SUPER GT and Formula Nippon cars raced together in the “JAF Grand Prix FUJI SPRINT CUP 2010”, held over three days from November 12-14. The GT500 and GT300 classes ran separately with one driver each, competing in sprint races of 22 laps. Pit stops for driver swaps or refuelling were not allowed. The machines were run using the aerodynamic parts planned for use in Round 7.

The official practice and qualifying sessions were held on the 12th. The #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R was driven by Benoît Treluyer in the first race, and by Satoshi Motoyama in the second. In the qualifying for the first race, Treluyer made up time at the last moment to reach 12th place. Motoyama made some changes to the car's settings, and also made up time late in qualifying to reach ninth place.

The #12 Calsonic IMPUL GT-R was driven by Ronnie Quintarelli in the first race, and by Tsugio Matsuda in the second. In qualifying for the first race, Quintarelli?reached third place in the closing moments of the session. In qualifying for the second race, Matsuda had the top time and took pole position. Team Director Mr. Hoshino was overjoyed with the result and said, “I'll pay for your pasta tonight.”

The #24 HIS KONDO ADVAN GT-R was driven by Hironobu Yasuda in the first race, and the previous week's Formula Nippon champion João Paulo de Oliveira in the second. Yasuda was eighth in qualifying for the first race, while Oliveira qualified sixth for the second race.

In addition to SUPER GT and Formula Nippon, there were also several support races. On the 13th older fans enjoyed the “Minor Touring” race, popular in the '70s and '80s and consisting of 25 cars, largely the B110 and B310 Sunny.

Normally using a rolling start, this time SUPER GT adopted a standing start procedure. In the first GT500 race, the 13 machines instantly made a powerful getaway. In the #23 GT-R, Benoit Treluyer demonstrated a rocket start to pass 7 competitors to run 5th by lap 2. From there he struggles due to car balance problems, falling to 8th before regaining performance in the latter half to finish 5th.

Yasuda in the #24 GT-R started the race from 8th and by the 1st control line had risen to 6th. After the initial stages Yasuda began his counterattack. By lap 10 he had passed a further two cars and was up to 4th when he and the driver of the #18 HSV thrilled the crowds in the grandstands with an exciting battle that saw Yasuda on the attack and the other driver desperately defending his position.

Quintarelli in the #12 GT-R started 3rd on the grid and was still in 3rd place by the end of the 1st lap. Although he dropped to 4th later on, by lap 9 he had regained 3rd position, which he retained for the rest of the race and a place on the podium. Later, smiling, he said that, “The start of the race was fun; it reminded me of a formula car race.”

The GT300 race took place before GT500. Abe in the #46 Upstart MOLA Z was 6th in qualifying, climbing to 3rd by the first hairpin, after which his race developed into an intense battle. He fell back after shift locking at the first corner of lap 13, finally finishing 9th. Kazuki Hoshino in the #3 TOMICA Z had qualified 7th, but was bumped off track and fell down the order. He gradually came back up the order to finish 5th.

The “Legends Cup,” a one-make race featuring 20 former top drivers including Masahiro Hasemi, Haruhito Yanagida, Masahiko Kondo, Kunimitsu Takahashi and Masahiko Kageyama, ran Nov. 13 and 14. Fierce battles ensued, with Kageyama winning race 1 and Geoff Lees victorious in race 2. Unable to enter due to lower back pain, Kazuyoshi Hoshino waved the chequered flag and got the crowd fired up.

The second GT500 race was held on the 14th. Starting from 6th in the #24 GT-R João Paulo de Oliveira was able to jump up to 3rd initially, but was back in 6th place by lap 7. He continued to attack the corners, willing to risk contact with other machines, and in the final corner of the last lap found himself forcing out the #1 SC430 - for which he was handed a 30-second penalty, dropping him down to 10th.

Motoyama in the #23 GT-R began the race in 9th and dropped to 10th on the opening lap. Much like Treluyer on the previous day he was unable to perform like he had wanted to in the first half. However on lap 9, he was able to pass two cars in rapid succession, and was looking for further chances to move up. He unfortunately spun out and fell to 8th, but on the final lap moved up to 6th, where he finished.

In pole position, Matsuda and the #12 GT-R were a little slow to get away at the standing start, losing the lead to the #6 SC430. From then he sought to protect his position and aim for the overall victory, but on lap 9 just before the turning point of the race he dropped to 3rd. The condition of his tyres then worsened and he fell to 5th in the later stages of the race, which is where he finished.

In the second GT300 race, Yokomizo started from 6th in the #46 Z while Yanagida was 7th in the #3 Z. Both drivers started well, the #46 ending lap 1 in 2nd with the #3 4th. The two front-row starters were penalized, leaving the Z cars to battle for the lead, exciting the crowd. At turn 1 on lap 14 the #3 Z took the lead but the chasing #11 Ferrari passed both to take the win. The #3 Z finished 2nd with the #46 in 3rd.

For the first time in 26 years, the “JAF Grand Prix” was held, awarded by adding points scored in the 1st and 2nd races. The #3 Z of Hoshino and Yanagida scored 21 points, earning them 2nd place on the podium. Looking back on their races, “The battle was interesting but the race was very hard,” said Hoshino. Yanagida: “Running steadily, I was able to take lead and it was good to show the Zs running 1-2.”