No.36 OPEN INTERFACE TOM'S SC430 First of all, let's consider the title duel in the GT500 class: The maximum number of attainable points over the final two rounds in 47. From current points' leaders Juichi Wakisaka and Andre Lotterer in the No.36 OPEN INTERFACE TOM'S SC430 to the 15th-placed machine of Masataka Yanagida (No. 24 WOODONE ADVAN KONDO Z), there is a possibility to get the title, but realistically only those within 20 points of the leaders have a chance to come to the throne.

In that regard, ninth-placed Naoki Hattori and Peter Dumbreck (No.35 BANDAI DIREZZA SC430) can raise their position to the eight pairings ahead of them, including the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL Z of Benoit Treluyer and Kazuki Hoshino, and the No.18 TAKATA DOME machine of Ryo Michigami and Takeshi Kogure. Further, with a favorably light amount of success ballast on the car, it is not inconceivable the Hattori/Dumbreck pairing could take the overall win at Autopolis.


No.100 RAYBRIG NSX On the other hand, the top five pairings of Wakisaka/Lotterer, Sebastien Philippe and Shinya Hosokawa in the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX, Yuji Tachikawa/Toranosuke Takagi (No. 1 ZENT Cerumo SC), Michael Krumm (No. 22 MOTUL AUTECH Z), and Daisuke Ito/Ralph Firman (No. 8 ARTA NSX) all stand a chance of toppling the front runners despite the amount of 'weight handi' on their cars. For these four pairings, even more important than eclipsing the rivals ahead of them is to not retire from this event, ensuring the battle goes down to the final round at Fuji.


No.22 MOTUL AUTECH Z Among those who will find it difficult to take the title is Nissan's ace number, the No.23 XANAVI NISMO Z (Satoshi Motoyama/Tsugio Matsuda) and previous winners at Autopolis, the No. 66 triple a SARD SUPRA GT of Andre Couto and Katsuyuki Hiranaka. Also sure to bet pride and aim at the win is Manabu Orido in the No.25 ECLIPSE ADVAN SUPRA. For such a team to win, the proximity of other challengers in the championship will be greatly influenced, and it's sure to be a race fans won't be able to take their eyes off of.

No.61 enable ADVAN VEMAC320R In the GT300 class, those with a shot at the title include the top-placed pairing of Shogo Mitsuyama and Nobuteru Taniguchi in the No.61 enable ADVAN VEMAC 320R, right down to the seventh-placed pairing of Masami Kageyama and Tomonobu Fujii in the No.13 ENDLESS ADVAN CCI Z. Having opened up a gap of over 20 points to the No.62 WILLCOM ADVAN VEMAC 408R (Shinsuke Shibahara), a victory here is absolutely vital for the No.62 car if the team is to keep its title hopes alive. If Tetsuya Tanaka and Takayuki Aoki (No.11 JIM GAINER FERRARI DUNLOP) or the Kageyama pairing takes victory here, the additional weight going into the final round would make for some anxiety for either group.


No.7 Amemiya AsparaDrink RX7 Noteworthy too is the gap among the top three pairings. Separated by more than ten points from their nearest rivals, the Mitsuyama group will be keeping a close eye on both Tetsuya Yamano/Hiroyuki Iiri in the No.7 Amemiya Aspara Drink RX-7, and also on Kazuho Takahashi/Hiroki Katoh in the No.2 Privee Zurich Shiden. While they can afford to have their pursuers run ahead of them here, a retirement for Mitsuyama would be a severe blow. Further, looking at the Yamano pairing, the team title hangs in the balance at this race. Currently on top, direxiv motorsport have accrued no points since their withdrawal from the series at Round 6. If the nine-point gap is turned around here, it will become a virtual checkmate.


As we approach the series' endgame for Round 8 at Autopolis, the expectations of each of the teams becomes jumbled. More than focusing only on rivals' strategies and whether a team wins or loses here, or looking ahead to the final round, how about concentrating on a deep and profound race?