The 1998 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship was the sixth season of Japan Automobile Federation GT premiere racing. It was marked as well as the sixteenth season of a JAF-sanctioned sports car racing championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The GT500 class champion was the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Nissan Skyline GT-R driven by Érik Comas and Masami Kageyama, and the GT300 class champion was the #25 Team Taisan Jr with Tsuchiya MR2 driven by Keiichi Suzuki and Shingo Tachi, who won a record five championship races, plus the post-season all-star race, giving them a total of six wins in 1998.
The season was marred by a horrific crash at the All Japan Fuji GT Race on May 3, 1998, when Ferrari Club of Japan driver Tetsuya Ota lost control of his Ferrari F355 in heavy rain and fog, and crashed into the stationary Porsche 911 of Tomohiko Sunako. Ota's car erupted into flames upon impact, and fellow racer Shinichi Yamaji rushed to extinguish the fire. Ota suffered severe burns and nerve damage that would force him to retire from full-time racing. Sunako suffered a broken leg, but would continue to race in the series later on.
1998 also saw the first GT500 class victory for Honda, at the Japan Special GT Cup at Fuji Speedway.
Drivers and teams
GT500
GT300
| Team | Make | Car | Engine | No. | Drivers | Tyre | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Amemiya Racing | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 7 |  Shinichi Yamaji | D | All |
| Haruhiko Matsumoto | All | ||||||
| Team Daikokuya | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 9 | Shuroku Sasaki | D | 1–2 |
| Tsunefumi Hioki | 1, 3 | ||||||
| Yukihiro Hane | 3–5, 7 | ||||||
| Naohiro Kawano | 4–5, 7 | ||||||
| Hideaki Ichimura | 2 | ||||||
| 99 | Tsunefumi Hioki | 5–6 | |||||
| Kiichi Takahashi | 5 | ||||||
| Akira Yoshitomi | 6 | ||||||
| Ability Motorsport | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/82 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 10 | Hidehiko Aso | D | All |
| Akira Ishikawa | All | ||||||
| M Factory Racing Club | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GTS-R (HR31) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 11 | Hiromoto Ishimori | B | 2, 4 |
| Kazuo Miura | 2, 4 | ||||||
| Xanavi Racing with Nismo Jr. | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S14) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 15 | Masahiko Kondo | B | All |
| Takayuki Aoki | All | ||||||
| Kageisen Racing Team | Mazda | Mazda Roadster (NA) | Mazda RE13B 1.3 L 2-rotor | 17 | Toshihiko Nogami | D | 1–2, 4–5, 7 |
| Tomoyuki Hosono | 1, 4 | ||||||
| Masaaki Nagashima | 2, 5, 7 | ||||||
| Racing Project Bandoh | Toyota | Toyota Celica | Toyota 3S-GE 2.0 L I4 | 19 | Manabu Orido | Y | 4–7 |
 Max Angelelli | 4–6 | ||||||
| Katsumi Yamamoto | 7 | ||||||
| Hitotsuyama Racing | BMW | BMW M3 (E36) | BMW S14 2.2 L Turbo I4 | 21 | Hiroki Katoh | D | 1, 3–7 |
| Yasushi Hitotsuyama | 1–2, 4, 7 | ||||||
| Mikio Hitotsuyama | 3, 5–6 | ||||||
| Takayuki Kinoshita | 2 | ||||||
| Hirano Motorsport | Nissan | Nissan Skyline GTS-i (R32) | Nissan RB20DET 2.0 L Turbo I6 | 24 | Toshiyuki Hirano | Y | 2, 4 |
| Teruhiko Someba | 2, 4 | ||||||
| Team Taisan Jr. with Tsuchiya | Toyota | Toyota MR2 | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 25 | Keiichi Suzuki | Y | All |
| Shingo Tachi | All | ||||||
| Team Ferrari Club of Japan | Ferrari | Ferrari F355 GT | Ferrari F129B 3.5 L V8 | 27 | Tetsuya Ota | Y | 1–2 |
 Anders Olofsson | 1 | ||||||
| Steven Andskär | 2 | ||||||
| 28 | Masahiro Yamazaki | 2–3 | |||||
| Hiroaki Suga | 5 | ||||||
