2010 Round8>Race Review

2010 SUPER GT Round8

Race

2010-10-24

PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 is the race winner
 Weider HSV-010 takes the season title by finishing 2nd !

The MOTEGI GT 250 km RACE, Round 8 of the 2010 AUTOBACS SUPER GT, took place at the Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi Pref.) on Oct. 24. The GT500 class race was won by the No. 1 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 driven by Juichi Wakisaka and Andre Lotterer. The GT300 class victory went to the No. 3 TOMICA Z driven by Kazuki Hoshino and Masataka Yanagida.
The 2010 Driver series title for the GT500 class was won by Takashi Kogure and Loic Duval (Weider HSV-010), who finished 2nd in this race. In the GT300 class, the season Driver title was claimed by the Hoshino/Yanagida pair.

GT500 Class


It was the winner of this race, Juichi Wakisaka of the No.1 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 team, and the 2nd place finisher and season title winner Takashi Kogure of the No.18 Weider HSV-010 team who thrilled the fans gathered here at Motegi for this final contest of the 2010 season with the memorable battle they staged over the second half of the race.
As the second stint drivers for their respective teams, these two ace drivers were pitted against each other is a tense, close-fought battle that kept the spectators on the edge of their seats right down to the closing seconds. Although 2nd place was all he needed to clinch the season title, Kogure never let up the pressure as he stalked Wakisaka, waiting for his chance to steal the lead. As for Wakisaka, he fought a fair fight throughout, even though the two machines bumped each other at times in the heat of the competition. It was truly a showdown that will live on in the annals of GT history as a clash of the competitive spirit of two titans of the race arena.


No.17 KEIHIN HSV-010 The race began exactly at 14:00 under cloudy skies. The cars went into the first corner roughly in their grid order with pole-sitter Loic Duval leading in car No. 18. That changed on lap three when the No. 6 ENEOS SC430 (Bjorn Wirdheim) running in 2nd place was given a 20-second penalty stop. Wirdheim had gone through a red light at the exit to the pit road while heading to the grid before the start of the race.
This all but eliminated the title chances of the 2nd ranked No. 6 team and appeared to take considerable pressure of No.18 all at once. However, Andre Lotterer in the No. 1 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 had other ideas as he charged hard in pursuit of the leader. Lotterer had passed the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda) on the opening lap, and with the penalty on No. 6 he stood in 3rd position. On lap 14 he dispatched the No. 17 KEIHIN HSV-010 (Toshihiro Kaneishi) and headed off in pursuit of No. 18. On the first corner of lap 19 Lotterer (No. 1) made a move on No. 18 (Duval). Without making any undue effort to block Lotterer's path, Duval let the No. 1 car past and into the lead.

Car No. 1 was the first of the two to make its pit stop, with Duval bringing his car No. 18 into the pit a lap later. The No. 1 team was about two seconds faster in its pit work, which meant that the two machines returned to the track with No. 1 in the lead and Juichi Wakisaka at the wheel. Meanwhile, Takashi Kogure took the wheel of car No.18.
By the time all of the cars had finished their pit stops and returned to the track, No.1 (Wakisaka) was in the lead with No. 18 (Kogure) once again in 2nd place. From this point began the most memorable battle of the 2010 season. On the first corner of lap 36, Kogure in car No. 18 moved up on the outside and pulled alongside Wakisaka (No. 1) and stayed there through the second corner and headed toward the third corner. The two machines bumped each other lightly as they ran side-by-side, but they kept the fight fair with neither trying to push the other off the track. Eventually, Wakisaka in car No. 1 emerged the winner of this skirmish but Kogure (No. 18) remained undaunted as he continued to stalk the leader. The close-fought skirmishes continued this way right down to the final lap. Coming out of the last turn of that final lap Kogure (No.18) made one last attempt to pass car No.1 but Wakisaka held him off to take the checkered and the win. For the No.1 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 team (Juichi Wakisaka/Andre Lotterer), it was their first win of the season.


