2026 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Round 5 Race, the “SUZUKA GT 300km RACE” was held on August 23rd at Suzuka Circuit (1 lap 5,807m×52 laps). The air temperature reached 34℃ to make it a hot mid-summer race, and in the heated competition in the GT500 class between the HRC PRELUDE-GT cars, the No. 16 #16 ARTA MUGEN HRC PRELUDE-GT (Tomoki Nojiri / Ren Sato) took an impressive come-from-behind win. What’s more, the HRC PRELUDE-GT cars swept the winners’ podium. In the GT300 class, the No. 9 PACIFIC UMA MUSUME NAC BMW (Yusuke Tomibayashi / Yuta Fujiwara) took a pole-to-finish win to give the drivers and the team a felicitous first win.

In the GT300 class, Fujiwara in the pole-sitting No. 9 PACIFIC UMA MUSUME NAC BMW (Yusuke Tomibayashi / Yuta Fujiwara) gets a good start to enter the first corner in the lead. Behind it comes the No. 777 D’station Vantage GT3 (Tomonobu Fujii / Charlie Fagg) that started from 2nd position on the grid but soon finds the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi / Hideki Yamauchi) running alongside it, but No. 777 manages to hold on to 2nd position. Following from there, in order come the car No. 61, the No. 60 Syntium LMcorsa LC500 GT (Hiroki Yoshimoto / Shunsuke Kohno) and the No. 18 UPGARAGE AMG GT3 (Takashi Kobayashi / Kotaro Shimbara).

On entering the 6th lap, as the first group of GT500 class began to move in behind the GT300 class, and on the 7th lap the No. 60 LC500 overtakes the No. 61 BRZ to move up into 3rd position. After this, the pace of No. 61 gradually began to slow down until car No. 18 closed in on it. Eventually, No. 18 passes it on the 13th lap and No. 61 drops to 4th position, and then in a battle with the No. 45 PONOS FERRARI 296 EVO (Takuro Shinohara / Shintaro Kawabata) a collision results and it runs off the track and comes to a stop. After this No. 61 is able to return to the race but only after losing considerable ground.

　On the 16th lap, the car No. 777 running in 2nd position made an early pit stop and changed drivers. After this the various teams began making their pit stops, and it was here that car No. 60 was able to move up to 2nd position after a routine pit stop. Then it was the No. 7 CARGUY Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Zak O’Sullivan / Kiyoshi Umegaki) that had been running in 6th position in the early stages of the race made its pit stop on the 17th lap and also succeeded in moving up to 3rd position. Following this came car No. 18 and the result was that No. 777 is dropped back to 5th position.

While there were several changes in the order of the lead group during the pit stops, on the other hand the leading car No. 9 opted for a strategy of holding off before making its pit stop. Finally, after most of the teams had finished their pit stops, it makes its pit stop on the 24th lap and changed drivers from Fujiwara to Tomibayashi. With this it managed to return to the race with its lead intact.

Following car No. 9 came car No. 60 and No. 7, as well as No. 18 and No. 777. Also, despite using the same strategy of changing only its two front tires it had used to win Rd. 4 at Fuji, the No. 52 Green Brave GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida / Seita Nonaka) had to start from 13th position on the grid and managed to move to 6th position.

As the race entered its second half, it appeared as if there would be no significant changes in the order of the lead group, but then the unexpected happened. The No. 52 car that had risen to 6th position collided with a GT500 class car at the Degner curve of the 41st lap and fell back in the order. What’s more, car No. 60 running in 2nd position developed machine trouble on the 42nd lap that caused its pace to drop suddenly and forced it to return to the pit.

What’s more, after apparently suffering tire damage and suddenly returning to its pit on the 47th lap, car No. 52 ran off the track at the 130R curve on its first lap back in the race and crashed into the barrier. Although it appeared to be a serious accident, fortunately the driver Yoshida was unharmed. However, this resulted in a Safety Car run while the car was being recovered and the barrier repaired. And it was at this point that the checkered flag was shown to end the race.

With this, the No. 9 PACIFIC UMA MUSUME NAC BMW (Yusuke Tomibayashi / Yuta Fujiwara), which had maintained its large lead over the pack succeeded in taking a pole-to-win victory. For Tomibayashi and Fujiwara and the PACIFIC RACING TEAM, it was their first SUPER GT victory.

Finishing in 2nd place came the No. 7 CARGUY Ferrari 296 GT3 (Zak O’Sullivan / Kiyoshi Umegaki), giving the team its second consecutive podium finish. In 3rd place came the No. 18 UPGARAGE AMG GT3 (Takashi Kobayashi / Kotaro Shimbara). Also, after running diligently, and thanks to some other leaders dropping away, the No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira / Iori Kimura) finished in 5th place. Also, by finishing in 4th place the No. 777 D’station Vantage GT3 (Tomonobu Fujii / Charlie Fagg) gained 1 point in the drivers standing to take the lead in it.