JGTC 2002 Round2

2002-05-04

Race Review

Toyota Supras Show Strong Finish in Eventful Race
- Vemac RD320 Wins Debut GT300 Race -

Round 2 of the 2002 AUTOBACS Japan GT Championship Series proved to be a very exciting race filled with numerous incidents, requiring the Safety Car to be introduced six times in total. Under immense odds, the defending Driver's Championship pair, Takeuchi and Tachikawa, drove their No.1 Supra to victory in the high-paced race. Their win moves the pair to top in the Championship standings.

The green light for 500km race was given under cloudy skies in front of a huge crowd of 53,000 spectators. The pole sitter No.6 Supra took the lead followed by the No.1 Supra, the No.76 McLaren, and the No.36 Supra. Behind them, the tightly packed competition gave way to the first accident on the second lap when the No.37 Supra, and Nos.16 and 64 Honda NSXs bumped at the entrance of the first corner; the two Hondas ran off the track causing the first Safety Car appearance. Immediately following the green flag, the No.1 Supra overtook the No.6 car to move into the lead and started working to open a gap over the following contenders. But on lap 33 the Safety Car was introduced a second time when a tire on the fourth running No.39 Supra blew. Nearly all cars took advantage of the moment and made their routine stops under the yellow flag. When the green was finally given again, the No.76 McLaren overtook the No.6 Supra and began its attack to catch the leader. Another yellow and Safety Car introduction gave the McLaren a superior opportunity to move in behind the No.1 car and it overtook as the race returned to full speed with the next green. Fortune was not with the McLaren car, however, as car balance difficulties during braking at the first corner on lap 60 gave way to the Supra and the No.1 car again took the lead.

At the next routine stop, the No.1 car lost the lead once again as the Safety Car was introduced for the fourth time just after the pit stop when the No.64 NSX slid off the track. The remaining top runners capitalized on the yellow and pitted as well. After the stops, the No.8 NSX held the lead followed by the No.16 NSX. The No.1 Supra dropped back to 4th just in front of the No.36 Supra and No.22 Skyline GT-R. The No.8 car failed to hold the lead long and the No.16 NSX moved out in front.

Soon afterward, the Lamborghini Diablo caused a spectacular scene when it spun off the track and crashed in the last corner. This caused the Safety Car to be introduced for a fifth time. The No.1 Supra managed to close the gap on the leaders with this yellow and overtook to regain the lead when the green resumed. Even with the introduction of the Safety Car for a sixth and final time, the No.1 car held the lead and crossed the finish line first for the victory. Second place went to the No.6 Supra, which finished marginally ahead of the No.16 NSX.

The No.36 Supra, which ran well throughout most of the race, was lying in second at one time. But the No.30 McLaren created some tension by bumping the car from behind on lap 90. Then, on lap 99, the No.55 Viper hit the No.100 NSX causing the Viper to spin and hit the No.36 in a near head-on collision (the cause of the sixth Safety Car). The Supra suffered heavy damage to the left front and was forced to pit and give up the race due to the extent of the damage incurred.

In the GT300 class, the newcomer to the series, the No.62 Vemac, started from the pole and took the lead immediately followed by the No.31 Toyota MR-S, the No.2 Honda NSX and the No.24 Porsche GT3R. All three of the cars in pursuit of the leader ended up dropping out of the race due to various mechanical problems. The Vemac, too, suffered some minor problems during the day, and it seemed that the race would be a one-on-one fight between the No.71 Toyota MR-S and No.19 MR-S. Suddenly the No.71 car dropped position due to extensive time in the pit, allowing the No.62 Vemac a chance to regain position. The Vemac ran surprising well in the second half of the race following its earlier problems. The weekend became a dream come true for the Vemac team as the No.19 car of Racing Project Bandoh slowed down because of turbo charger problems and gave the lead and win to the car in its debut race. The No.71 MR-S finished second followed by the No.26 Porsche. The No.19 MR-S finished 5th position.

Round 3 of the 2002 AUTOBACS Japan GT Championship Series will be held at Sportsland SUGO on May 25-26.

No.1 au CERUMO SUPRA (GT500 winner)
Yuji Tachikawa "Our aim for this year is to win the title and through race victories, so we've made a step in that direction. Accordingly, we're hoping to win again during the season. Since Friday, we worked on a set-up attaching greater importance to race configuration, and it was perfect. I was able to drive free of any anxiety."
Hironori Takeuchi "Since we felt that we might lose this race to the No.6 Supra, we aimed high to win it. I'm very happy. At the beginning of the race, I couldn't increase the pace due to tire pressure. But after the Safety Car, I found that it was safe to push harder."

No.62 Vemac R&D DUNLOP 320R (GT300 winner)
Shinsuke Shibahara "I'm very surprised with our victory. I didn't think that we could do it. As we had several minor problems, I was afraid that we wouldn't even finish the 500km. Some people say that our machine is of the 'GT400 class' or that it is not a GT car. But I thought the same thing about the Toyota MR-S when I was driving the Porsche GT3R."
Shogo Mitsuyama "The car condition was such that I felt I would spin easily if I didn't really concentrate on my driving. Fortunately I was able to maintain my concentration through the end of the race. At any rate, our plan is to give it our best in every race."

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