2015 Subaru BRZ GT300 gets 4 upgrades and a 26 year-old driver

The 2015 Subaru BRZ GT300 that was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2015 in January has just made its first appearance on the track. R & D Sport, who manages the 2015 Subaru BRZ GT300 team, took the race car out to Okayama International Circuit this past weekend for its first official test day.

The 2015 Subaru BRZ GT300 will run again this year in the eight round SUPER GT series. There will be 39 cars competing in this years series and it will be another challenging season for the Subaru team. The BRZ doesn’t get significant changes to the chassis from last years car, but Subaru BRZ gets 4 upgrades from last years car.

BRZ GT300 gets new Dunlops

It may not sound like much, but one big change came in the switch from Michelin tires to Dunlop. Throughout the 2014 race season, the 2014 Subaru BRZ GT300 was fast, qualified in the pole position and won a race. All the drivers seemed to struggle with the Michelin tires the past two seasons getting the proper traction especially with the temperature changes. Tires play a critical role in the performance of the race car, and the team struggled to keep traction on the cool tracks.

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There’s other changes that were made to the BRZ GT300 that include a front tire outer diameter that is now a compact 30mm, the shape of the front fender employs better aerodynamic characteristics and the hood has also been changed for improved aerodynamics in the front end of the BRZ. The steering stability has also been refined for 2015.

A new driver addition

Another big change for the Subaru BRZ GT300 team will be the addition of a new driver, Hideki Yamauchi. He is a 26 year-old who stepped up to SUPER GT from F3. Yamauchi has been racing from the age of 10 and started in the cart series. He was influenced by his father who raced as a hobby. When Yamauchi graduated from high school, he started in earnest to become a professional race driver. This will be his first season in SUPER GT driving the Subaru BRZ GT300.

The 2015 Subaru BRZ GT300 race car had a successful two days of testing and both drivers got significant seat time behind the wheel. The first SUPER GT race will is coming soon on April 4-5 at the Okayama International Circuit. Stay tuned.