No.18 Weider HSV-010 By finishing 2nd the No. 18 Weider HSV-010 team (Takashi Kogure/Loic Duval) were able to defend their lead in the season's ranking and win the Driver title. Also, the Team title went to the Weider Honda Racing team.
Finishing 3rd in the race was the No. 17 KEIHIN HSV-010 (Toshihiro Kaneishi/Koudai Tsukakoshi), which has started the race on the 3rd grid position. This team's strategy had been to save time in the pit by changing only the two rear tires in order to catch the two lead machines, but the gap was too great.
Fourth place went to the No. 35 MJ KRAFT SC430 (Hiroaki Ishiura/Kazuya Oshima) while the No. 12 CALSONICIMPUL GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda/Ronnie Quintarell) became the first of the GT-R finishers in 5th place.



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TOMICA Z takes the season title with a win at Motegi
 Lamborghini and Ferrari slug it out for 3rd

GT300 Class


In the GT300 race, the pole-starting No. 3 TOMICA Z (Kazuki Hoshino/Masataka Yanagida) took its first victory of the season without actually giving up the lead once in the race. With this win Hoshino and Yanagida claimed the 2010 GT300 Driver title for themselves. The Hasemi Motor Sports team also won the Team title.


No.86 JLOC Lamborghini RG-3
 During the formation lap before the start of the race, the No. 9 HATSUNEMIKU X GSR PORSCHE (Taku Bamba) spun out and had to give up its 2nd position on the class starting grid. The start itself saw no big upsets in the order, but on the third corner the No. 74 COROLLA Axio apr GT (Takuto Iguchi) ran off the track and fell far back in the pack. Next, the No. 43 ARTA Garaiya (Morio Nitta) began to fall off the pace and lose ground steadily. Also, the No. 86 JLOC Lamborghini RG-3 (Yuhi Sekiguchi) which had started the race from 2nd position on the grid was slowed by a heavy load of fuel and ended up holding back the machines behind it.
This took the pressure off Hoshino in the pole-starting car No. 3 and enabled him to build up a more than 10-second lead by the 10th lap of the race. The close dogfight for 2nd place between the cars behind fell to an even slower pace as the GT500 leaders caught and passed them. The resulting string of GT300 cars caught behind 2nd place allowed No. 3 (Hoshino) to run away in the lead.

Hoshino brought his car No. 3 in for the routine pit stop on the 29th lap. Before the start, the team had been considering a no-tire-change strategy, but with a margin of lead this big, they were able to change all four tires and send their second-stint driver, Masataka Yanagida, back onto the track in about 30 seconds. At this point, many teams had not yet made their pit stops, but when all had finished their pit stops by lap 35, No. 3 was in the lead again with a considerable margin.
By the time the GT500 class had finished the race on their 53rd lap, the GT300 class was finishing on its 49th lap. For the No. 3 TOMICA Z team (Kazuki Hoshino/Masataka Yanagida) this was their first win of the season.

No.2 Apple·K-one·Shiden In 2nd came the No. 2 Apple·K-one·Shiden (Hiroki Katoh/Hiroshi Hamaguchi). Katoh had started the race from 8th position on the grid and had steadily made progress up through the order as other rival dropped back. During their pit stop, they elected to forego the tire change in order to save time and give second-stint driver Hamaguchi a margin of safety over his pursuers. This gave the No. 2 team its third podium finish of the season, following a 2nd place in round two at Okayama and a win at Sugo in round five.
Finishing 3rd came the No. 86 JLOC Lamborghini RG-3 (Koji Yamanishi/Yuhi Sekiguchi). Because of its poor fuel efficiency, the Lamborghini had been carrying a heavy load of fuel from the start hindered Sekiguchi's pace in the early going. Nonetheless, he managed to hold on to 2nd position. In the second half of the race, Yamanishi won a fierce battle with the No.11 JIMGAINER DIXCEL DUNLOP F430 (Tetsuya Tanaka/Katsuyuki Hiranaka) to give the team their first podium finish of the season.

