PRESS RELEASE Further to the visit of Mr Jiro Kaji and Toshiyuki Ohya of the GT Association, Promoters of the Japan GT Championship, to the final round of the FIA GT Championship in Zhuhai, followed by a visit of Mr Stephane Ratel of SRO, promoter of the FIA GT Championship, to Tokyo last week, we are pleased to announce the following :

The promoters intend to put a high level of effort into organising co-promoted championship events in 2006. Despite some differences in the technical regulations, both organisations will work with the FIA towards establishing a balance of performance between the FIA GT1 class and the JAF GT 500 class, as well as FIA GT2 regulations and the JAF GT 300 class for the joint events in the near future

Stephane Ratel explained : “The Japan GT Championship is the most competitive GT series outside of the FIA GT Championship. The new international ambitions of the GT Association match our views of developing the FIA GT as a global series, visiting four continents. Together with the Japanese cars and teams, we will present an outstanding grid, making us stronger in markets such as America, Australia and South East Asia. For all FIA competitors, racing in Japan with the Japanese teams will bring them the guarantee of a very large public, considerable TV coverage and huge media interest. East will meet west in a true World contest.”

Jiro Kaji explained : “Stephane Ratel has succeeded in bringing the event over to China all the way from Europe, and I pay a great respect to SRO and the teams who have made it possible. While some differences regarding technical regulations exist, I strongly believe it would be a great opportunity and exciting challenge to organise events together. We wish to work towards a collaboration that gives us two-tier benefits, which are; to allow both of us to keep our respective identities, and to impress the whole world together.”

For more information on the Japan GT Championship, please visit www.jgtc.net (http://www.jgtc.net/) or www.jgtcusa.net (http://www.jgtcusa.net/) For more information on the FIA GT Championship, please visit www.fiagt.com (http://www.fiagt.com/)


That would be AWESOME!!!!!!:eek: :twisted: I hope this will happen[-o<

I already can't wait to see the first race.:twisted:

Ok, if I understood this... FIA will start supporting the JGTC, thus making it an official tournament?

Ok, if I understood this... FIA will start supporting the JGTC, thus making it an official tournament?
Yes, but even better, the FIA GT and the JGTC will drive in the same races:cool:

Yes, but even better, the FIA GT and the JGTC will drive in the same races:cool:
That would be awesome! Can you imagine seeing the Ferrari 550's going against the JGTC NSX's?

JGTC already uses Ferraris

yeah, the car on fire is a ferrari! and thats from 1998!

http://tom.sportscarforums.com/scf/1998_japanese_gt_championship_fire.mpeg (i know its already on the forum somewhere... this is the full screen version)

after i made that post last night i found a pic of a ferrari in JGTC. I should have used a different car as an example. Maserati MC12 instead of ferrari 550

after i made that post last night i found a pic of a ferrari in JGTC. I should have used a different car as an example. Maserati MC12 instead of ferrari 550
Not only the Maser. What about the Murciélago R-GT, or the next year competing Aston Martin DBR9:cool:

Not only the Maser. What about the Murciélago R-GT, or the next year competing Aston Martin DBR9:cool:
and if the Continental GT does go ahead? cant forget that, I think that would make a very interesting car to watch!

yeah, the car on fire is a ferrari! and thats from 1998!

http://tom.sportscarforums.com/scf/1998_japanese_gt_championship_fire.mpeg (i know its already on the forum somewhere... this is the full screen version)

Wow, thats was like the scariest thing ever. Did the ferrari driver make it out alive?

Anyways, i heard about this in several magazines. I also heard JTCG cars are faster than FIA gt cars.

Wow, thats was like the scariest thing ever. Did the ferrari driver make it out alive?
here is the next video that follows, courtesy of Carrocker who sent me it on MSN

http://tom.sportscarforums.com/scf/aftermath2.mpeg (16mb)

hes a bit 'out of it' but still alive!

here is the next video that follows, courtesy of Carrocker who sent me it on MSN

http://tom.sportscarforums.com/scf/aftermath2.mpeg (16mb)

hes a bit 'out of it' but still alive!
To make it complete:

Crippled car racer wins massive payout

A racing car driver whose career ended with a sickening crash five years ago Wednesday was awarded 90 million yen compensation after the Tokyo District Court ruled race organizers were to blame for his crippling accident.

Mainichi Shimbun

"I still love car racing," Ota said after the ruling.

Tetsuya Ota fell well short of getting the 300 million he had been asking from the five organizers and the marshal of the 1998 race where he suffered severe burns that ruined his driving career, but received the vindication he had been looking for.

"The crash was caused when the flag car suddenly slowed down," Presiding Judge Tsuyoshi Ono said. "Firefighting and rescue preparations were also not up to scratch."

Ota was delighted with the court win. "I would like to thank everybody who has supported me along the way," the 43-year-old once referred to as Japan's best Ferrari handler said in the wake of the ruling.

Those ordered to pay Ota include Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, where the horrifying crash occurred, and TV Tokyo, which broadcast the race.

None of the defendants have stated whether they will appeal against the ruling, including TV Tokyo, which spent the entirety of the court battle arguing that it could not be regarded as one of the race organizers.

Court records said Ota's terrifying crash occurred during a warm-up lap before the official start of the race in May 1998. Ota's car burst into flames after slamming into another vehicle that had already stopped because of a different accident.

Ota was stuck in the fireball for almost 90 seconds before rescuers finally dragged him out. He sustained burns across his body and is still unable to move his right arm, right shoulder and fingers properly.

Judges ruled the flag car should have been traveling at about 60 kilometers per hour instead of the 150 kilometers it was doing, and caused the accident by slowing too quickly. Ota was forced to unexpectedly drop his pace and, as a result, he lost control and smash into the stationary vehicle.

They also decided that Ota was left in his flaming vehicle for too long and organizers had neglected their responsibility to get him out of the burning car within 30 seconds of the blaze erupting.

A pre-race agreement between Ota and the organizers not to pursue legal action in the event of an accident was also dismissed as unacceptable.

"A letter that tries to eliminate one party from taking any responsibility for major accidents caused by gross negligence is incorrect, unfair and not void in this court," presiding judge Ono said.

TV Tokyo's attempt to avoid being regarded as one of the race organizers was dismissed by the court, which ruled it was involved in sufficient decisions made about the race to be viewed as one of the organizations directly concerned with running it.

Ota made his debut in 1982, racing in the Formula 3000 series before switching to GT car races in which he competed in four straight Le Mans 24-hour races. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 29, 2003)"


;)

thats quite a driver.

and if the Continental GT does go ahead? cant forget that, I think that would make a very interesting car to watch!

yeah thay would be great, but it would likely happen, bently pulled out of the la mans even thought the won every race........I do not remeber the reason for it though