No.17 Astemo HRC PRELUDE-GT

“With the race having just concluded, the feeling hasn’t fully sunk in yet, and I am at a loss for words regarding this victory—my first in four years. However, I am truly overjoyed. We have built so many things into the No. 17 car (PRELUDE-GT), and being able to translate that into a winning result is deeply rewarding. I am very grateful to our team and sponsors for their unwavering support.”

” (Congratulations on your first victory.) Thank you very much. I was hoping to overtake the leading Car No. 64 during my first-half stint, but the car was really fast. I also had to manage my tires, which made things pretty tough toward the end of that stint. Even though the safety car came out, I managed to hand the car over to Tsukakoshi-san in good shape for the second half.”

No.60 Syntium LMcorsa LC500 GT

“We executed a truly flawless race. However, I hadn’t anticipated that the No. 56 car would opt for a no-tire-change strategy. When they emerged ahead of us after the pit stops, I felt a brief moment of anxiety, thinking it would be a tough battle ahead. Ultimately, we secured a pole-to-finish victory. Thanks to Kohno’s incredible pace in the second half—including setting the fastest lap—we capped off a perfect race weekend. Thank you all very much.”

“After suffering disappointing results at Suzuka—the previous round—in both last year’s and this year’s seasons, I arrived here determined to win at SUGO, a track where I feel strong just as much as I do at Suzuka. Like the other teams, we struggled with tire wear during the race and had to manage them carefully. Despite that challenge, the No. 56 car managed to get ahead of us by opting not to change tires. However, I had better pace, so I kept pushing and managed to take the win. I think we ran a fantastic race, and the pit crew did a great job as well. It turned out to be a truly wonderful weekend. Thank you very much for your support.”