 Nakako/Michigami Claim the First Pole for NSX
Round 3 Hi-Land GT CHAMPIONSHIP The morning and afternoon qualifying sessions were split into three 20-minute stages; one each for GT 500 and 300 classes individually, and one stage of both classes running together. The circuit was teeming with excitement as the drivers from two manufacturers contended in a heated battle for the fastest lap. From the onset, Ryo Michigami in the No.16 HONDA NSX and Masahiko Kageyama in the No.2 NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R seesawed back and forth for first place on the leader board. Eric Comas, driving the No.23 GT-R, gradually improved his times and claimed the second fastest lap in the first 20-minute stage of the morning session. First place was held by Michigami, who timed a respectable 1'54.974. The fastest SUPRA was the No.38 car driven by Hideki Noda, fifth in the stage. The leader after the first 20-minute stage of the GT 300 session was Hideo Fukuyama in the No.81 NISSAN SILVIA. The final 20-minute of mixed classes got underway as the rain slowed, and the NSXs of HONDA showed surprising strength by finishing with the three fastest times. The No.16 NSX held onto first, followed by Tom Coronel in the No.64 car and Katsutomo Kaneishi in the No.18 car, respectively. Comas worked to keep up the pace, putting his GT-R in fourth as the fastest SKYLINE GT-R. The rain stopped falling before the second qualifying session started. Shortly after the first stage in the afternoon began, the sun broke through the clouds. With this, the fight for pole position grew in intensity, and spectators, eyes glued to the leader board, watched in anticipation for their favorite driver to appear on top. First, Kaneishi in the No.16 NSX, then Hoshino in the No.12 GT-R, Masahiko Kageyama in the No.2 GT-R, and then his younger brother, Masami, in the No.23 SKYLINE, all taking turns at the top. But it was Akira Iida in the No.100 NSX who, in the final minutes of the 500 class stage, claimed the fastest lap. Behind him were Masami in the No.23 SKYLINE, Kaneishi in the No.18 NSX and Takeuchi in the No.38 SUPRA. Rain fell momentarily during the 300 class stage, but track conditions remained unchanged. Then, in a thrill-filled final 20-minute mixed session, car positioning for the starting grid changed yet again, with Michigami claiming his first pole position in an NSX ahead of Comas, Goossens and Kaneishi, in that order.
In the GT 300 class, it was Masahiko Kondo timing the fastest lap in his No.15 Silvia, followed by Shingo Tachi in the No.25 TOYOTA MR2 and Shinichi Yamaji in the No.7 MAZDA RX7.
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