The first-ever SUPER GT race took place at Okayama International Circuit on Sunday, March 27th in an historic event that attracted over 59,100 fans on raceday to the track famous for hosting Japan's Pacific Grand Prix in the mid-nineties.

The inaugural SUPER GT showdown was an event-filled affair with intense on-track action form the moment the lights went out to the checkered flag two hours later. Carrying on from the popularity of the JGTC, the maiden SUPER GT event was just that: Super Grand Touring car racing enjoyed by masses of fans, and boasting the biggest grid in international circuit racing today.

The action got underway at 8:20am as all 44 machines ran their final laps in the 30-minute Warm-Up session before the event start at 2:00pm. March 27th will go down as an historic day in the annals of GT racing in Japan as a new era was ushered in for the country's most popular racing series.

The throng of fans who descended on the circuit for raceday action is proof positive of the thrills and excitement that the series provides; as well as the entertainment value the format SUPER GT brings to the fans and teams alike.

Perfect sunny weather greeted all in attendance throughout the day, with windy periods keeping teams' and sponsors' flags flying fully unfurled. The sea of color and branding at the track added to the bright and expectant atmosphere, in what has to be a foreshadowing of even greater growth and success for the series.

Behind the pit garages, the paddock was absolutely packed with race fans all day long. The crowds resembled something more like a Tokyo weekday morning rush hour than the build-up to a Sunday race.

Teams and drivers used the morning session as a final systems check before the intensity of full race conditions in the afternoon. A couple of cars managed to find the kitty litter; most notably the No. 23 ENDLESS ADVAN Z and the No.32 EPSON NSX, though both machines escaped unharmed save for some pride on the part of the drivers involved.

IN GT500, the top ten cars were split by a mere 1.1 seconds, while GT300 was a similarly close affair, its 26 machines making full use of their last on-track running opportunity before the lights went out after lunch.
The top time in the Warm-Up session went to defending champion Richard Lyons in the No.1 Xanavi NISMO Z who had the following comment:
'The car was very good this morning. We've had good testing results at each circuit we've been to, and have run a lot of kilometers in race set-up so we're fairly confident our qualifying pace is not just a one-off, and will transform well in the race. With the new rules, things are going to be a bit more technical for the drivers this year and it might get a little confusing at times. Nevertheless, we're in good shape, and if everything goes according to plan, we should be strong for the race.'

RACE

The lights went out at precisely 2:00pm as 18 GT500 cars, followed by 24 GT300 machines roared across the line in a cacophony of mechanical sound. The main grandstand came to life as the fans' team and driver banners moved like a multi-colored wave over the crowd.

Immediately after the start, there was action on track. The pole-sitting No. 22 MOTUL PITWORK Z, driven by new recruit Masataka Yanagida, over-cooked it into one of the corners, going off into the gravel and beaching the car as the pack raced by. He was able to re-join, though two laps down, his race for points essentially over.

The new No. 34 BANDAI SUPRA, with 2004 Le Mans winner Seiji Ara never made it out of the pitlane, the car suffering terminal electrical problems.

With the No.22 car out of the way, an intense battle for top spot ensued between the No.25 Eclipse ADVAN Supra and the No.1 Xanavi NISMO Z machine. For the next 20 laps the cars headed the field, never more than a second or so apart as they pulled out a gap on the others.

Meanwhile, the No.12 CALSONIC IMPUL Z driven by Benoit Treluyer was to become the victim of a multiple car crash involving a host of GT300 cars. The blue machine suffered massive damage to its left rear quarter; the entire suspension and wheel ripped from its mountings, making the car totally undriveable.

GT300 was thrilling too, the No.13 ENDLESS ADVAN Z making a brilliant pass on the No. 43 Garaiya and No. 31 Apexera with apr MR-S machines in a three-abreast move down to the hairpin in the early stages. It was a precursor of later race action for the metallic blue Nissan.

Back in GT500, a fierce battle was going on further down the order; a train of cars from 7th to 13th close enough to trade paint in all the corners, producing some of the most visually exciting action of the afternoon.

