Absolute Racing completed a clean sweep of Friday’s paid test sessions for the 2026 Suzuka 1000km as Ayhancan Güven again put the #7 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo on top in significantly wetter conditions.
After leading Test 1 with a 2:11.077, Güven produced a 2:17.376 with six minutes remaining in the second one-hour session. The Turkish driver finished 1.012 seconds clear of Ben Green in the #99 Johor Motorsports Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, while Team KRC’s Maxime Oosten completed the top three.
Heavy rain before the session restricted running considerably, with only a handful of cars initially venturing onto the circuit. Conditions gradually improved towards the end of the hour, triggering a late rush of quicker laps as more of the 30-car field joined the session.
Güven completes 2026 Suzuka 1000km paid-test sweep
The rain intensified significantly between the two Intercontinental GT Challenge test sessions, with the intervening SRO Japan Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup Japan running heavily affected by the conditions.
Standing water remained around parts of Suzuka when Test 2 began, leaving several teams reluctant to commit to representative running. The #2 JMR Corvette and #69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO traded the leading time during the opening half before Oosten moved the #89 Team KRC BMW to the top with a 2:18.499.
Güven then emerged late in the session. He initially moved ahead with a 2:18.201 before finding another eight tenths to record the eventual 2:17.376 benchmark.
Despite the improving conditions, his lap remained around six seconds slower than the 2:11.077 he had produced during Test 1, underlining how much more difficult the circuit had become following the heavier rainfall.
The result nevertheless left the Bosch-liveried #7 Porsche, shared by Güven, Alessandro Ghiretti and Dorian Boccolacci, fastest in both paid tests ahead of Night Practice.
Green puts JMR Corvette second in wet Suzuka test
Green delivered the strongest late challenge to Güven aboard the Pro-Am #99 JMR Corvette.
The Briton jumped to second with a 2:18.388 during the closing minutes, ending the session 1.012 seconds behind the Absolute Racing Porsche and taking the Pro-Am class benchmark in the process.
The result marked a significant improvement for JMR after neither Corvette featured near the front of the combined order following Test 1. The Malaysian squad fields two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries as part of the diverse 30-car 2026 Suzuka 1000km field, with its #2 Pro entry shared by Nicky Catsburg, Alexander Sims and Scott McLaughlin.
Catsburg had spent a substantial portion of Test 2 at the top of the timesheets in the #2 before the late improvements. His 2:18.817 eventually placed the car fifth overall.
Team KRC and High Class lead Bronze challenge
Oosten’s earlier benchmark remained quick enough for third when the chequered flag fell. His 2:18.499 aboard the #89 Team KRC BMW left him 1.123 seconds behind Güven and made the car the leading Bronze entry.
High Class Racing followed immediately behind. Joel Sturm took the #86 Porsche to a 2:18.690, finishing 0.191 seconds behind Oosten and securing fourth overall as Bronze entries again mixed with the Pro field near the front.
Catsburg’s JMR Corvette completed the top five, while Mikaël Grenier placed the #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo sixth with a 2:18.858. The 75 Express entry, shared by Grenier, Kenny Habul and Philip Ellis, finished only 0.041 seconds ahead of the leading Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG.
Ohta keeps Craft-Bamboo inside Suzuka top seven
Kakunoshin Ohta set the best Test 2 time for the #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing entry, taking seventh with a 2:18.891.
The Japanese driver shares the car with Luca Stolz and Maxime Martin, who arrived at Suzuka firmly involved in the IGTC Drivers’ Championship battle. Martin had placed the car second in the opening test before the heavier afternoon rain changed the competitive order.
Takamitsu Matsui followed in eighth for K-tunes Racing. His 2:19.449 put the #96 Lexus RC F GT3 inside the top 10 for a second consecutive session after Sena Sakaguchi had finished seventh during the morning running.
Dan Harper took ninth for Team WRT with a 2:19.590, while Harmony Racing completed the top 10. Liu Kaishun set a 2:20.341 aboard the #72 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.
Bushi Rex Porsche closes gap to sister Absolute entry
The #8 AO by Absolute Racing Porsche showed greater pace relative to its sister car than it had during Test 1.
Julien Andlauer completed his first laps around Suzuka aboard the ‘Bushi Rex’-themed Porsche, with the car ending the session 15th overall. That represented a sizeable improvement after the #8 finished at the bottom of the Test 1 order while its crew focused on bedding in brakes.
The entry brings together Andlauer, Laurin Heinrich and Alessio Picariello through the AO Racing and Absolute Racing partnership for the Japanese endurance event.
Meanwhile, the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche returned to action after engine trouble had curtailed its opening test. The repaired car completed 13 laps, with Edward Cheever III setting the 18th-fastest time among the 25 cars that recorded representative laps.
Wet conditions limit 2026 Suzuka 1000km Test 2 running
All 30 cars participated in some form during Test 2, but only 25 recorded timed laps as the rain limited meaningful running.
The #80 LM Corsa Ferrari, #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG, #181 Norik Racing Ferrari, #81 Team Daishin Nissan and #25 Porsche Center Okazaki NK Racing Porsche all ended the session without a classified time. The #60 LM Corsa Ferrari completed 10 laps but did not register a timed effort.
The restricted running placed greater emphasis on the final minutes, when the easing rain encouraged more cars to venture onto the circuit and produced most of the leading times.
2026 Suzuka 1000km Test 2 results
- #7 Absolute Racing Porsche — Ayhancan Güven — 2:17.376
- #99 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Ben Green — 2:18.388, +1.012s
- #89 Team KRC BMW — Maxime Oosten — 2:18.499, +1.123s
- #86 High Class Racing Porsche — Joel Sturm — 2:18.690, +1.314s
- #2 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Nicky Catsburg — 2:18.817, +1.441s
- #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG — Mikaël Grenier — 2:18.858, +1.482s
- #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing — Kakunoshin Ohta — 2:18.891, +1.515s
- #96 K-tunes Racing Lexus — Takamitsu Matsui — 2:19.449, +2.073s
- #69 Team WRT BMW — Dan Harper — 2:19.590, +2.214s
- #72 Harmony Racing Ferrari — Liu Kaishun — 2:20.341, +2.965s
2026 Suzuka 1000km Friday continues with Night Practice
Güven therefore completed paid testing with the fastest time in both sessions, although his 2:11.077 from Test 1 remained the quickest lap of the day heading into the evening.
Friday’s running continues with a 90-minute Night Practice session at 17:50 local time. The session gives the field its first opportunity to prepare specifically for the darker conditions that will feature during the closing stages of Sunday’s 6.5-hour race.
The Suzuka 1000km forms the penultimate round of the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge, with Porsche arriving eight points ahead of Mercedes-AMG in the Manufacturers’ Championship. The wider weekend picture, including the championship battles and 30-car entry, is available in the 2026 Suzuka 1000km preview.