| A'PEX | Toyota | Toyota MR2 | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 44 | Morio Nitta | D | All |
| Shota Mizuno | 1–3 | ||||||
 Peter Dumbreck | 4–7 | ||||||
| Cobra Racing Team | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 51 | Katsunori Iketani | Y | All |
| Seiichi Sodeyama | 1 | ||||||
| Masamitsu Ishihara | 2–5, 7 | ||||||
| "OSAMU" | 6 | ||||||
| KRAFT | Toyota | Toyota Cavalier | Toyota 3S-GE 2.0 L I4 | 60 | Kumi Sato | D | All |
| Masaoki Nagashima | 1 | ||||||
| Junko Mihara | 2 | ||||||
| Akira Watanabe | 3–7 | ||||||
| Team Taeivon Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Mitsubishi FTO | Mitsubishi 4G63 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 61 | Akihiko Nakaya | T | All |
| Takahiko Hara | All | ||||||
| Team Gaikokuya | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/81 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 70 | Yoshimi Ishibashi | Y | All |
 Patrick van Schoote | All | ||||||
| SigmaTec Racing Team | Porsche | Porsche 993 GT2 | Porsche M64/81 3.6 L Turbo F6 | 71 | Kaoru Hoshino | D | All |
| Masaki Jyonai | All | ||||||
| Okura Rotary Racing | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 72 |  Mark Porter | Y | 3–7 |
| Yoshimi Katayama | 3–4 | ||||||
| Isao Hirano | 5–7 | ||||||
| Cusco Racing | Subaru | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | Subaru EJ20 2.0 L Turbo F4 | 77 | Katsuo Kobayashi | Y | All |
| Hideyuki Tamamoto | All | ||||||
| NAC West | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S13) | Nissan FJ20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 79 | Masanori Sugiyama | Y | 2, 4 |
| Hiroyasu Aoyagi | 2, 4 | ||||||
| Team Daishin | Nissan | Nissan Silvia (S14) | Nissan SR20DET 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 81 | Hideo Fukuyama | D | All |
| Nobuyuki Oyagi | All | ||||||
| First Racing Team | Toyota | Toyota MR2 | Toyota 3S-GTE 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 91 | Masahiro Matsunaga | Y | 1–3 |
| Yasuhisa Fujiwara | 1–3 | ||||||
| Toyota Celica | Masahiro Matsunaga | 4–7 | |||||
| Yasuhisa Fujiwara | 4–7 | ||||||
| Alta Racing Team | Mazda | Mazda RX-7 | Mazda RE20B 2.0 L 3-rotor | 117 | Toshihiro Fukazawa | Y | 2, 4–5, 7 |
| Tetsuo Kozai | 2, 4–5, 7 | ||||||
| NSX Dream28 Competition | Honda | Honda NSX | Honda C32B 3.5 L V6 | 280 | Hajime Oshiro | Y | 4 |
| Mamoru Suzuki | 4 | ||||||
| Yellow Magic | Ferrari | Ferrari F355 | Ferrari F129B 3.6 L V8 | 355 | Hiroaki Suga | Y | 4–5, 7 |
| Takayuki Ohi | 4 | ||||||
| Tatsuyuki Fujiwara | 5 | ||||||
| Seiichi Sodeyama | 7 | ||||||
| 910 Racing | Porsche | Porsche 993 RSR | Porsche M64/80 3.8 L F6 | 910 | Atsushi Yogo | D | All |
| Tomohiko Sunako | 1–2 | ||||||
| Shogo Kobayashi | 3–4 | ||||||
| Takayuki Kinoshita | 5–7 | ||||||
| 911 | Kiichi Takahashi | 1–4, 7 | |||||
| Shogo Kobayashi | 1 | ||||||
| Kazushige Saito | 2–3, 7 | ||||||
| Hirotaka Nakajima | 4 |
Schedule
| Round | Race | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suzuka GT 300 | Suzuka Circuit | March 22 |
| 2 | All Japan Fuji GT Race | Fuji Speedway | May 3 |
| 3 | HiLand GT Championship | Sendai Hi-Land Raceway | June 28 |
| 4 | Japan Special GT-Cup | Fuji Speedway | August 9 |
| 5 | Motegi GT Championship Race | Twin Ring Motegi | September 13 |
| 6 | CP Mine GT Race | Mine Circuit | October 11 |
| 7 | SUGO GT Championship | Sportsland SUGO | October 25 |
| NC | Nicos Cup GT Allstar Race | TI Circuit | November 15 |
Season results
Point Ranking
GT500
Drivers
| Rank | No. | Driver | SUZ | FUJ | SEN | FUJ | MOT | MIN | SUG | TAI | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Masami Kageyama | 1 | C | 1 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 67 |
