Super GT - Blog Posts
World's Loudest Prius
In 2012, apr, one of the big teams on the Japanese GT scene, decided to do... Well, I'll just tell you what they did, you can make your own opinion: they took a Toyota V8 originally designed for American open-wheel racing, which was due to be used for Toyota's return to the Le Mans 24 Hours, plopped it in a mid-rear position on a race chassis, cobbled together a hybrid system with various parts from production cars in the Toyota range, and covered all this with a Prius-shaped bodyshell with an ultra-aggressive aerokit.
To me, the result is both brilliant and ridiculous in equal measure. Brilliant because it worked: as the first full-time hybrid competitor in the Japanese Super GT Series, the mid-engined Toyota Prius apr won 4 races, scoring 16 podiums, and finishing as high as second in the GT300 championship twice in a 7-year career.
Ridiculous because it's the complete antithesis of a road-going Prius, to the point of being the loudest car in the field! When I first witnessed the Prius apr at Motegi in 2016, I could only gasp and laugh; there's no way a Prius should be this loud! And it was a joy to see it again testing at Suzuka in 2018, in what would be this version's final season.
In 2019, the next-generation Prius apr would not be mid-engined, as per the rules that forced manufacturers to put the engine where it is in the road car, and the screamer was replaced by a growler - still ludicrously loud, and I wouldn't want my Prius race car any other way! By the time I visited Super GT a third time at Fuji Speedway in 2023, the Prius was no more, but I jumped on the chance to get a miniature of this remarkable car.
For more on its history, development and results, Roflwaffle has a 35+ minute video on it.
Suzuka Circuit
April became Formula 1 month for Suzuka last year, but back in 2018, it was the venue for a Super GT test weekend. I took the opportunity to enjoy the circuit in a much calmer atmosphere, though the weather was very changeable on the day (I got drenched walking down to Inô station afterwards!).
Opened in 1962, the track is very much enjoyed by drivers for its large variety of corners (the Esses, hairpin, chicane, the double-apex sweeper at Spoon, the dauntingly fast 130R...), and has an unusual figure-of-8 shape, crossing over itself - the bridge is before this hairpin, just out of shot on the left. On a test day like this, most grandstands are open to all, offering the viewer a similar variety of angles and vantage points.
The paddock was also open for the relatively few fans to walk around and have a chance to meet the drivers (James Rossiter pictured above). But even then, 2018 was the year Jenson Button was racing, and his garage got a lot of attention!
Despite the weather which turned miserable in the afternoon, the teams didn't shy away from running. There were even a couple of Safety Car training moments: rolling restart, and full SC procedure with class separation.
