2023.11.05

Rd. 8 Race GT300: JLOC Lamborghini GT3 takes the win in difficult conditions! SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT wins its first season title

The MOTEGI GT 300km RACE GRAND FINAL, Round 8 and the last race of the 2023 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, took place on November 5 (Sun.) at Mobility Resort Motegi (4,801m x 63 laps) in Tochigi Prefecture. In the GT500 class, the No. 36 au TOM'S GR Supra (Sho Tsuboi/Ritomo Miyata) won its second race in a row to claim the series title with three victories on the season. In the GT300 class, the driver pair of Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima drove the No. 88 JLOC Lamborghini GT3 to their first win in the class. In the GT300 class title race, the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida/Kohta Kawaai) raced steadily through the tough conditions to finish in 7th place and be crowned champions for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

　Before the start of the race, there was drizzling rain in the area of the main straight, but it was not enough to cause a change in the track condition. At the start, the No. 2 muta Racing GR86 GT (Hibiki Taira), which had the chance of a come-from-behind championship title win if they won this race, came through that way holding the lead. Following in 2nd and 3rd positions came the No. 88 JLOC Lamborghini GT3 (Yuya Motojima) and the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou), while the standing leader, the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT (Kohta Kawaai) held its starting position of 7th.

　In the early stages, the competition remained deadlocked, but from the 5th lap the raindrops began to fall more heavily. After that, tension grew in the race for the lead as distance between cars No. 2 and No. 88 suddenly closed. Then, on the sixth lap, the No. 18 UPGARAGE NSX GT3（Syun Koide) passed the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Hideki Yamauchi) to move into 4th position.

　Although the rain lightened considerably, the car No. 88 managed to take the in-side of No. 2 on the third corner of the 16th lap and then take the lead. Since this meant that if No. 2 stayed in 2nd position it would lose its chance to win the title, getting back in the lead became the challenge.

　As the GT300 class race entered the 17th lap, some cars began making their first pit stop. Car No. 52 made its pit stop at the end of the 21st lap. The team change drivers from Kawaai to Yoshida and opted for a no-tire-change race strategy. Car No. 65, which was running in 3rd position made its pit stop at the same time and opted to change only its two rear tires. On the next lap, No. 2 also made its pit stop. At the same time car No. 88 also entered the pit and the leading No. 88 JLOC Lamborghini GT3 team changed drivers from Motojima to Kogure, while also opting for a no-tire-change race strategy.

 

 

 

 

 

　By the time all of the lead group had finished their pit stops, car No. 88 remained in the lead. Following it were cars No. 65 and No. 2. Behind them, car was battling for 5th or 6th position. If it remained in this position and managed to finish in the points in the top ten, No. 52 could win the season title. But things grew tense as its battle to hold off the No. 31 apr LC500h GT (Kazuto Kotaka/Yuki Nemoto), the No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira/Teppei Natori) No. 6 DOBOT Audi R8 LMS （Yoshiaki Katayama/Roberto Merhi Muntan) heated up.

　Until this point in the race, there had been no accidents, but as the race approach its second half, rain began to fall again. Although the track condition wasn’t enough to warrant a change to rain tires at this point, car No. 65 was closing in on the rear of No. 88 and the battle had heated up to the point that there was danger of the two cars bumping each other. But No. 88 was able to hold off No. 65 and gradually opened up a margin of lead over it as the race entered the final stages.

　On the 41st lap, a GT500 car, the No. 360 RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R (Takayuki Aoki) had a collision at the first corner and the damaged GT500 car came to a stop at trackside, which brought a FCY (Full Course Yellow) call. But thanks to the quick work of the officials to clear the track, it didn’t result in a Safety Car intervention and the battle resumed after about 2 minutes.

　In the closing stages the rain again began to fall harder and the track became very slippery in some places. Determined that this was the place to go for the win, car No. 2 took the gamble of changing to rain tires. But, to their dismay, the rain let up once again.

　Eventually, the GT300 class winner of this last race of the 2023 series was the No. 88 JLOC Lamborghini GT3 (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima). Of course, this was the first win of the season, and for Motojima it was his first win in SUPER GT competition, and for Kogure, who has won nine races in the GT500 class, this was a gratifying first win in the GT300 class.

　Finishing the race in 2nd place was the No .65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou/Takuro Shinohara). 3rd place went to the No. 6 DOBOT Audi R8 LMS (Yoshiaki Katayama/Roberto Merhi Muntan) that had worked its way up through the field from a start in 13th position to get its third podium finish of the season. As for car No. 2 that was competing with No. 52 for the series title, its gamble at the end went unrewarded and it finished the race in 9th place.

　With this, although it wasn’t able join the battle for the lead, the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida/Kohta Kawaai) was able to stay on course in the difficult conditions of the GT300 race to finish in 7th place and finally win the championship title it had been working toward. For drivers Yoshida and Kawaai this was their first Drivers title, and for SAITAMATOYOPET Green Brave that has continued to develop their GR Supra race machine in-house and has come heartbreakingly close to winning the title numerous times in the past, this was their gratifying first title in the company’s seventh year of competition.

 

 

 

 

 

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