The ranking leader going into this round, the No. 43 ARTA Garaiya (Morio Nitta/Shinichi Takagi), was unable to push the pace even after changing drivers to Takagi for the second stint. Furthermore a collision with another machine caused No. 43 to finish out of the points in 12th place and drop to 2nd place in the season ranking. The 2nd ranked team going into this race, the No. 7 M7 MUTIARA MOTORS AMEMIYA SGC 7 (Nobuteru Taniguchi/Ryo Orime), suffered a similar fate by dropping two positions, from 6th to 8th during the race and thus slipping down to 3rd place in the ranking.



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Juichi Wakisaka / Andre Lotterer ,  Kazuki Hoshino / Masataka Yanagida

GT500 Class Winner

No.1 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430

Juichi Wakisaka
During the tire test at Motegi, we had been able to work on the direction of the settings and decide on our tires, so we came into this round in the best possible condition. But, during the Saturday practice Lotterer ran off the track and we ended up at the bottom in that session. Still, the team motivation was high and the machine got faster with every run. In the qualifying Lotterer pushed a little too hard and ended up in that position, but the machine itself felt very good. As for the battle with Kogure during my stint in the race today, if it were me in his shoes knowing that I only had to finish 2nd to win the title, I think I would have stayed in 2nd and not push as hard as he did. But, he was determined to take the title with a win here today and he put up a tremendous fight to try to do that. I thought that was fantastic, and it made me feel that I have to push myself in the challenge that way, too. For me, this was my 101st GT race and I entered it with renewed spirit. I decided I should try to drive more aggressively like I did when I was younger and please the fans like I did back then. There are times when you give it your all but still don't get a good result, but I am grateful to the god of racing for days like today when it all comes together.
Andre Lotterer
I got a good start in the race today and was able to enjoy my run. At first I thought the Honda teams were fast, but they gradually began to slow down until I was able to pass No. 17 and No. 18. So, I think I did my job out there. During the second half Juichi ran tough. Watching the last two laps gave me a few more gray hairs, I think. I felt glad to be able to win here in the last race of the season. I want to thank my teammate and everyone on the team.
GT300 Class Winner

No.3 TOMICA Z

Kazuki Hoshino
In yesterday's qualifying, Yanagida ran with a divine hand to win us a fabulous pole position. As the starting driver today, that was the greatest present I could possibly receive. So, as I drove today I was thinking about building up the biggest margin of lead that I could during my stint. From the beginning I pushed hard on every turn in every lap and kept concentrating. Since there was the possibility of running the race without a tire change, I tried to spare the tires as much as possible, too. I am glad that I was able to return to the pit with a fairly good margin of lead. Yanagida is the type of driver who always does his best to pass the cars in front of him and improve our place, so I was sure that he was going to go out and win this race for us today. As the race was drawing to a close, I began remembering all the things we have been through this season and some tears welled up in my eyes.
Masataka Yanagida
With the big margin of lead I received, this was the easiest race of the season for me. Hoshino gave 100% out there today. He was racing all out the whole way like his father (Kazuyoshi Hoshino) used to do (laughs). Thanks to him, all I had to do today was go out there and drive steadily. In the last stages of the race I was even able to enjoy getting a first-hand look at the battle for the lead in the GT500 class (laughs). Near the end of the race I had enough of a lead and knew that we were on course to win the title, so I drove carefully to make sure nothing unexpected happened. I told myself that I had to concentrate, but a lot of thoughts kept running through my head. That's how easy it was out there today.

