After being inaugurated as the Japanese GT championship series in 1994 and changing its name to the Super GT series in 2005, it has now grown up to be one of the best international touring car race championships in Asia.

Though the earthquake disaster which hit Japan in March inevitably necessitated alteration of scheduling, the championship still plans to have eight rounds in all major race tracks in Japan plus a Malaysian round which has been a regular event since 2002. Also the JAF Cup, which was held in 2010 for the first time, is planned as a special round. (Schedule as of March 28, 2011.)

Every round in the series attracts a lot of spectators and the total number of attendance has been by far the best in Japanese motor sport categories. The top level drivers at the wheels of a wide variety of race cars always create dramatic racing and, through a dedicated regular TV program etc., the series is well-recognized by the public.

There are two classes, GT500 and GT300, and each of them fascinates the spectators with their breathtaking battles. It is quite easy to distinguish which class a car belongs to, as the GT500 cars have white head lamps and their car numbers are written in white squares, while those of the GT300 cars are yellow. Also every car has a driver identification lamp on its wind screen, so the spectators can see which of two (or three in certain rounds) drivers are at the wheel at a glance.

The cars equipped with the Yokohama produced ADVAN racing tires have always been among top contenders since the days of the Japanese GT championship. The winner of season opener in 2005, the year it had reborn as the Super GT series, was also one of such ADVAN shoed cars.

The accumulated number of victories by ADVAN had reached to one hundred in 2010 and an ADVAN equipped GT300 car secured the class championship in the same year. In the GT500 class, these years, an ADVAN shoed car has scored a win every year since 2007 and the expectation for their better showing is already high.

In terms of tire competition, the Super GT series is a very competitive battlefield and probably among the highest level in the world.

The strong points of ADVAN racing tires used in this series are not only exquisite grip and controllability, but also their long and consistent life. Utilizing such characteristics, the ADVAN equipped teams sometimes have an option of forgoing tire change during the race. This significantly reduces the time spent in the pit and leads to the possibility of gaining extra track position against the opponents. It has been seen more often in the GT300 class than the more powerful big brothers' class, but it is still fresh in our minds that the Kondo Racing took the bold strategy on their way to the GT500 victory in the season opener last year.

Due to regulation change for 2011, the cars which go on to Q2 must use the same set of tires through Q3 and until the start of the race. This may make forgoing the tire change somewhat difficult but, if the tires' performance lasts longer, it can still lead to certain advantage in the race's first stint. So many expect an even stronger performance of the ADVAN racing tires this year.

As mentioned elsewhere, two GT500 cars use the ADVAN tires this season and many GT300 teams continue to rely on the Yokohama produced rubbers. The ADVAN racing tires can extract the maximum performance of every individual car models and the battle for championship titles between them shall be fiercer than ever.

A Super GT race consists of two classes, GT500 and GT300, and the numbers describe the approximate maximum engine power of each class. Although the race starts from dedicated grids for each class, once it gets underway all cars from both classes have to share the track. Therefore, giving way or overtaking cars from the other class may sometimes become an important factor in deciding the winner.

Yokohama Rubber supports two GT500 teams this year. It is the first time since 2008 for the company to supply tires for two teams in the class. As for the GT300 class, Yokohama continues to provide tires to a lot teams again. In both classes, the good performances by the ADVAN shoed cars are expected.