Other Series

Super Taikyu ST-X – an update on 2011 plans

© Len Clarke – RACENOW Japan

Some seven months ago SRO Motorsports Group announced the addition of an FIA GT3 class to the Japanes Super Taikyu Series. Back in June of 2010 Stephane Ratel’s organisation revealed the new ST-X class and last month more details about the 2011 became available.

In June SRO confirmed that the ST-X class would start in 2011 and that it was “it would have three to four races with a full race schedule scheduled for 2012”. Instead of three or four races the ST-X cars are set to race in seven events, four in Japan, one in Korea and two in China. All the races will count for the ST-X championship.

The Super Taikyu Organization (S.T.O.) also confirmed that the class would indeed be open only to cars that meet the FIA GT3 regulations, which also means that S.T.O. will take over the driver categorization for the ST-X class, the first time such a driver evaluation system is used in a Japanese racing series.
Platinum-status drivers are allowed to race in ST-X, but only one per team. The platinum driver can only compete in less than one-third of the total race time.

The series organizers hope to attract various GT3 cars and the first Audi R8 LMS has already been confirmed. Renowned team Hitotsuyama Racing will enter the Audi this season, while Petronas Syntium Team is set to enter the series in 2012 with the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3.

SRO promoter Stephane Ratel is very optimistic about the future of the ST-X class in Super Taikyu. “I believe that GT3, which is developing as one of the most successful category in motor sport, deserve to be promoted in Japan. Japan is a very important motorsport country; you have with the SUPER GT, one of the most successful national category – but there is room for a most cost-affordable, more private team-oriented category for GT cars, and I believe that Super Taikyu with its endurance format is the right environment for the development of GT3 in Japan”, said Ratel.
“I wish within the next two to three years, a similar success in Japan, and believe that with the Super Taikyu Organization, we, as SRO have found a very good partner to develop the category. We will be here to help them, to help with locating the cars, to help with relationship with the manufacturers, and to help to establish a very accurate balance of performance that will help providing a very good level of competition and very disputed races.”

The Super Taikyu ST-X calendar for 2011:

April 9-10 – Twin Ring Motegi
May 21-22 – Sports Land Sugo
June 11-12 – Korean International Circuit
June 25-26 – Ordos International Circuit
July 2-3 – Beijing City Circuit
July 23-24 – Fuji International Circuit
August 27-28 – Okayama International Circuit

(thanks to Len Clarke, Director at RACENOW Japan for the information and picture)