The Balance of Racing - Super Formula and Super GT

In fact, of the 21 drivers on the grid in Super Formula this season, 16 are also actively involved in SUPER GT, with all bar one of those participating in the top GT500 category.

Within the Honda stable, six drivers are taking on double programmes in the two series this year: Tomoki Nojiri, Naoki Yamamoto, Ren Sato, Kakunoshin Ohta, Nobuharu Matsushita and Tadasuke Makino. For this group of drivers, that means constantly switching back and forth between cars, working with two sets of crews, often in different teams, and some intricate schedule planning to be adequately prepared for both categories.

The good news is that, while they may look very different, Super Formula and GT500 cars are not radically different to drive. Both use the same basic engine formula, and while the GT500 car is over 300kg heavier, advanced aerodynamics and sticky tyres mean that they still have plenty of grip in the corners, resulting in lap time differences of just a few seconds.

That means that switching between the two categories is something that comes naturally to Honda’s factory racers, especially those that have been doing it a long time.

“For me, the first two or three seasons of doing both categories were quite challenging, but now it’s not so difficult,” says two-time Super Formula champion Nojiri, who has been juggling racing in both categories since the 2015 season.

“The difference in braking points, how much you have to decelerate and how much the car turns are not so different between Super Formula and GT500, so it’s relatively easy to adjust your driving to suit either car.

“That said, there’s still a difference in things like the feel of the brakes and how much you speed up when you step on the gas; also how much grip there is in the combined phase [accelerating and cornering at the same time]. These are things you can’t really feel unless you drive. But these days, it’s not really a big problem for me.”

Makino, who has raced both Super Formula and GT500 since 2019, adds: “Even in my first season, I got used to it. If it was a GT300, it would be a lot more difficult in terms of driving style, with a heavier car and traction control, etc. But in a GT500, it’s not a big change.”

For Ohta, who is only in his second season, he feels that the similarities between Super Formula and GT500 are big enough that racing in SUPER GT’s top class effectively becomes a form of practice for Super Formula, something he says is invaluable.

“The most important thing is the mileage,” explains Ohta. “The main difference between us and other sports is that we cannot practice every day. Training the eyes and the muscles is so important, which is why it’s such an advantage to race in both categories. 

“For example, if you only drive in Super Formula, you have a two-month gap between races and we can’t prepare or practice properly unless we drive the GT500.”

Asked which of the two cars he found easier to get up to speed with in his rookie season last year, Ohta replies: “In SUPER GT we get more time in the car because there are a lot of tests, and I did more tests last year because I was using Dunlop tyres [at Nakajima Racing]. 

“In Super Formula, we have just two [pre-season] tests and it’s difficult to adjust things properly during the race weekends, when you only get 90 minutes of practice. You can’t take too many risks, because one mistake and you could mess up the whole weekend.”

Both Ohta and Makino are part of the Dandelion Racing team in Super Formula, but in SUPER GT, Ohta represents Real Racing, while Makino is a member of Team Kunimitsu, meaning they have to also move back and forth between their respective teams.

When it comes to managing their schedules, the two drivers explain that’s a simply a case of focusing on the next race or test as it comes regardless of the category - so if there’s a big gap in the calendar for one series or the other, then preparations will stay on the backburner for that series while the one that’s in action sooner takes precedence.

“We don’t do so many team meetings, so it’s not such a big problem,” says Ohta. “We basically have a meeting to prepare each race week in advance. And then we have the simulator at the HRC factory in Sakura, and we do that maybe once a month. That’s the main training for us outside of race weekends, and we can try a lot of set-up items there.”

Makino adds: “The process for both championships is similar. One or two weeks before each race, we have a meeting, and then if it’s GT500, we can also try things on the simulator. 

“The team members are completely different, but I’ve been with both teams for a while, so there’s no problem there.”

Unlike his two younger colleagues, Nojiri has the benefit of being able to prepare for both Super Formula and SUPER GT with Team Mugen, which effectively runs the two ARTA Civic Type R-GTs in the latter category. But the veteran says that being with the same team for both championships is less of an advantage than it may look.

“The staff doing the two categories are different, and even when you are doing it in the same team, if one person changes, so does the way of doing things and the way of communication change,” he says. “In fact, I would say it’s not that different from racing two different teams. You always have to build things up with the people you are working with.”

While racing in both Super Formula and SUPER GT has its challenges, adapting seamlessly between the two series is part and parcel of life as a top-line driver in Japan. Indeed, given that they are two of the fastest series in the world outside Formula 1, performing double duty has to be considered one of the biggest privileges that a racing driver can have.