The Japanese GT Championship series that started in 1994 changed its name to Super GT series in 2005 and the attention to the series is higher than ever. With the help of a multimedia promotional effort including TV programs and live broadcast of races via the internet, the series has earned huge popularity and as many as sixty-five thousands people visit each event on average.

There are three reasons for such popularity; the dogfights between top drivers, a clever 'handicap' system which gives every contender the chance to win and the muscular looking race cars that are heavily modified grand touring cars of famous marques from Japan, Europe and the US.

The cars are categorised into two divisions; GT500 and GT300. The numbers mean the permitted maximum power output of each class, and GT500 is primarily a battlefield for manufacturers and their satellite teams, while a large number of strong independent teams contend for the class win in GT300.

The 2007 Super GT series consists of nine rounds, including a popular fixture at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia, as well as events at major racetracks in Japan. In addition to the handicap system depending on the result of previous races, many other schemes to equalise the performance of each competitor's car are adopted in technical regulations, which should create closer competition. One can certainly expect thrilling races in which every team has a fair chance of winning this year too.

For the Super GT series, ADVAN supplies racing tires in both GT500 and GT300 classes.

In GT500, Team Toyota Tsuchiya, run by time-honoured Tsuchiya Engineering and KONDO racing that has entered the series in association with ADVAN since 2006 use ADVAN racing tires.

Team Toyota Tsuchiya has entered its eighth season in the GT500 class under the direction of Team Manager Haruo Tsuchiya. Manabu Orido who remains on the team from last season and Takeshi Tsuchiya, the son of the Team Manager, forms the driving team. By switching its race car from Supra to Lexus SC, it is expected that the team will make a significant step forward in terms of competitiveness.

KONDO Racing is the sole ADVAN user in the Nissan camp which deploys Fairlady Z's in the GT500 class. In the season closer of 2006, the team finished the race in third and got on the podium, which proved steady growth in their first season. Towards the second year, expectations for the sought-after win should naturally be higher.

As for drivers, Joao Paulo de Oliveira has newly joined the team. He drove a Fairlady Z for another team in 2006 and, with that experience, could well show his pace on the new team. His partner is Seiji Ara who joined them in the middle of last season. The Japanese veteran has much experience both in Japan and overseas races and should be able to lead the team towards their first win in Super GT.

Meanwhile, in the GT300 class, almost seventy percent of the teams have chosen ADVAN tires and the top four in the 2006 series ranking were ADVAN user teams. This means that ADVAN gains much sanction from the teams as 'the winning tire.'

Manabu Orido
　
Born in Chiba prefecture, December 1968.
After winning a national-level 'Drift Contest', turned racing driver in 1991. Won the class title in the 1992 Fuji Freshman Race. Via Super Silvia Cup, Mirage Cup and N1 Endurance Series, he has regularly driven in the Japanese GT Championship and Super GT series since 1996.
Along with the GT300 class title in 1997, he won several titles in the Super Endurance series. In addition, he still continues to take part in drift competitions where he has grown up as a driver.

Takeshi Tsuchiya
　
Born in Kanagawa prefecture, November 1979.
Started to drive a FJ1600 in 1992. After stepping up to the Japanese Formula Three Championship, he has driven in the Japanese GT Championship since 1995.
He has been showing good performance in the top of domestic categories in two fields, i.e. touring cars (including GT racers and formula cars such as Formula Nippon.)
He rejoined his father's Super GT team in 2006, where he also drove a GT car in 1996 and took part in Japanese Touring Car Championship campaigns after that. In the Super GT series, he is the record holder of thirty three consecutive point finishes.

Joao Paulo Lima De OLIVEIRA
　
Born in Brazil, June 1981.
Started to race in Kart in 1997, and then continued to hone his driving skills in Formula Ford and Formula Chevrolet next year.
Won scholarship class title of the South American Formula Three Championship in 1999. From the 2001 season, he moved to the German Formula Three Championship and won the title in 2003. This led to a move to Japanese Formula Three Championship campaign the following year and also took that title in 2004, which means a remarkable triple-crown in South America, Europe and Japan.
He has driven in the Super GT series since 2006 and the best result to date is a fourth place finish. He also made an occasional appearance in Formula Nippon last year.

Seiji Ara
　
Born in Chiba prefecture, May 1974.
Made his race debut in the 1994 Volkswagen Cup series and won the title in his first year. Afterward, via the Japanese Formula Three Championship campaign, he became a regular driver in the Japanese GT Championship and Super GT since the 2000 season.
He has also gained much experience in long distance races abroad, including Le Mans 24 hours which he entered in five successive years from 2001. During his challenges in the French classic, he scored the second overall win by a Japanese driver when he took the checkered flag driving on the track.
He took the wheel of KONDO racing's car from the fifth round of the 2006 season and did close battle for the top slot in the season closer in which he demonstrated his skill and experience.

The super GT series is a highly competitive race category in which a wide variety of cars and marques contend with each other. At the same time, there is a competition between several tire manufacturers in this series, which is rarely seen on a worldwide basis these days.

For such a competitive battlefield, ADVAN continuously develops the tires that are optimised for each characteristic of the two different ADVAN shoed GT500 cars.

For the GT300 class, despite a very wide variety of cars on the customer list, ADVAN supplies them the tires that deliver consistent performance at a higher level, regardless of the difference in characteristics of each car or in the driving style of each driver.

Racing slicks ADVAN A005 for dry surfaces features the quicker build up of heat, which means a higher grip level at the start of the race or the out lap just after pit stops. ADVAN A006 for wet surfaces also support the performance level of Super GT race cars that is often said to be well beyond that of ordinary modified touring cars, even on the worst track conditions.