The fifth visit to Malaysia for the machines of SUPER GT was as exciting as it was hot. Amid tropical temperatures and suffocating humidity that had hovered over the circuit all weekend, 42 of the most highly-developed HAKO racing cars on the planet put on a show that kept the Malaysian audience on their feet, despite the sweltering heat and blazing sunshine.

The race got underway a little later than usual, the 4:00pm start adopted in an effort to alleviate some of the factors associated with the sky-high temperatures.

Immediately after the lights went out, the screaming wail of the two separate packs of cars; the GT500 machines followed by the GT300 cars, reverberated off the grandstands down to the first corner. The customary rolling start, one of the many features SUPER GT is known for, was a fitting was to start what is easily the hottest race on the SUPER GT calendar. Fifty four laps around the 5.542-kilometer circuit was to test the mettle of all the drivers; and it would be kinder to some competitors than it was to others.

Pole-sitter Ralph Firman was dominant right from the moment the lights went out; building a steadily-growing gap over the chasing pack. By lap 5, it was over 5 seconds; and there would remain a healthy cushion to the nearest rival, the #1 Xanavi Nismo Z machine in the hands of Satoshi Motoyama, who had jumped from fourth at the start. In the strongest performance for the Honda NSX in recent memory, Firman's lead was proof positive that the new NA engine, being used in the car for the first time this weekend, is the way to go for the pair of Honda Racing machines - as well as for the other two NSXs competing in GT500.

Second-placed starter Andre Lotterer had a less inspired start, the blue and white machine falling to fifth on the opening lap as the Dunlop tires took a little longer to come into their own. He and driver partner Tsugio Matsuda ran a solid race without any mistakes to finish fifth. The team called the car in for the driver switch relatively early, Lotterer handing over to Matsuda on lap 24, directly behind the leading #8 ARTA NSX. The pair had to work hard for their points, running fifth for most of the afternoon, and providing plenty of entertainment in a fierce duel with the 4th-placed #6 Esso Ultraflo Supra in the latter stages.

In his typically hard-charging style, Andre Couto in the#39 DENSO SARD SUPRA GT rocketed up the order from 17th to 10th position by lap 20.
After the front-runners had all made their mandatory driver switches, the order saw the #8 ARTA NSX leading the #1 Xanavi Nismo Z followed by the #36 Dynacity TOM'S SUPRA and the hard-charging #3 G'ZOX Hasemi Z. Behind this group, the #32 EPSON NSX led the second of the NISMO machines, the #22 Motul Keyvalue Z, itself just ahead of the other Honda Racing NSX, the #18 Takata Dome machine, which had fallen down the order after being tapped from behind at the last corner on lap 20 by the quicker G'ZOX machine.

On lap 32, the #3 Z made an unscheduled stop; and this was to be a forbearer of troubles to come as driver Erik Comas was sidelined on lap 35 with rear suspension failure.

The conditions were catching out more than a few of the drivers, and as concentration waned due to the oppressive heat, one after another - particularly among the GT300 field - spun out of contention into the gravel traps.

The GT300 traffic made for a few scary moments for the far-quicker GT500 cars; causing delays and a few terse words after the flag. The class was running a tight battle of its own, with the pole-sitting #43 ARTA Garaiya maintaining the top spot ahead of a raging battle among the two MR-S machines and the #13 ENDLESS ADVAN Z behind. This pack ran ahead of the Tetsuya Tanaka/Paulo Montin GPH Ferrari Dunlop F360 Modena and the #46 Dream Cube's ADVAN Z, the freshman car having one of its best runs yet.

Unfortunately for the #7 Amemiya Aspara Drink RX-7, its previous success at Sepang International circuit didn't seem to be with the team today, the bright yellow machine having an uneventful run to 8th in class at the flag.

As the race got to its later stages, Juichi Wakisaka in the #6 Esso Ultraflo Supra was hounded by Tsugio Matsuda in the #32 EPSON NSX in an evenly-matched battle that saw the pair fight closely for a dozen or more laps in their battle for fifth.

Eleven laps from the end, Richard Lyons made his move on the leading #8 ARTA NSX, getting by at turn 9 and quickly pulling out a one-second gap. It was to prove one of the most exciting fights all day. Honda driver Daisuke Ito pushed hard to regain the position, and eventually he did with only two laps to go after a rare error by a heat-exhausted Lyons. The heat affected everybody today, and it could be said, rather evenly. Richard had the silver and red Nissan back into the top spot half a lap later as Ito faded from the same exhaustion, and was never headed as he cruised to his first victory of the season.

