HONDA NSXs DOMINATE SEASON'S FINAL QUALIFYING
SITTING 1-2-3
Round 7 SUGO GT CHAMPIONSHIP
Qualify Report / 24 Oct. '98
The curtain was raised for Round 7, the final race of the season in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, at Sportsland Sugo on October 24th. The showdown for the ensuing combat to take the championship, between the points leaders Erik Comas / Masami Kageyama and their pusuers Koji Yamanishi / Tom Coronel, was openly evident throughout the Saturday qualifying sessions. In spite of carrying the heaviest handicap weight of all the teams (90kg), Coronel drove well to claim the fifth fastest lap during the morning session. Much to the dismay of the Comas / Kageyama pair, Comas, running with a 70kg handicap, could only climb to 11th in the standings. The best time, 1'20.642", was recorded by Ryo Michigami in the No.16 Honda NSX, followed by Akira Iida in the No.100 NSX, a mere 0.258" off the leader. The fastest Toyota SUPRA was the No.38 car driven by Hironori Takeuchi / Hideki Noda, with Noda putting in a fine lap at 1'21.192h. For the group of Nissan SKYLINE GT-Rs, it was the No.50 car driven by Satoshi Motoyama / Takeshi Tsuchiya. Motoyama, who clinched the 1998 Formula Nippon Championship, recorded a lap time of 1'22.134" to set his GT-R at 10th on the grid.
In the GT 300 class, Peter Dunbreck, 1998 All Japan F3 champion, claimed the fastest time in the morning session at 1'26.753". He shares the No.44 Toyota MR2 with Morio Nitta.
None could beat the fastest lap set in the first morning session by Michigami, giving the pole to the No.16 Honda NSX and driver pair Osamu Nakako / Ryo Michigami, but a number of teams did well in the afternoon session, improving on their morning times. Keiichi Tsuchiya gave an excellent time attack with the No.39 SUPRA, clocking a lap of 1'21.622" (fourth in the afternoon session) and moving the car into sixth on the grid. Marc Goossens improved his morning time as well, taking the No.5 SUPRA, shared with Eiichi Tajima, to 12th on the grid. Hideshi Matsuda / Anthony Reid are teamed up to drive the fastest foreign car on the grid. Matsuda ran the team's best lap in the afternoon, establishing an 11th spot on the gird for their Chrysler VIPER GTS-R. At the end of the day, Comas / Kageyama had to settle for 13th on the grid.
In the GT 300 class, the morning time of Dumbreck was bested by Shingo Tachi in the No.25 Toyota MR2 at 1'26.687". Even loaded with a heavy 80kg handicap weight (maximum regulation handicap), the 1998 GT 300 Championship pair of Keiichi Suzuki / Shingo Tachi will start from the pole position in GT 300 class. Massimiliano Angelelli who is usually driving the No.19 CELICA is absent from the race due to a conflicting race in the U.S.A.. Katsumi Yamamoto is driving in his place.
Qualify Certifications (Weather : Fine / Course : Dry )
| Po |
No |
C-Po |
Machine |
Driver |
Time |
Tire |
WH |
| 1 |
16 |
500-1 |
Castrol MUGEN NSX |
O.NAKAKO |
R.MICHIGAMI |
R1'20.642 |
BS |
40 |
| 2 |
100 |
500-2 |
RAYBRIG NSX |
K.TAKAHASHI |
A.IIDA |
R1'20.900 |
BS |
50 |
| 3 |
18 |
500-3 |
TAKATA DOME MUGEN NSX |
K.KANEISHI |
J.WAKISAKA |
R1'21.082 |
BS |
|
| 4 |
38 |
500-4 |
FK/MASSIMO CERUMO SUPRA |
H.TAKEUCHI |
