In what could only be described as a perfectly-planned coup, the #38 ZENT Cerumo Supra took a decisive win in Round 8 of the 2005 AUTOBACS SUPER GT, securing the drivers' title for pilots Yuji Tachikawa and Toranosuke Takagi.
The victory brings the coveted #1 back to the Cerumo team after four years; and for driver Yuji Tachikawa, it's his second title with the Toyota team.

The day began under dark cloud, with ominous black patches promising rain - and lots of it! Not long before the scheduled start of the race, the heavens opened up, dumping masses of water on the circuit and causing the start to be delayed by nearly an hour. Because of the conditions, the race was shortened to 75% of its original distance - from 52 to 39 laps.

The wall of Team Honda Racing supporters sitting in the main grandstand, protected against the sheets of rain in bright orange AUTOBACS anoraks, made for an impressive sight - even if a rather sodden one.

When the cars finally got underway just before 3pm, they had to endure four laps behind the Safety Car before any racing action began.

After they did get up to speed, the rooster tails the cars kicked up as they raced down the main straight at full throttle hung in the air for seconds after they had passed, creating fantastic excitement for the fans. Standing water at points all around the track was a dangerous element, and caused a number of spins in the early stages.

On the very lap the Safety Car pulled in to the pits, both the factory NISMO cars dived into their pit boxes, opting to change drivers. Under shortened race rules, one pilot is allowed to drive the majority of the event, the limit on the second driver being 10% of the revised number of laps.

With no pit stop necessary for the duration of the event, the red and silver machines could concentrate on running all the way to the flag unhindered by the need for a visit back to the pits. After starting 9th, Satoshi Motoyama handed over to fellow outgoing GT500 drivers' champion Richard Lyons, the Northern Irishman bring the car back out on track in 12th.

The same strategy for the pole-sitting #38 ZENT Cerumo Supra saw the Toyota also coming in at the earliest possible opportunity..

With the #38 car in, the #37 Open Interface TOM'S Supra took over the lead, being chased hard by Ralph Firman in the dayglo orange Team Honda Racing NSX. Leading the drivers' points standings coming into this event, Ralph Firman was pushing hard, having moved up form his starting position of sixth.

Meanwhile, the other serious protagonist in the drivers' title, James Courtney made a massive leap from 13th to 9th on his first lap. He would gain another position the next time around, and was up to fifth place by the sixth tour.

A most unfortunate start for two of the Honda NSXs saw the #18 Takata Dome spin on the opening lap, while the #100 Raybrig machine fell victim to soaked electrics, retiring after only five laps.

Benoit Treluyer, a known master in heavy rain, was sublime as he blasted past car after car in the spray. By lap 8, he had jumped eleven places, running 6th just behind James Courtney in the #36 TOM'S Supra. Their battle was one of the most entertaining of the afternoon, both drivers not giving an inch, and setting lap times that must have embarrassed some of the other drivers.

The TEAM TOM'S driver would continue his charge throughout the afternoon, moving up to third by lap 15. He then set his sights on the #8 ARTA NSX of Firman, lapping as much as three seconds quicker than the Honda pilot. The pair's battle was a display of raw talent in the very heavy rain, but was hampered by a Safety Car period that lasted an agonizing five laps before their duel once again got underway.

There was a flurry of activity as soon as the SC left the track, with half a dozen drivers opting to come in at once. Among them was the #39 DENSO SARD SUPRA GT of Andre Couto, the Portuguese charger having moved up from 16th to 6th place in the first 20 laps.

Back at the head of the field, Courtney made a deft pass on the #8 ARTA NSX on lap 21, inheriting the lead as the sister TOM'S entry of Sakon Yamamoto made its mandatory pitstop. On the following lap, the Honda came in, setting the scene for the second battle of the afternoon between Courtney and Treluyer. Also moving up, Richard Lyons had taken eighth by the Safety Car period, and was fifth on lap 22.

GT300 was equally fraught, the pole-sitting #31 Kicchouhozan MR-S falling down the order at the start, to run 12th by the time the Safety Car made its appearance. Gaining considerably was the aptly-named #11 Jim Gainer Ferrari Dunlop, the red machine jumping into the lead of the class from eighth at the start. The driver pair of Tetsuya Tanaka and Paulo Montin had a perfectly-planned run, and finished victorious some 25 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals, the #0 EBBRO M-TEC NSX. The #86 JLOC Murcie RG-1 made its SUPER GT debut this weekend, and ran as high as second in class early on, only to drop back in the latter stages, finishing 11th. Its sister machine was one of the few retirements of the day, crashing heavily at one-third distance.
The #43 ARTA Garaiya was also strong, and put on an intense battle for position with the equally quick #0 EBBRO M-TEC NSX. With both machines laden with 100kgs of success ballast, it was testament to the drivers' skill that the cars stayed on track at all!

