  |
  |
 |
2002-05-25 |
Qualify Review
11 GT500 Cars Break Circuit Record
- Kaneishi in Honda NSX on Top
8 Cars in GT300 Better than Course Record - Yanagida in Nissan Silvia on Top
The qualifying sessions for the third round of the 2002 AUTOBACS Japan GT Championship (JGTC) were held on May 25 at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture. Under fine blue skies, 20 GT500 cars and 25 GT300 cars drove hard for the poles. In total 11 GT500 cars and 8 GT300 cars broke the circuit records for their respective classes.
The No.87 Mercedes CLK took part in the free practice sessions held on Friday, but transmission problems caused the team to retire from the event before the qualifying sessions.
In the first qualifying session, the No.18 Honda NSX looked in top form: Lyons claimed the fastest lap with a time of 1'18.395" in spite of carrying a handicap weight of 30kg. Following close behind were Ara in the No.25 Supra (1'18.641"), Tsuchiya in the No.36 Supra (1'18.728") and Firman loaded with a 50kg handicap in the No.64 NSX (1'18.927"). A roof-top air-scoop has been added to the Honda beginning from this round as a result of the component being homologated as an optional part for the original Honda NSX-R, thus enabling its use in the JGTC racing version.
The quickest Toyota was the No.25 Supra. In keeping with the JGTC regulations, larger air restrictors than utilized in the previous race could be installed in the No.25. Ara took full advantage of the situation and displayed powerful driving throughout the field, clocking a 1'18.641" in the morning session. Tsuchiya and the No.36 Supra on Michelin tires also ran well. Since introduction into the JGTC three years ago, Michelin tires have given superb performances when combined with the Supra at SUGO, racking up three podium finishes including two victories. Tsuchiya clocked 1'18.728".
One of the special highlights of this round is the introduction of the new 2002 Skyline GT-R by NISMO. Also debuting as part of the package is a new twin-turbo V6 power plant. The new car took the No.22. Motoyama drove the morning qualifying session, completing it with a best time of 1'19.670", about 0.5sec faster than the team's other car, the No.23 GT-R, which is still running with a straight-6 engine. Kageyama set the best lap time of 1'20.079" for the No.23 car in the same session.
The winners of the previous round and defending champion pair, Takeuchi and Tachikawa, had a good day as well. Coming into the race loaded with a heavy 70kg handicap, Tachikawa put the No.1 Supra through the paces and finished with a respectable 1'19.575", 8th overall.
In the GT300 class, Yanagida claimed the quickest lap behind the wheel of the No.3 Nissan Silvia. He broke the class circuit record with a time of 1'25.241" in the morning session. The second fastest in the class was the No.19 Toyota MR-S driven by Tanaka (1'25.269"). Following a superb performance in Round 2 at Fuji Speedway, where it took the pole and the checkered flag for the victory, the No.62 Vemac still showed it has the power to challenge the field even carrying a 50kg handicap. Shibahara clocked a fine lap time of 1'25.381" to put the No.62 car at 4th in the class.
The battle for pole position intensified in the afternoon session, especially in the last five minutes of the day. Firman timed a 1'18.328", bringing the No.64 NSX to the top of the time monitor, but the glory ended quickly when Tsuchiya crossed the finish line for a lap time of 1'18087" in the No.36 Supra. Then the circuit filled with clamor as Kaneishi and the No.8 NSX flew around the course in an amazing lap clocked at 1'17.814". Nobody else was able to break into the 1'18" barrier, and the pole went to Kaneishi in the No.8 Honda The No.36 car of Takeshi Tsuchiya/Wayne Gardner shares the front row.
"We had to change the set-up for the afternoon session. We set the car to the same specifications of the set-up used for the test sessions held here in April. That was enough to set a good lap," said Kaneishi afterward. "Thanks to Tsuchiya and the team, who have all worked hard, we were able to get the pole."
The afternoon session for the GT300 class was filled with excitement as well. Going into the last minutes, Taniguchi took the No.7 Mazda to the top with a time of 1'25.330", but the No.81 Silvia driven by Aoki moved into the lead for the pole with a best time of 1'25.102". Then, to the surprise of all, the 1'25" barrier was broken by Yanagida and the No.3 Silvia. The time of 1'24.916" gave the No.3 car (Yamano/Yanagida) the GT300 class pole.
Yanagida commented after the sessions, "I was able to take the fastest lap in the morning session and the conditions became better in the afternoon. This gave me the chance to improve over my best lap in the morning and set a target lap time for the 1'24s. I'm appreciative of the team, Nissan and Yokohama tires. They've prepared good conditions that allow us to run fast, and thanks to that I could get pole position today. Obviously what is most important is the race. I've never won in the JGTC, so I'll be trying to do my best to win the race tomorrow."
The 81-lap race will get underway with the green given at 14:40, Sunday, May 26th.
 |
BACK |  |
HOME |