H.NODA |
R1'21.192 |
BS |
|
| 5 |
64 |
500-5 |
Mobil 1 NSX |
K.YAMANISHI |
T.CORONEL |
R1'21.524 |
BS |
90 |
| 6 |
39 |
500-6 |
DENSO SARD SUPRA GT |
K.TSUCHIYA |
T.TANIGAWA |
R1'21.622 |
YH |
20 |
| 7 |
37 |
500-7 |
Castrol TOM'S SUPRA |
T.SUZUKI |
K.BURT |
R1'21.654 |
DL |
|
| 8 |
36 |
500-8 |
Castrol TOM'S SUPRA |
M.SEKIYA |
N.FONTANA |
R1'21.785 |
DL |
20 |
| 9 |
8 |
500-9 |
FET SPORTS SUPRA |
W.GARDNER |
M.TANAKA |
1'21.935 |
BS |
|
| 10 |
50 |
500-10 |
ARTA SKYLINE |
S.MOTOYAMA |
T.TSUCHIYA |
1'22.134 |
BS |
|
| 11 |
55 |
500-11 |
STP TAISAN VIPER |
H.MATSUDA |
A.REID |
1'22.145 |
YH |
|
| 12 |
5 |
500-12 |
5ZIGEN SUPRA |
M.GOOSSENS |
E.TAJIMA |
1'22.151 |
DL |
|
| 13 |
23 |
500-13 |
PENNZOIL NISMO GTR |
E.COMAS |
M.KAGEYAMA |
1'22.206 |
BS |
70 |
| 14 |
12 |
500-14 |
CALSONIC SKYLINE |
K.HOSHINO |
T.KUROSAWA |
1'22.405 |
BS |
40 |
| 15 |
2 |
500-15 |
ZEXEL SKYLINE |
A.SUZUKI |
M.KAGEYAMA |
1'22.656 |
BS |
|
| 16 |
3 |
500-16 |
UNISIA JECS SKYLINE |
M.HASEMI |
T.TANAKA |
1'22.668 |
BS |
10 |
| 17 |
88 |
500-17 |
WEDDING DIABLO GT1 |
H.WADA |
N.FURUYA |
1'23.398 |
DL |
|
| 18 |
13 |
500-18 |
ENDLESS ADVAN GTR |
M.KINOSHITA |
M.FUJIMURA |
1'23.762 |
YH |
|
| 19 |
30 |
500-19 |
SOK PORSCHE |
Y.YAMADA |
H.OKADA |
1'25.552 |
BS |
|
| 20 |
777 |
500-20 |
Valvoline DIABLO DL |
T.WADA |
M.SUGIYAMA |
1'26.609 |
DL |
|
| 21 |
25 |
300-1 |
TSUCHIYA MR2 |
K.SUZUKI |
S.TACHI |
R1'26.687 |
YH |
80 |
| 22 |
44 |
300-2 |
APEX DL MOMO CORSE MR2 |
M.NITTA |
P.DUMBRECK |
R1'26.753 |
DL |
|
| 23 |
81 |
300-3 |
DAISHIN SILVIA |
H.FUKUYAMA |
N.OHYAGI |
1'27.159 |
DL |
10 |
| 24 |
19 |
300-4 |
WEDDS SPORTS CELICA |
M.ORIDO |
K.YAMAMOTO |
1'27.360 |
YH |
40 |
| 25 |
7 |
300-5 |
RE AMEMIYA RX7 |
S.YAMAJI |
H.MATSUMOTO |
1'27.611 |
DL |
|
| 26 |
61 |
300-6 |
TAEIVON TRAMPIO FTO |
A.NAKAYA |
T.HARA |
1'27.868 |
TY |
|
| 27 |
77 |
300-7 |
CUSCO SUBARU IMPREZZA |
K.KOBAYASHI |
H.TAMAI |
1'28.046 |
YH |
20 |
| 28 |
71 |
300-8 |
SIGMATEC 911 |
K.HOSHINO |
M.JOHNAI |
1'28.109 |
DL |
|
| 29 |
910 |
300-9 |
NINE-TEN PORSCHE |
A.YOGOH |
T.KINOSHITA |
1'28.205 |
DL |
|
| 30 |
21 |
300-10 |
DUNLOP-BP-BMW |
Y.HITOTSUYAMA |
H.KATOH |
1'28.276 |
DL |
|
| 31 |
15 |
300-11 |
XANAVI SILVIA |
M.KONDOH |
T.AOKI |
1'28.521 |
BS |
|
| 32 |
9 |
300-12 |
DAIKOKUYA PORSCHE |
Y.HANE |
N.KOHNO |
1'28.601 |
DL |
|
| 33 |
10 |
300-13 |
ABILITY PORSCHE 993GT2 |
H.ASOH |
A.ISHIKAWA |
1'28.736 |
DL |
|
| 34 |
91 |
300-14 |
KOSEI & BUDDYCLUB MR2 |
M.MATSUNAGA |
Y.FUJIWARA |
1'28.742 |
YH |
|
| 35 |
60 |
300-15 |
TOYOTA CAVALIER |
K.SATOH |
M.NAGASHIMA |
1'29.235 |
DL |
|
| 36 |
51 |
300-16 |
COBRA PORSCHE |
K.IKETANI |
M.ISHIHARA |
1'29.292 |
YH |
|
| 37 |
72 |
300-17 |
OKURA RX7 |
M.PORTER |
K.HIRANO |
1'30.016 |
YH |
|
| 38 |
355 |
300-18 |
YELLOW MAGIC F355GT |
S.SODEYAMA |
H.SUGA |
1'30.780 |
YH |
|
| 39 |
911 |
300-19 |
NINE-TEN PCJ PORSCHE |
K.TAKAHASHI |
K.SAITOH |
1'31.578 |
DL |
|
| 40 |
70 |
300-20 |
GAIKOKUYA DUNLOP PORSCHE |
Y.ISHIBASHI |
P.VAN SCHOOTE |
1'32.571 |
DL |
|
| 41 |
117 |
300-21 |
ALTA RX-7 |
T.FUKAZAWA |
T.KOZAI |
1'32.574 |
DL |
|
|
6 |
500 |
ESSO Tiger SUPRA |
P-H.RAPHANEL |
S.TAKAGI |
DNS |
BS |
|
R : Corse Record
Tire: BS=BRIDGESTONE / YH=YOKOHAMA / DL=DUNLOP / TY=TOYO
WH:Weight Handicap
|
