Super Taikyu 2010 Season Rewind

The 2010 Super Taikyu Series was the 20th season of Japan's premier pro-am endurance racing championship. Featuring production-based sports cars with strict, limited modifications, the season was heavily defined by the sheer dominance of one powerhouse team in the top class and a major milestone in the series' class evolution. 📅 The 2010 Calendar The season featured 7 official championship rounds across Japan's iconic circuits, alongside a unique non-championship special event held in Malaysia. Round 1: Twin Ring Motegi (March 27–28) Round 2: Sportsland SUGO (May 8–9) Round 3: Suzuka Circuit (May 29–30) Round 4: Fuji International Speedway (June 26–27) Special Race: Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia (August 5–7) Round 5: Okayama International Circuit (September 4–5) Round 6: Sendai Highland Raceway (October 16–17) Round 7: Twin Ring Motegi - Super Speed Way (November 26–27) 🏆 Key Season Highlights & Outcomes 1. Absolute Domination in ST-1 (Petronas Syntium Team) The premier ST-1 class was completely owned by the Malaysian-backed Petronas Syntium Team (PST), running their iconic pair of BMW Z4M Coupes. The Champions: The No. 1 BMW Z4M Coupe—piloted by the formidable trio of Masataka Yanagida, Nobuteru Taniguchi, and Malaysian rookie Imran Zaharias Shaharom—secured the overall title by capturing six consecutive race wins. They wrapped up the championship with a round to spare at Sendai Highland Raceway. The Runner-Up: PST capped off a perfect season by securing a 1-2 finish in the standings, with the No. 28 sister car (driven by Tatsuya Kataoka, Fariqe Hairuman, and Melvin Moh) finishing second overall in the championship. This marked the team’s third consecutive Super Taikyu title. 2. Birth of the ST-5 Class The 2010 season holds historical significance for the series as the official launch year of the ST-5 class. Created as an affordable, entry-level tier for grassroots racers, this class was designed for highly compact, ultra-fuel-efficient production cars (such as the Honda Vitz/Fit and Mazda Demio). It went on to become one of the most populated and fiercely contested classes in subsequent years. 3. Production Class Battles (ST-2, ST-3, ST-4) While the BMWs ran away with the top tier, the traditional production-based classes saw highly competitive multi-manufacturer dogfights: ST-2: Dominated by the ultimate Japanese AWD rally-bred rivalry, featuring heavily contested battles between the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions (like the RS Ogawa and Endless teams) and Subaru Impreza's. ST-3: The battleground for rear-wheel-drive sports cars, primarily showcasing the Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33 and the newer Z34 platforms) going wheel-to-wheel against the BMW M3 and Mazda RX-7. ST-4: Centered around 2.0-liter naturally aspirated machines, featuring an aggressive Honda-dominated grid of Integra Type-Rs (DC5), Civic Type-Rs (FD2), and Honda S2000s. End of an Era: The 2010 season was one of the final years where modified domestic production cars exclusively made up the top ranks. By 2011, Super Taikyu began integrating global FIA GT3-spec machinery (ST-X class), which fundamentally altered the performance ceiling of the series forever. Time Stamp: 0:00 Round 1: Motegi 4:48 Round 2: Sugo 9:07 Round 3: Suzuka 13:52 Round 4: Fuji Speedway 18:21 Round 5: Okayama 23:20 Round 6: Sendai Hi-Land 28:21 Round 7: Motegi Oval