Thomas Tan
After a six-year hiatus, Japan’s Super GT racing returns to Malaysia this year with the world’s first ever GT night race.
Sepang International Circuit (SIC) will host the Super GT Malaysia Festival 2020 with one race – Round 5 of the 2020 Autobacs SUPER GT Series – set to take place from July 16 to 19.
It will be the Super GT series first ever night race event. SIC last hosted the race in 2013.
The Super GT Malaysia Festival 2020 was officially launched by Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia secretary-general Dato’ Dr. Noor Zari Bin Hamat at Bora Ombak Marina Putrajaya on March 9, 2020.
Among those present at the launch event were GT Association (GTA) chairman Masaaki Bandoh and Haro Sports & Entertainment managing partner Fahrizal Hasan.
Haro Sports & Entertainment is the rights holder and promoter for Super GT Malaysia Festival 2020.
The race is a major part of the Visit Malaysia 2020 calendar. It is expected to attract about 80,000 spectators from local and overseas motor sports fans.
The Super GT series in Malaysia will for the first time also debut an all-Malaysian team for the first time, featuring drivers Jazeman Jaafar and Datuk Adrian D’Silva. They will pair up in a Porsche GT3 R to compete in the GT300 Class as one of two Malaysian wildcard entries.
Tickets range from the RM100 for the K1 Grandstand to RM250 for the Main Grandstand and RM2,000 for the GT Club Paddock.
There will be discount to early bird purchasers at RM80 (K1 Grandstand) and RM200 (Main Grandstand). Also available are three exclusive packages, namely Experience, Ultimate and Dream, all of which include benefits like a taxi ride around the circuit, a pit walk tour and a circuit safari experience inside a bus watching Super GT cars zoom past.
Ticket holders stand a chance to win the Grand Prize – a Toyota GR Supra – by predicting the final outcome of the race for the top finishers.
Motorsport fans will also be treated to an outdoor Super GT Auto Expo hosted by Art of Speed at the open mall area with displays from carmakers, automotive parts suppliers, aftermarket specialists, lifestyle accessories and car clubs.
The Super GT Malaysia Festival 2020 Round 5 of the 2020 Autobacs Super GT Series is one of two races held outside Japan and will follow after Round 4 at Buriram Circuit in Thailand.
The GT500 main class will feature 15 competing teams from three Japanese car manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Honda Motor Co Ltd.
For the GT300 class, there will be 30 competing teams from a wide array of manufacturers such as Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd, BMW AG, Lotus Cars Limited, Mercedes-AMG GmbH and Porsche AG.
CJMY