2010 SUPER GT CHAMPION
GT500 Class | Driver Title Winner

No.18 Weider HSV-010

Takashi Kogure
After joining the DOME team in 2005, I was given several chances to win the title but wasn't able to do it. This season I was able to drive as a pair with Loic who has been both a teammate and rival for me in Formula Nippon racing as well. It has been stimulating in a number of ways to be able to drive with him again here in the SUPER GT. I think it has affected me both in terms of my driving and the feeling of stability. I want to thank our team and Honda for preparing the machine so well for each race, regardless of whether we were carrying a small or large load of handicap weights. I think everything came together like clockwork this season. There were some tense moments out there [in the battle with car No. 1] and our machine had the ability to pass them if the conditions had been right, so I wanted to take the challenge to them. There is a big difference in value between finishing 1st and 2nd. But the team kept telling me not to take any unnecessary risks. We bumped each other a number of times, and I was beginning to look back over my race career out there today (grimacing laugh). Besides that, I wasn't really pushing as hard as everyone seems to think. The HSV-010 GT was a great machine in every race. I am full of gratitude for everyone on the Honda team.
Loic Duval
I feel great right now, but I also feel a bit empty now that the tension of the competition is over. For me this year it was a new team, a new car and a new teammate and there was the pressure of having the single goal of winning the title. But I knew Kogure from having teamed with him before in Formula Nippon, so I thought I might be able to live up to everyone's expectations. I am glad that we made it through some tough races to win this title, and it has been a season that I feel has brought progress for me. You ask what I thought watching Kogure-san's battle out there today? I think it was a great race for the fans and I was so excited watching it that I thought my heart would stop (laughs). The HSV-010 GT is a car that was easy to drive from the beginning. I am full of gratitude for Honda and for the team for preparing such a fantastic car for us.
GT500 Class | Team Title Winner

No.18 Weider Honda Racing

Manager Takuya Nakamura
To tell the truth I am feeling quite relieved right now. Because this year Honda gave us a new machine and we had two of the best drivers in Japan, so I felt that there would be no excuse for not winning the title. Having been able to start out the season with such a great machine and team, I really wanted to win this title. I felt also that the two drivers really did everything we could expect from them. Particularly after the accident in the opening round, I could feel their determination to press on and never give up despite the adversity. I also think it is great that Honda was able to build us such a fantastic machine. Thanks to the efforts of the NSX Project Leader Shirai and Project Leader Taki who is heading the development now, and everyone else on the Honda team we were able to run this great machine in the SUPER GT. It is a great race machine and I am full of gratitude all Honda has done.
GT300 Class | Driver Title Winner

No.3 TOMICA Z

Kazuki Hoshino
When I changed teams this year I didn't expect to be able to race under Manager Hasemi, so it was a surprise for me. That is how the season started. Knowing that Manager Hasemi was watching me, I had the feeling that I had concentrate 100% on every lap, every turn, on the out-laps and the in-laps. I believe that is why I was able too race well. This season I made a number of mistakes in our tests and in qualifying, and every time [Manager Hasemi] gave me advice that helped me progress as a driver. I went into the race today with determination not to give up as long as there was a chance and to do everything possible to win our race without worrying about what our rivals were doing. With five laps remaining when I realized that we could win the title I got emotional and had to hold back the tears.
Masataka Yanagida
This year the team was competing in GT300 for the first time in a while and we drivers made it our goal to run to the best of our ability in every race and win points so that in the end we could win the title. For that reason there were times early in the season when we had to bear defeat, and as the machine's performance improved mid-season we were in a position where we became contenders for the title. Although we weren't able to get wins, we were determined to work together as a team and not give up until the end. I am glad that we were able to realize our goal by winning this title. As I was driving I heard that there was a possibility that we could win the title, so I was determined to keep running as I was. As I watched Hoshino-san run away from the pack form the start, Hasemi-san was smiling and we were saying that everything was going perfectly. After leaving the pit for my stint, I felt that things were easy out there. I even felt bad that winning the championship could be this easy.
GT300 Class | Team Title Winner

No.3 HASEMI MOTOR SPORT

Manager Masahiro Hasemi
Yesterday we won the pole position, but at that point I still had no idea that we might win the title. There was a considerable point gap and I thought our chances were slim. When it was decided suddenly last December that we would be competing in GT300, my experience for years had been in GT500, so I had to start studying GT300 class competition virtually from square one. I really had no idea how to compete in this class. I watched and took things as they came in the first two rounds and was competing with the machine basically just as we had received it. One positive factor, however, was that both our drivers knew the GT300 Z machine well. We began working on improving the machine from round three and things got better. It wasn't really that competitive (compared to the other machines in the class), so from the beginning of the season I told the drivers that we would just try to get as many points as we could in each race so that we would be in position to shoot for the title at the end of the season. The drivers made a few mistakes during qualifying at times, but in the races they produced 100% and never made a mistake. They both understood my policy and the team's and performed as we hoped they would. I want to say that they are the best drivers in the GT300 class
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