| 1 | 23 | Érik Comas | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 67 | |
| 2 | 64 | Koji Yamanishi | 2 | C | 1 | Ret | 2 | DNS | 1 | 50 | |
| 2 | 64 | Tom Coronel | 2 | C | Ret | 1 | Ret | 2 | DNS | 1 | 50 |
| 3 | 12 | Kazuyoshi Hoshino | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 49 | |
| 3 | 12 | Takuya Kurosawa | 11 | C | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 49 |
| 4 | 16 | Osamu Nakako | Ret | C | Ret | 5 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 48 |
| 5 | 3 | Masahiro Hasemi | 5 | C | Ret | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 37 |
| 6 | 39 | Keiichi Tsuchiya | 3 | C | 4 | 9 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 3 | 36 |
| 7 | 36 | Masanori Sekiya | 6 | C | 3 | 8 | 3 | 16 | Ret | Ret | 33 |
| 8 | 2 | Aguri Suzuki | Ret | 2 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 9 | Ret | 29 | |
| 8 | 2 | Masahiko Kageyama | Ret | C | 2 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 9 | Ret | 29 |
| 9 | 37 | Toshio Suzuki | 7 | C | 6 | 11 | Ret | 10 | 2 | 6 | 26 |
| 10 | 100 | Kunimitsu Takahashi | 10 | C | 12 | Ret | 7 | 1 | Ret | 2 | 25 |
| 11 | 38 | Hironori Takeuchi | 9 | C | Ret | Ret | 5 | 12 | 3 | Ret | 22 |
| 12 | 50 | Satoshi Motoyama | 13 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 17 | |
| 12 | 50 | Takeshi Tsuchiya | 13 | C | 11 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 17 |
| 13 | 5 | Marc Goossens | 4 | C | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 14 | |
| 14 | 5 | Yasutaka Hinoi | 4 | C | 7 | 14 | |||||
| 15 | 18 | Katsutomo Kaneishi | Ret | C | Ret | 4 | Ret | 15 | DSQ | Ret | 10 |
| 16 | 18 | Katsumi Yamamoto | Ret | C | Ret | 4 | Ret | 10 | |||
| 17 | 8 | Wayne Gardner | 8 | C | 10 | 12 | Ret | 7 | 8 | ||
| 18 | 6 | Pierre-Henri Raphanel | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | 6 | DNQ | 6 | ||
| 18 | 6 | Shinichi Takagi | Ret | C | Ret | 13 | Ret | 6 | DNQ | 6 | |
| 19 | 30 | Yoji Yamada | 12 | C | 8 | 15 | 9 | 14 | Ret | 9 | 5 |
| 20 | 88 | Hisashi Wada | Ret | C | 9 | 18 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 3 | |
| 21 | 55 | Hideshi Matsuda | 14 | C | 14 | 10 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 22 | 55 | Anthony Reid | 10 | 1 | |||||||
| 55 | Eiichi Tajima | 14 | C | 0 | |||||||
| 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 0 | ||||||
| 55 | Fuminori Mizuno | 14 | 0 | ||||||||
| 13 | Mitsuhiro Kinoshita | C | Ret | 16 | 12 | 17 | Ret | 0 | |||
| 55 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||
| 13 | Mitsuo Fujimura | C | Ret | 16 | 12 | 17 | Ret | 0 | |||
| 777 | Takao Wada Masayoshi Sugiyama | 15 | C | 17 | Ret | Ret | 0 | ||||
| 18 | Juichi Wakisaka | 15 | DSQ | Ret | 0 | ||||||
| 64 | Koji Sato | Ret | 0 | ||||||||
| 2 | Pedro de la Rosa | C | 0 | ||||||||
| 23 | Ralph Firman | C | 0 | ||||||||
| 50 | Hiroki Katoh | C | 0 | ||||||||
| 12 | Michael Krumm | C | 0 | ||||||||
| 6 | Anders Olofsson | C | 0 | ||||||||
| 89 | Kenji Kawagoe Tonichi Kanamori | C | 0 |
GT300 Class (Top 5)
Drivers
| Rank | Drivers | Number/Team | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keiichi Suzuki Shingo Tachi | #25 Team Taisan Jr with Tsuchiya MR-2 | 106 | 5 |
| 2 | Manabu Orido | #19 Racing Project Bandoh Toyota Celica | 46 | 0 |
| 3 | Morio Nitta | #44 MOMOCORSE A'PEX MR-2 | 45 | 0 |
| 4 | Hiroki Katoh | #21 Hitotsuyama Racing BMW M3 | 44 | 0 |
| 5 | Akihiko Nakaya Takahiko Hara | #61 Team Taeivon Ralliart Mitsubishi FTO | 37 | 0 |
References
External links
- Super GT/JGTC official race archive (in Japanese)
- 1998 season results
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