In GT300, the #43 ARTA Garaiya may have made up for its GT500 sister car's missed opportunity, the car taking a commanding victory in the class.

GT500 :
1st place - #1 Xanavi Nismo Z
Richard Lyons : "Yeah, it was a very hot race! The car was perfect al day - there were no problems at all, I just got in and drove! My stint was interesting because after about 10 laps, the air intake which had been attached to keep the cabin cool broke free and was hitting me in the head on every right hand turn! In the closing laps it was particularly difficult as my concentration was starting to fade because of the heat. I just focused on keeping the car on the road and not making any mistakes al the way to the flag. It would have been too great a loss to go off after all the effort of the team. I'm thrilled to have finished first as I know it was tough for everyone out there. This heat is really hard on the cars - and the drivers!"

2nd place - #8 ARTA NSX
Ralph Firman : "The car overall was great. I had a really good start and was able to pull out a gap right away, but the car was suffering from major oversteer and by the end of the run the tires were finished. Also, I had some unlucky breaks with some backmarkers - especially the WedsSport car. I lost at least three or four seconds behind him at one point. It was a good weekend, but very disappointing as we had been quickest in most of the sessions. We're looking forward to the next race, the car is strong and we should go well at Sugo."

3rd place - #36 Dynacity TOM'S Supra
James Courtney : "Takeshi handed over to me quite early so my stint was pretty long. With the heat - it was about 60 degrees in the cabin - I just concentrated on keeping up a good pace and making sure I didn't lose focus. Towards the end of the race, it was really difficult to maintain a quick pace - it was just so hot! Also, I wasn't chasing anyone for most of my time in the car so I really had to keep focused.
I'm happy with the result considering the conditions. Takeshi handed over the car in 7th, so getting to third feels pretty good. We weren't that far behind (the leaders), so if we had started higher up, we might have been able to challenge the lead pair. I'm looking forward to the next race - hopefully it won't be this hot!"

GT300 :
1st place - #43 ARTA Garaiya
Morio Nitta : "It was a really tough race, and I don't remember most of it. I couldn't get any liquid from my water bottle so had to endure most of my stint without. I was determined to make it to the end, but don't remember a thing until I woke up in the pool at the back of the pit garage afterwards."
Shinichi Takagi : "I feel fine after that. I could do another race! When I got in the car, there was a 3-second gap. I wanted to maintain that while also keeping the tires. Following the Team Director's instructions, I still had half the compound remaining at the end of my stint. We're fighting for the championship so must always fight for the win whenever possible. We'll be doing everything in our power to beat M-TEC to the championship."

2nd place - #30 RECKLESS MR-S
Kota Sasaki : "I knew the Garaiya was faster than us so the race would start in the second half of my stint. At the beginning, I couldn't keep up with the Garaiya so decided to save my tires. After ten laps, the balance improved so I pushed a little harder. I managed to catch Nitta once, but he didn't see me and we touched. I spun, losing us a few seconds. For the next round, we have to find a good set-up as the Garaiya is still quicker than us. I closed the gap once, but I'm still not completely satisfied."
Tetsuya Yamano : "After the driver switch, I went out in 2nd place, 5 or 6 seconds behind the Garaiya so I concentrated on saving my tires, much the way Kota had done. After 20 laps, gravel flung up by other cars smashed my windshield, and actually caught me in the face! The pain slowed my pace, and after that it was difficult to get near the Garaiya. I hadn't expected us to go well here so 2nd place is good enough. Ts' my th podium in four races, so I'm pretty pleased with my results in the team so far."

3rd place - #13 ENDLESS ADVAN Z
Mitsuhiro Kinoshita : "We chose a medium soft tire for the race because it was very hot. Therefore, we needed to get the set-up just right as we knew it would be a tough event. We pushed for as many points as possible. At the start, I gained a few places after an accident at the first corner - a lucky break for me as I could move up the order. When I finished my stint, my tires were completely gone! All I all, it was a very comfortable race."
Masami Kageyama : "This was a real killer of a race! We followed our strategy, using our heads. We knew we couldn't be quickest, but really went for it and ended up on the podium amid the intense heat. The whole team; the engineers, the drivers, everybody worked hard for this result. There's a possibility we can fight for championship honors. We'll be pushing tenaciously for the rest of the season."