these series each year the qualifying teams are able to compete in the GT4 European Final.

Meanwhile, in North America an 11-race SRO-affiliated series is scheduled for 2020, while in Asia there will be the 6-round GT World Challenge Asia series including a GT3 class, with two rounds to take place in Japan (at Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit). Also, in Japan's Super Taikyu endurance race series an "ST-Z Class" has been added for GT4 cars to compete in. And in fact, three GT4 cars have already competed in the 2019 Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race.