QUALIFYING SESSION 1

In front of a rapidly growing crowd of race fans, the first of the two official qualifying sessions for Round 2 of the 2005 SUPER GT series got underway at 10:45, with the GT300 machines first out on track. The maiden appearance of the #110 ARK TECH TOTAL BENEFIT BOXSTER GT was a short-lived affair however; the black and white machine stopping on the circuit after only a handful of laps.

Twenty minutes into the session and the top runners in GT300 were a familiar sight, the #0 EBBRO M-TEC NSX leading the #27 direxiv ADVAN 320R, ahead of the #10 MACH-GO Ferrari DUNLOP.

GT500 machines then ran for 20 minutes before both classes competed together for the final third of the hour.

In the last 5 minutes, defending champion Satoshi Motoyama pushed the #1 Xanavi NISMO Z hard for a spot in the afternoon's Super Lap shoot-out. It was not to be however, and the team had to use the 15-minute session prior to SL to gain a berth in the final qualifier. To explain: the top two cars from each class in the 15-minute session immediately prior to SL are added to the ten already confirmed; making for a total of 24 machines fighting it out (in pairs) for the top12 spots in each class on the grid.

GT300 also had its moments. As the session drew to a close, the #0 EBBRO NSX went top ahead of the consistently strong #27direxiv 320R (Vemac). Considering this is a new entry - and from a new team to the series, there is sure to be some action from the mid-engined British supercar when the lights go out tomorrow.

QUALIFYING SESSION 2

The two 15-minute sessions prior to SL saw intense battles as challengers tried to muscle their way into the last two remaining SL spots in each class. In GT300, the #52 Promiu Taiyo Sekiyu Kumho Celica and #2 Privee Zurich 320R made the cut, pitting the pair against each other as the first duo of GT300 cars to contest SL later in the afternoon.

GT500 was equally fraught, Satoshi Motoyama doing exactly what's made him famous over the years - performing when it counts. The reigning champion took his red and silver Nissan 350Z to the top of the charts just when it mattered, guaranteeing the #1 Xanavi NISMO Z a chance in SL. He was followed closely by the #32 EPSON NSX with Andre Lotterer at the wheel. These two, plus the top ten from the morning, made up the 12 GT500 SL contestants.

Super Lap:
GT300 machines were up first; 6 pairs of drivers attempting to best each other and gain a guaranteed top-12 grid slot as the late afternoon sun threw amazing light across the circuit. After some intense duels, it was Haruki Kurosawa in the #0 EBBRO NSX who claimed pole, followed by the #46 Dream Cube's ADVAN Z. An amazing performance by Kazuki Hoshino (son of racing legend Kazuyoshi) put the Z car 2nd, the first machine in the class to break the 1 minute 40-second barrier. Behind them, the #27 direxiv ADVAN 320R led the #43 ARTA Garaiya, with the #10 MACH-GO Ferrari Dunlop fifth ahead of the #30 RECKLESS MR-S. These were followed by the #62 WILLCOM ADVAN 350R, #11 GPH Ferrari Dunlop F360, the #31 APEXERA MR-S and #7 Amemiya Aspara Drink RX-7. The #52 Promiu Taiyo Sekiyu KUMHO Celica and #2 Privee Zurich 320R rounded out the top 12.

In GT500, Satoshi Motoyama and Andre Lotterer were the first pair to take to the track, the German eclipsing the Nissan driver by some 0.572 seconds at the line. Both would end up low among the 12 runners as the following pairs set quicker times. Lotterer would end up 9th; with Motoyama two positions further back.

Andre Couto's #39 DENSO SARD SUPRA GT, battling Yuji Tachikawa in the identical #38 ZENT Cerumo machine, comprised the next battling pair. The latter blasted the entire field, his 1:33.070 nearly seven tenths better than eventual 2nd-placed finisher Juichi Wakisaka in the #6 ESSO ULTAFLO Supra. Couto would end the session in 10th.

A strong performance from Daisuke Ito in the #8 ARTA NSX netted the Japanese driver 4th place behind his SL combat partner Michael Krumm in the #22 Xanavi NISMO Z. The TEAM TOM'S Supras were 5th and 6th; Tetsuya Kataoka in the #37 car ahead of Takeshi Tsuchiya in the #36 machine. Yuji Ide brought the #12 CALSONIC IMPUL Z to eighth, one spot behind the #35 YMS Yellow Hat Supra of Naoki Hattori, while reigning Le Mans 24 Hours winner Seiji Ara wound up twelfth.

Behind the SL qualifiers in each class, plenty of hard-charging in the early stages promises to provide some viewer-friendly dicing and slicing as they jostle to make up lost ground.

Tomorrow's on-track action gets underway bright and early; with the morning Free Practice session running from 8:00a.m.

At 500kms, this event is longer than the typical distance in SUPER GT, and is sure to feature some wild surprises and spills as competitors try to best each other in this, the first event at the new Fuji Speedway.

(from left) T.Takagi/Y.Tachikawa, H.Kurosawa/S.Hosokawa