On lap 23, Satoshi Motoyama in the no.1 Nissan passed the No.25 car to regain the lead, and immediately started to eke out a margin on Manabu Orido in the Eclipse Supra. Meanwhile, Andre Lotterer maintained thirds position, his No.32 EPSON NSX well ahead of the fourth-placed No.8 ARTA NSX, driven by returnee Ralph Firman.

GT300 class leader Mitsuhiro Kinoshita in the No.13 ENDLESS ADVAN Z started to drop back, the video feed later showing impact from the rear, courtesy of the hard-charging No.7 Re:Amemiya RX-7.

Another returnee to the series, Tora Takagi went off in the No.38 ZENT Cerumo Supra after outbraking himself at the hairpin on lap 24. A couple of laps later, Motoyama set the fastest lap of the race with his 1:26.350 around the 3.703 kilometer (2.31-mile) track. It wasn't to be however, as the car hit trouble later on in the race, making for a nightmare season-opening race for NISMO.

Meanwhile, Sebastien Philippe in the No.100 Raybrig NSX was tapped by the No.22 car, dropping him down the order - though he was able to continue. His driver partner Jeremie Dufour battled throughout the second stint to finish 10th.

At the mandatory driver switches, the pits was a hive of activity with the majority of cars coming in within a couple of laps of each other. The leading No.1 machine came in on lap 38, Satoshi Motoyama switching over to partner Richard Lyons. The pair had the quickest turn-around of any of the front-runners, an amazing 35.0 seconds when most of the others needed over 40 seconds.

In the No.36 Dynacity TOM'S SUPRA, James Courtney slotted into the car after partner Takeshi Tsuchiya came in 5th place. Courtney was immediately up to speed, and had the car up to third within 6 laps.

In GT300, the mid-point of the race saw the No.7 RE Amemiya RX-7 go top after getting by the No.19 Wedssport Celica, while the No.30 RECKLESS MR-S and the No.0 EBBRO NSX gave chase.

When the order had settled down after the pitstops, it was Erik Comas in the No.3 G'ZOX HASEMI Z who was on a charge. After being handed the car by partner Toshihiro Kaneishi in 5th place, the veteran champion set about hunting down those ahead of him. First to go was the no.32 EPSON NSX in the hands of Tsugio Matsuda; and it wasn't long before he had deposed the similar No.8 NSX before setting his sights on the No.36 car of James Courtney, then running second. Time ran out however, and Comas had to be satisfied with third, though it surely wasn't for a lack of trying. The French ace set fastest laps on half a dozen occasions as he hunted down the blue and white Supra.

Another superb drive in the second half of the race was that of James Courtney, the Australian keeping leader Dominik Schwager in his sights, after the German driver had taken over the wheel of the No.25 Eclipse ADVAN Supra at the stops. James too, ran out of laps and had to settle for 2nd place, equalling the sophomore's best result in the series.

It was as this battle at the head of the field was raging that the No.1 NISMO car expired. Undisclosed mechanical difficulties bringing the red and silver machine into the pit garage for the remainder of the afternoon.

GT300 was never short of thrills - and in this case, spills. The No.777 Team Takamizawa ADVAN Porsche GT3 clouted the similar No.26 ENDLESS TAISAN Gembella GT3R, sending both cars off in spectacular spins into the gravel in the later stages.

In the dying moments of the 82-lap race, the gap between the top three had come down considerably, though it was never enough for any of the contenders to be threatened, such was the consistency in pace among the pair of 2004-spec Supras and the Hasemi Z machine.

The order continued to change in GT300, and at one point the defending champion No.0 EBBRO machine led, though it couldn't maintain the pace of the No.13 Z or No.7 RX-7 and ended up third.

At the flag, it was the No.25 Eclipse ADVAN Supra crossing the line first, followed by the No.36 Dynacity TOM'S Supra less than five seconds back, and the No.3 HASEMI G'ZOX Z in third place.

The opening round proved to be an amazing start to the SUPER GT season as it aims to become a fully international series in 2005. The next round of the 2005 SUPER GT series takes place at the completely rebuilt and newly re-opened Fuji International Speedway on May 3rd and 4th. The race is expected to draw a huge number of fans; both because of the track's proximity to Tokyo, and because it's the latest in a long line of circuits designed by famed F1 track guru, Hermann Tilke.