 PENNZOIL-NISMO GT-R DRIVERS COMAS & KAGEYAMA WIN SEASON OPENER 
Round 1 SUZUKA GT300km  The initial laps of the race were fairly uneventful, but then a shadow fell over a number of competitors before the end of the first stage. On lap 7, the MAZADA RX-7 piloted by Yamaji crashed into a tyre barrier. A few laps later, the radiator of the No.6 SUPRA of Pierre-Henri Raphenel broke as he passed a backmarker, causing him to slow and pull off the track. The very next lap, Takeuchi went off the track after a collision with Hoshino. Aguri Suzuki, driving the No.2 SKYLINE for ZEXEL SKYLINE, had to enter the pits due to transmission problems. One of the four HONDA NSXs also came up lame early on. The No.18 car driven by Kaneishi entered the pits after lap 18; the mechanics opened the hood... Bad luck struck the CASTROL-TOM'S SUPRA team as well; after receiving the wheel from Sekiya, the No.36 SUPRA driven by Fontana received a 10sec stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Though the top three cars were well out in front going into the second half of the race, fans were given an excellent show with a number of skirmishes for positioning ensuing around the circuit. Many tense moments were witnessed, like the close battle for 5th between the No.3 SKYLINE (T.Tanaka) and the No.39 SUPRA (K.Tsuchiya). Behind them, the SUPRAs of M.Tanaka (No.8) and Hinoi (No.5) were also pushing hard in a fight for 7th. Takeshi Tsuchiya, who took over the wheel of the No.50 SKYLINE from Motoyama, quickly moved up on the tails of the SUPRAs, creating a three-way show. Not one to be left out, Fontana had also improved his pace and was soon breathing down the back of the No.50 SKYLINE.
In the final stages of the race, the youngest driver in the field, Yamanishi in the No.64 NSX in 2nd place, was penalized and had to stop for 10sec. To add to the pain, he put the car into a spin just after the restart. Two laps later, after maintaining a commanding lead most of the day, Takahashi in the No.100 NSX stopped suddenly on the main straight. Erik Comas took advantage the NSX mishaps and moved into the lead. Yamanishi did his best to make up for lost time and catch the Frenchman, but the No.23 SKYLINE GT-R crossed the finish line first in the end. As a consequence, three different makes shared the podium for the GT500 class.  In the GT300 class, the No.44 MR2 teammates Nitta and Mizuno opened a gap to hold onto first up to the routine stop, but the No.25 MR2 driven by K.Suzuki/Tachi moved in and took the lead in the second half of the race. The driver pair of Sodeyama/Iketani kept their PORSCHE 993RSR running consistently in the top group thoroughout the race, but couldn't catch the MR2. The GT300 class followed suit with the GT500 class ending with three makes on the podium. The MR2 team of K.Suzuki/Tachi took the checkered flag for first, with the PORSCHE of Sodeyama/Tachi second, and a fine third place podium finish for the debut race of the MITSUBISHI FTO and its drivers Nakaya and Hara. 
Winners Erik Comas (left) ; "I think that we owed our victory very much to Masami's tactics today. Although he had little experience on the new car, he drove consistently without making any mistakes. Pit stop was also good and we could come ahead of Calsonic. When I saw a black flag (given to 64 Yamanishi), I tried hard to catch Honda, but I could not make it. So, when the NSX spun, I thought I was very lucky. Then, I drove as fast as I could, so that I could hold on to the top position. It was the first time for us to drive a long distance on slick tyres, but I think now we know how to set up the car for the next race. The car has a good potential and the engine is the best in condition for racing. The only remaining problem is to adjust the weight distribution to compensate for a front engine. Anyway, I am now quite confident and it will be a very exciting season".
Masami Kageyama (right) ; 
GT300class winner - Keiichi Szuki (right) & Shingo Tachi (left) |
