How Super GT Limits Physical Ballast and Shifts Heavy Penalties to the Pit Lane

Points Accrual and the Nominal Weight Ceiling

In Super GT, performance handicaps are calculated directly from a team's championship standing. In the GT300 division, cars accumulate a baseline allocation of 2 kilograms of nominal ballast for every Drivers' Championship point scored, up to a ceiling of 100 kilograms. While the GT Association briefly altered this penalty to 3 kilograms per point during the 2020 season to handicap early winners more aggressively, the scale was later restored to the standard 2 kilograms per point.

As championship battles progress toward the autumn finale, the handicap scales downward. In the penultimate race, the rate decreases to 1.5 kilograms per point scored. For the eighth and final round, ballast drops completely to zero for any entry that participated across all eight events of the season.

Safety Ceilings and Fuel Flow Adjustments

Carrying heavy ballast poses structural and safety challenges, especially when additional Special BoP Weight was introduced to curb speeds. In response to safety concerns raised by teams, the GTA capped the maximum physical onboard ballast at 50 kilograms in GT300, matching the existing standard in GT500.

When an entry surpasses 50 kilograms in nominal penalties, the Super GT success ballast rules transfer the remaining weight balance into a pit lane time penalty using a Success refuelling restrictor. Mounted beneath the automatic shut-off valve on the team's fuel rig, the restrictor slows fuel delivery during scheduled stops. Because fuel requirements and base flow parameters vary by vehicle, the restrictor's specific diameter is calibrated against each car's Balance of Performance fuel flow restrictor and defined in official pre-event technical bulletins.

Official reference: SUPER GT official series information and results.