However, the real winners in the category were the Kota Sasaki/Tetsuya Yamano pairing in the #30 Team RECKLESS MR-S. Their third-place finish was enough to secure them the crown in both the drivers' and teams' titles. Finishing with 93 points, they ended the season 12 ahead of the second-placed crew, Tetsuya Kurosawa and Shinya Hosokawa in the #0 EBBRO M-TEC NSX. The position also secured them second in the teams' title. It was a long way to third place in both titles, the #43 ARTA Garaiya some 19 points adrift of the victors on 74 points.

Back in GT500, the battle for the lead raged on between James Courtney in the #36 Open Interface TOM'S Supra and Benoit Treluyer in the #12 CALSONIC IMPUL Z. The pair set times seconds quicker than their rivals - all except for one, Ronnie Quintarelli in the #39 DENSO SARD SUPRA GT. After losing out in the pitstops, the Italian was blindingly quick in the pouring rain, setting the fastest lap of the race on the 27th tour - his eighth lap out on track.

After having made their pitstop on the first racing lap of the event, the #38 ZENT Cerumo Supra initially dropped well down the order. By two-thirds distance however, the car was up to third place; and was now in a position to challenge the pair ahead, neither of which had made their stops.

In terms of the drivers' championship, the #8 ARTA NSX was dealt a cruel blow when it was served a drive-through penalty ten laps from the flag for earlier contact with another car. This effectively ruined any chance the Firman/Ito pair had of battling for the title.

Back at the front, the lead pair continued to set the pace, with Courtney steadily opening up a gap on Treluyer. It was a case of sitting and waiting for the inevitable, the #38 car biding its time, knowing the lead would soon be upon it.

Showing that an ultra-early pitstop made the most sense strategy-wise, both the factory NISMO entries were now in the top six, and one was gaining on the #38. Taking 5th on lap 22, Lyons then muscled his way to fourth place on lap 29, reaching third place three laps later.

With only eight laps to go, Treluyer made his stop, handing the car over to driver partner Yuji Ide. After such a high-impact accident the previous day, Ide put in a remarkably strong drive, even making up one position from his starting spot of tenth, to finish with two valuable points for the TEAM IMPUL squad.

Running as long as the rules allowed, James Courtney made his stop on lap 35 of 39. His driver partner Takeshi Tsuchiya came out on track in fourth place, dropping one position to the hard-charging Toshihiro Kaneishi in the #3 G'ZOX Hasemi Z after a side-by-side fight that lasted a couple of very exciting laps. Ahead of this pair, Richard Lyons, now in second place, was closing in on Yuji Tachikawa.

All this activity meant the #6 ESSO Ultraflo Supra, another of the early-stoppers, was now in third place behind the #38 ZENT Cerumo Supra (leading) and the #1 Xanavi NISMO Z. From a 12th place start, Lyons' determined climb throughout the entire race had put him within sight of the leader.

The 2004 GT500 drivers' champion put in a gallant fight to get past the #38 car in the last couple of laps, but basically ran out of road as the flag dropped before he could get past. It meant the battle for the lead went right to the flag, Lyons getting within seven tenths of the Toyota on the last lap.

Victorious then, the pole-sitting #38 ZENT Cerumo Supra took the laurels in both in the race and the drivers' title with 67 points. Lyons' run to second place in the race netted the #1 Xanavi NISMO Z equal third with James Courtney and Takeshi Tsuchiya in the #36 TOM'S entry (on 60 points); while the #8 ARTA NSX's non point-scoring run to 12th was still enough to secure second in the drivers' title with 61 points. The #22 Motul Pitwork Z ended the season with 57 points for fourth place.

In the Teams' Title, NISMO were once again victorious, taking 86 points overall. Team Honda Racing were second, only four points back; with TEAM TOM'S netting third place, with 73.

The final round of the 2005 AUTOBACS SUPER GT has made for a memorable end to an extremely exciting season; and one that won't soon be forgotten. Next year's SUPER GT begins where it left off (so to speak), as the opening round takes place over the March 18-19 weekend, right here at Suzuka Circuit.

Yuji Tachikawa - #38 ZENT Cerumo Supra / GT500 class winner
"It is fantastic to have reached all our goals for this weekend - and for the championship. After scoring pole yesterday, we knew there was a chance of victory in the drivers' title - though it was a slim chance. We had to work very hard for this win today, it wasn't easy. The team put together the perfect strategy and we were able to come out on top. Looking ahead to next season, we'll be starting the year in the best possible position. I'm very much looking forward to it."

GT500 Class Podium

Paulo Montin - #11 Jim Gainer Ferrari Dunlop / GT300 class winner
"Yes, today was a very hard run for us - but we have been strong all weekend and I knew we could get this victory if everything went according to plan. The car has been working fantastically and I feel this is a well-deserved win. It's a great feeling to come across the line first - even better that we had a good gap over the next guys."

GT300 Class Podium

GT500 Class Driver Champion
Yuji Tachikawa / Toranosuke Takagi

GT300 Class Driver Champion
Kota Sasaki / Tetsuya Yamano