2014.08.31

Rd.6 Winners Press Conference

Round 6 Suzuka Circuit : Winners Press Conference

No.36 PETRONAS TOM'S RC F

 

I was able to get us pole position yesterday, but I still didn’t feel certain that we could win today’s race. But, we were able to run according to our strategy today and that brought us a better result than I had expected. For James [Rossiter] and for me, this is our first Suzuka 1000km victory and I am really happy with this. Having set the fastest lap of the race and kept firm control of our lead over car No. 23 [MOTUL AUTECH GT-R] in the important first lap after our pit stop. And, in the end being able to run his two stints without trouble, today was really James’ day.

 

Today’s race felt very good. In my first stint I had some trouble with traffic that made for some hard going, but in my second stint we had managed to put some distance between us and our rivals, but I still kept pushing hard. I am grateful to the Lexus staff for preparing such a good car for us and to Bridgestone for preparing us some great tires. Our strategy was to not try to save fuel and finish the race in five stints but to push hard all the way and run a full six stints, and to be honest, I was not hoping for anything more than a podium finish. I feel great that we ended up getting the win.

 

 

 

No.60 TWS LM corsa BMW Z4

 

I thought this 1000 km would be a long race, but now that it is over it seems to have passed in a moment’s time. After yesterday’s qualifying, I never expected that we would be here today at the winners’ press conference. With this new team, our goal has been to get one win, but I never thought we could do it at the Suzuka 1000km. However, considering the contents of our race, there were some mistakes that we made out there, so it is difficult to simply be happy that we got our first win. But, in the end the team made up for our driving mistakes and made this first win a victory for everyone on the team, so I am very happy with it.

 

Yesterday morning the machine wasn’t running [well] at all, and we had troubles before the race such as getting the parts we needed, and we couldn’t even mount the new engine in the machine until Friday. But, today the machine’s balance was good from the beginning, and we had the best tires that performed well throughout the stints. With the exception of the last stint, I was pushing all the way. There is an image that the JAF GT300 machines are fast on the high-speed 130R curve, but in fact the BMW is very fast there too. That is why I was able to pass our rivals several times there today. I am very glad that we have won the Suzuka 1000km.

 

I wasn’t able to drive today, but I tried to give support to the two other drivers in the pit in ways that only another driver can. I am glad that they gave me the chance to see the wonderful view of the winners podium, and because of this, I want to be able to drive too next time and see it again.

 

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