2024.10.25

【Round 8 Preview】 No easy survival for the title this year! Can't detour fiercest battle at Motegi before the final round.

Stage is set at Mobility Resort Motegi (Tochigi Prefecture) for the "MOTEGI GT 300km", Round 8 of the 2024 AUTOBACS SUPER GT approaching on November 2nd (Sat) and 3rd (Sun). Due to the postponement of Round 5 Suzuka to December 7th and 8th after the Round 8 event, the upcoming race will be seventh event of this season, therefore, the success weight rule will be applied (scored points multiple by 1kg for the drivers who the upcoming race will be seventh race participation). Teams that have not won this season yet must be keen to capture the win at Motegi since the difference in success weight against teams in the upper group is still large. Teams in the upper group would want to try to score more points than the rivals to be in a better position at the final round. Being one race before the final round, the Round 8 Motegi has become a battle of survival for clinching the title and the atmosphere must be different from last year's race.

*Above photo is from 2023 final round Motegi.

 

■Mobility Resort Motegi information
◎Track details
Length: 4,801m
Width: 12 to 15m
Elevation difference:30.4m

◎Track records
GT500
1'35.194 Tadasuke Makino / No. 100 STANLEY NSX-GT
2022 Round 8 Qualifying – Q2 (November 5)
GT300
1'44.798 Iori Kimura / No. 55 ARTA NSX GT3
2022 Round 8 Qualifying - Q2 (November 5)

 

 

　No.36 au TOM’S GR Supra (Sho Tsuboi / Kenta Yamashita) constantly scored points after winning the season opening race for their endeavor to accomplish consecutive championship, and they have successfully kept the leading position in the driver's point standing up to now. Sister team No.37 Deloitte TOM'S GR Supra (Ukyo Sasahara / Giuliano Alesi) of TOM'S is right behind in the standing with 2-point deficit. Current situation must be screams of joy to the management of TOM'S, but there probably won't be any team orders unless there is a clear gap between the cars. In fact, since the upcoming Round 8 is no longer the final race, it will probably be a "no mercy race" for both teams even if they belong to same TOM'S, although they could be sharing basic data. At the previous race at Autopolis, they had similar SW and finished pretty much evenly at seventh and eighth, although the strategy was different. We may see dead-heat from these two cars even before the final round.
　In terms of victorious candidates, the won by No.39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD GR Supra (Yuhi Sekiguchi / Yuichi Nakayama) at the previous race made No.38 KeePer CERUMO GR Supra (Hiroaki Ishiura / Toshiki Oyu) and No.19 WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra (Yuji Kunimoto / Sena Sakaguchi) the only teams that have not won yet this season out of the TOYOTA GR Supra GT500 squad. From a perspective of SW, the possibility to win the race must be higher for No.19 car. The team qualified second in 2022, and, in 2021, they started the race from pole position and went head-to-head against No.100 NSX-GT until ending up at second position. With such successes and memories, No.19 car is certainly a car to watch closely from the qualifying.

 

   

 

 

　The first NSX as well as the second generation of the car were fast on the track of Motegi and the number of wins by NSX in overall counts 15 (in 29 series races), outnumbering rival car models significantly. With the change of car model to CIVIC TYPE R-GT this year, the design concept is presumed to have shifted from cornering ability to the speed on straightway. It would be worthy to watch how CIVIC TYPE R-GT takes on Motegi from the official practice sessions.
　To name a team that has been strong at Motegi, it would be No.100 car. Last year was lackluster due to the absence of injured ace driver Naoki Yamamoto, but the team boats 8 podium-finishes (4 wins), including the win 2 years ago, at Motegi. Concerns for the upcoming Motegi would be having SW at 51kg and the restriction on the fuel flow restrictor, quite difficult even for No.100 car. Next victorious candidate, then, would be No.17 Astemo CIVIC TYPE R-GT (Koudai Tsukakoshi / Kakunoshin Ohta) that has 5 podium-finishes (1 win in 2020) at Motegi where they qualified second and finished third in the race last year. The car was fourth fastest in the qualifying at the previous Autopolis event and ran in the upper group in the early phase of the race before it retired after getting hit by other car. Good chance for them to get it back at Motegi for the frustration. Yamamoto of No.100 car and Tsukakoshi of No.17 car receive more and louder chants of support at Motegi because they are from Tochigi Prefecture. Their head-to-head battle may be something the home crow would want to see, if possible.

 

   

 

 

　At last year's Round 8 Motegi, No.3 car came in to Motegi as a top favorite for the title and captured pole position. However, after receiving the penalty, the car dropped down and finished the race at fifth and lost the title. To bounce back from the disappointment, No.3 Niterra MOTUL Z (Mitsunori Takaboshi / Atsushi Miyake) must be aiming for not only a podium-finish but the win in the race. With SW at 46kg and no restriction on the fuel flow restrictor, the team would want to narrow the gap against the cars in front in the point standing, including No.36 car, or surpass them if possible, and then head to the final race of the season.
　The team that can assist No.3 car is No.23 MOTUL AUTECH Z (Katsumasa Chiyo / Ronnie Quintarelli). Chiyo was with No.3 car last year and the one at the wheel when the penalty was given for bumping other car in the early phase of the race, so he could be having stronger feeling about it. Of course, since No.23 car can also head to the final race with possibility for the title if they win the upcoming race, the team should be targeting the victory themselves. Chance for the win still exists for No.24 Realize Corporation ADVAN Z (Tsugio Matsuda / Teppei Natori) with a light SW too. The car sank deep in the race despite clinching pole position at the previous round at Autopolis, and they must have a strong feeling for avenge.

 

   

 

 

　The situation of must survive the Round 8 Motegi to capture the title is same for the GT300 class. As of now, the gap between the point leader No.65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou / Takuro Shinohara) and No.2 muta Racing GR86 GT (Yuui Tsutsumi / Hibiki Taira) is only 5 points. The two teams have been successful at Motegi, No.2 car was the pole sitter and No.65 car captured second place in both qualifying and race at last year's Motegi round. For this year, for both teams, the first priority would be to finish in front of the other. Next priority in the strategy would be to target a podium-finish if a chance arrives.

 

   

 

　No.88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 (Takashi Kogure / Yuya Motojima) at third in the point standing would want to win back-to-back from the previous Autopolis race. With SW hitting the cap of 50kg, the condition is the same as the two teams in the higher position. In addition, Motegi is a memorable circuit to the team since the team pulled off the first win for the two drivers after starting from the second position on the grid at last year's final race and also where Huracan GT3 has been showing competitive performance. The team would want to target a podium-finish, in front of the two teams ahead of them in points, if possible, and maybe a third win of the season if lucky. If everything goes as they wish, then the long-awaited first title for JLOC can be within their reach.
　In contrast, the chance for the title will become significantly small for No.777 D'station Vantage GT3 (Tomonobu Fujii / Charlie Fagg) at fourth and other teams in the point standing with a scored point in the range from 20 to 50 points if they don't win at Motegi. As for No.52 Green Brave GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida / Seita Nonaka), currently at ninth in points, the hope for back-to-back title will disappear if they don't win. It would also be interesting to put attention on No.31 apr LC500h GT (Kazuto Kotaka / Jin Nakamura), only car in SUPER GT to mount a hybrid power unit that finished last year's Motegi race in fourth place, and No.61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi / Hideki Yamauchi), which has been struggling to even finish in an upper position this season, to see if they can accomplish their first podium-finish or win of this season.

 

   

 

 

 

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