Inaugural Super GT series set to stun this summer
Jan 13, 2022
New for the 2022 calendar, Super GT brings cars from the global Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, GT4 and Ferrari Challenge categories together. The inaugural Super GT series will also see Kiwi ace Liam Lawson return home to complete demonstration runs of the Rodin FZED single seater.
Some of the country’s most exciting race cars are set to come together this season with the launch of the new Super GT Series. The new four-round series combines cars from three motorsport categories: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, GT4 and Ferrari Challenge.
The diversity of the new series ensures a wide array of exciting machinery will be racing throughout the summer, including contemporary Aston Martins, Audis, BMWs, Ferraris, Fords, Ginettas, McLarens, Mercedes-AMGs and Porsches. The series organisers say they are hoping for a field of around 30 cars for the inaugural season.
The new category – which will see races scheduled at Highlands Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, Hampton Downs and Taupo between January and March – has been designed to create a world class grid of modern GT race cars that will compete on a level playing field using a Balance of Performance (BOP) formula to maintain competition parity between the cars.
The BOP will be implemented during compulsory pit stops and the length of pit stop will be determined using qualifying times and using lap times from practice sessions.
Cars will compete in both sprint and endurance races, with each event featuring two 30-minute races along with one 60-minute race with compulsory pit stops. There will be the option of one or two drivers per car.
Three rounds of the inaugural Super GT season will also be enlivened by demonstration runs in the hotly anticipated Rodin FZED single seater, with none other than Kiwi sensation Liam Lawson at the wheel.
Returning home following the conclusion of the European season, Lawson has had a stellar 2021. The Giltrap Group-sponsored driver finished his debut Formula 2 season ninth in the championship with a race win and three podium finishes. His success rate in touring cars has also been impressive, finishing the DTM season in second spot, with three race wins and several podiums. Lawson’s year was then capped with a Formula 1 test for AlphaTauri.
Rodin Cars was one of Lawson’s sponsors through the 2021 season, with New Zealand-based Rodin Cars founder, David Dicker, recently confirming his company will continue as a sponsor in the 2022 Formula 2 Championship. Rodin is also a naming rights sponsor of the Super GT series.
The three Super GT series appearances by the 675hp 3.8-litre Cosworth GPV8-powered open-wheeler will be the first in New Zealand for the car since Greg Murphy set an unofficial lap record at Ruapuna in it.
With Rodin demonstration runs planned for the Highlands Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, and Hampton Downs rounds of the Super GT series, there is distinct anticipation that the combination of potent performance from the FZED combined with the expert ability of Lawson in the cockpit could see further lap records falling before the end of the 2022 season.
Dates for the Super GT series are January 15-16 2022, at Highlands Motorsport Park; January 22-23 at Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna; February 12-13 at Hampton Downs (New Zealand Grand Prix race weekend), and March 26-27 at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo.