The 2026 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Round 2 at Fuji Speedway delivered exactly the kind of weekend fans expect from the series’ Golden Week stop: big crowds, packed grandstands, busy manufacturer booths, fan activities everywhere, plenty of food and merchandise, and two races that mixed speed, strategy, and drama. Across the two days, official attendance reached 83,600, with 33,300 on qualifying day and 50,300 on race day, underlining again why Fuji’s spring Super GT round remains one of the most important and atmospheric events on the Japanese motorsport calendar.

On track, the headline winners were the No. 36 au TOM’S GR Supra in GT500 and the No. 56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R in GT300. Off track, the event felt more like a motorsport festival than a simple race meeting. From the fan displays to the food areas to the heavy foot traffic around the team and manufacturer booths, Round 2 had the full, crowded, high-energy Fuji feel that makes this event special.

Race day itself began under sunny skies and a dry track, with the rain that had threatened the weekend never arriving. That set the stage for a clean, strategic three-hour battle in both classes.

In GT500, the No. 14 ENEOS X PRIME GR Supra of Nirei Fukuzumi and Kazuya Oshima started from pole and controlled the early phase of the race. Fukuzumi built a strong lead in the opening stint, and for a while it looked as though the No. 14 crew might have enough pace to convert pole into victory. But the No. 36 au TOM’S GR Supra of Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita stayed close enough to remain dangerous, and once pit strategy and second-half pace came into play, the complexion of the race changed.

Tsuboi’s speed in the latter stages proved decisive. After au TOM’S timed its final stop well and got the undercut right, the No. 36 emerged ahead and never looked back, eventually taking the win by 8.786 seconds. It was a major statement result, giving Tsuboi and Yamashita a second straight GT500 victory to open the season and strengthening their status as the early benchmark in the title fight.

Second place went to the No. 14 ENEOS X PRIME GR Supra, which still left Fuji with a strong points haul after leading much of the race. Third went to the No. 23 MOTUL Niterra Z of Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi, who survived an eventful afternoon to secure Nissan’s place on the podium.

One of the key moments many fans will remember involved ARTA. You asked whether it was the No. 16 ARTA MUGEN car that dropped from the podium fight after an accident, but the official results suggest the more painful reversal belonged to the No. 8 ARTA MUGEN HRC PRELUDE-GT, which was highlighted in official Super GT coverage after a crash and ultimately ended the race down in 11th. The No. 16 ARTA MUGEN HRC PRELUDE-GT, by contrast, finished fifth and was the best-placed Honda in GT500. So the broad memory of an ARTA car losing out while in the mix was right, but the car most associated with the dramatic drop was No. 8 rather than No. 16.

GT300 was just as compelling, although it unfolded in a very different way. The No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT led early from pole, but tire trouble knocked it off course and opened the door for others. The No. 56 Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R of João Paulo de Oliveira and Iori Kimura capitalized brilliantly. Starting sixth, the pair worked forward steadily, managed the race well through the middle stages, and took control after the first round of stops.

From there, the No. 56 car absorbed the pressure and delivered a polished win, giving the team its first victory since Fuji in 2023. It was a significant result not just because of the win itself, but because of the way it was earned: by moving up methodically in a class that is notoriously difficult to control. Second place went to the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG, while third went to the No. 31 apr LC500h GT, which continued its strong early-season form with another podium finish.

If the on-track story was about execution and late-race strength, the off-track story was about scale and atmosphere. Fuji during Super GT Golden Week never feels small, and this year was no exception. The Toyota Gazoo Racing booth was one of the anchors of the fan area, with driver talk shows, team manager talk shows, sponsor stage programming, bingo events, display cars, merchandise, and fan-participation activities all helping keep the area busy throughout the weekend. It felt like a full fan experience rather than just a static exhibit.

Around the rest of the venue, the same energy carried over. The ARTA booth stood out with a beautiful ARTA Prelude on display, while the Gazoo Racing area drew a steady crowd. Honda’s booth also made a strong impression, with three Honda cars on display, including one previous Super GT machine, giving fans a reminder that Super GT is not only about the present season but also about lineage, development, and brand identity. For spectators walking the venue, those booths helped turn the event into something broader than a race. There was always somewhere to stop, something to photograph, or some display pulling people in.

That broader event atmosphere is part of what keeps Super GT so unique. The vibe at Fuji was not just hardcore racing. It was families, team colors, camera gear, driver support flags, merchandise bags, packed viewing areas, and the constant movement of people between the grandstands, the fan zones, and the food areas. The food side of the event also added to that festival mood. Concession stands and food vendors stayed busy, giving the venue the kind of all-day liveliness that makes a long race weekend enjoyable even when fans step away from the track for a while. The mix of race noise, crowd chatter, stage announcements, and the smell of circuit food is part of the identity of this round as much as the racing itself.

Taken together, Round 2 at Fuji felt like a complete Super GT weekend. It had championship implications, with au TOM’S tightening its grip on the early GT500 narrative. It had a memorable GT300 breakthrough, with Realize Nissan converting opportunity into a deserved win. It had drama, including the ARTA setback that reshaped part of the GT500 story. And it had the kind of fan atmosphere that reminds you why the Fuji Golden Week race is one of the signature stops of the year.

If there was one lasting impression from the weekend, it was that Super GT is at its best when the competition and the crowd energy rise together. At Fuji, both did.