THIS WEEK: iRacing Suzuka 1000 presented by PIMAX | Special Event
September 7th, 2026 by Justin Melillo
iRacing’s Special Event calendar features a selection of the world’s most compelling races across numerous disciplines. Whether you’re interested in stock cars or sports cars, open-wheel formula cars or sprint cars, sticking to pavement or playing in the dirt, running solo or racing with a team of your closest friends, our Special Events have something for everyone!
This week, the iRacing Suzuka 1000 Presented by PIMAX takes the spotlight with GT3 machinery taking on the famous Suzuka International Racing Course for 1000 kilometers, or 173 laps.
Here’s everything you need to know about participating in this iRacing Special Event.
TRACK: SUZUKA INTERNATIONAL RACING COURSE – GRAND PRIX
CARS COMPETING: GT3 Class
- Acura NSX GT3 EVO 22
- Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO
- Audi R8 LMS EVO II GT3
- BMW M4 GT3 EVO
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
- Ferrari 296 GT3
- Ford Mustang GT3
- Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO
- McLaren 720S GT3 EVO
- Mercedes-AMG GT3 2020
- Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
BROADCAST DETAILS
There will be a broadcast of the Top Split broadcast for the third time slot, the Saturday 12:00 GMT, or Saturday 8 a.m. ET event. RACESPOT will be handling the call of the action. The show will be available at iRacing.com/live.
TIMES TO RACE
- Timeslot #1: Friday at 22:00 GMT (6:00 p.m. ET)
- Timeslot #2: Saturday at 7:00 GMT (3:00 a.m. ET)
- Timeslot #3: Saturday at 12:00 GMT (8:00 a.m. ET) <- BROADCASTED SPLIT
- Timeslot #4: Saturday at 16:00 GMT (12:00 p.m. ET)
- Timeslot #5: Sunday at 00:00 (8:00 p.m. ET Saturday)
ABOUT THE 2026 iRACING SUZUKA 1000
The Suzuka 1000km, is an annual sports car endurance race that has been held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan since 1966. After a five-year hiatus, the event returned in September 2025 as part of an Intercontinental GT Challenge.
This weekend, from September 11th to the 13th, iRacing members can sign up with a team to take on the Suzuka International Racing Course for a 1000 kilometer showdown in a single class, team racing format. As with most of our Team events, a minimum of two and a maximum of 16 drivers per team is in effect with fair share enabled.
This race is an open setup event and will be scheduled in the sim for November 12th at 8:00 AM. Dynamic weather is enabled as well. BoP is set to be finalized closer to the start of the event, so keep an eye on the iRacing Forums.
This event is open to iRacing members that have a Sports Car license at Class C or higher, or at Class D with a 4.0 Safety Rating. Splits can have up to 60 teams, and a disqualification limit has been set at 150 incident points, or 150X per team. Stop and Go penalties will be administered after 40 incidents, or 40X, and every 20 incidents (20X) afterward until the limit is reached and disqualification occurs.
DOWNLOAD POSTER
ABOUT SUZUKA INTERNATIONAL RACING COURSE
One of the world’s truly great race tracks, Suzuka has been the home of the Japanese Grand Prix since the 1980s and its flowing layout regularly puts the circuit at or near the top of the list of most Formula One drivers’ favorites. As if that weren’t enough, Suzuka boats three different configurations – Suzuka East, Suzuka West and Suzuka Full, the latter two featuring a rare figure eight layout where the back straightaway crosses the front section track on an overpass.
Designed by noted circuit architect John Hugenholtz (who also designed the original Zandvoort circuit), Suzuka opened in 1962 and served primarily as a test track for Honda and as the site of sports car racing including the Suzuka 1000K and the 8 Hours of Suzuka and MotoGP motorcycle events. Suzuka was nominated to stage the Japanese Grand Prix in 1987 and has often been the site of the Formula One season finale. As such, Suzuka has been the decisive event in some of the closest battles for the World Championship of Drivers and has witnessed a number of controversial incidents, including clashes between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Suzuka also hosted non-championship NASCAR races in 1996 and ’97.
In addition to its signature crossover layout, Suzuka features a number of notable challenges including a testing series of esses, the multi-apex Spoon Curve and dauntingly fast 130R corner. The race track also serves as the foundation for a major sports and entertainment facility including an amusement park whose giant Ferris Wheel is prominent in photographs and television images of the circuit.
To learn more about the event and join in on the discussion, visit our Special Events page and head over to the iRacing Forums.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.
You may also like...
OFFICIAL PARTNERS:
