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Race Report
2015.03.26
Much harder, much more dramatic! 2015 season opener at Okayama (4/4-5) is approaching with increase excitement!!

Much harder, much more dramatic!  2015 season opener at Okayama (4/4-5) is approaching with increase excitement!!の画像

GT500 machines will go head-to-head at full from the season opener

Last year saw a complete refresh in car lineup in GT500 class with all makers introducing new models due to unification of the technical regulation with DTM, a popular racing series of Germany. Under such circumstances, the level of perfection of the cars had played a decisive role in some of the battles, or even the race, in the earlier rounds of last year, and, therefore, it’s difficult to say that all cars were fully exerting their potential. That can’t be an excuse for the loser, of course, since machine development is also a part of SUEPR GT’s competition.

However, this season is the second year. Manufacturers and teams must have put all the effort in improvement/maturation as soon as the final round ended last year and ran the car thoroughly in long mileage in the off-season, therefore, the upcoming season opener at Okayama must be the place where the real potential of the current machines will be exerted.

Last year, Nissan GT-R was able to carry out the season dominantly with the advantages of its engine working effectively and with the margin it had in the aerodynamics performance over the rivals, and, as a result, MOTUL AUTECH GT-R clinched the title. The fleet will aim for consecutive title this season with a normal evolution of the car. As a matter of fact, the upswing momentum was already seen in the fleet as No.24 D'station ADVAN GT-R (Daiki Sasaki / Lucas Ordonez) marking the fastest lap time and defending champion No.1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli) also recording the top time of a session at the official test in Okayama in March.

Lexus RC F squad, however, seems to be filling up the gap quickly. Considering that Lexus cars were marking comparable lap times as the GT-R fleet at the Okayama test and that No.37 KeePer TOM'S RC F (Andrea Caldarelli / Ryo Hirakawa) and No.38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Yuji Tachikawa / Hiroaki Ishiura) were one and two in the overall result of two days at the following auto-maker’s testing at Fuji, it is very possible to see the squad competing strong in Okayama.

NSX CONCEPT-GT fleet was also demonstrating positive outlook as new team No.15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT (Takashi Kogure / Oliver Turvey), led by former GT500 champion and team manager Ryo Michigami, and No.100 RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT (Naoki Yamamoto / Takuya Izawa) marking impressive lap times at the Okayama test, and the unit may well be showing performances that would offset the struggles they suffered last year at the technical circuit of Okayama, a track where the mid-engined NSX CONCEPT-GT favors. Third finish by No.64 Epson NSX CONCEPT-GT (Daisuke Nakajima / Bertrand Baguette) at the Fuji test raises the expectation even more.

 

 

Eyes must be kept on F1 level foreign drivers, up-and-coming youngsters, and new drivers

The eyes are already on the two foreign drivers who are participating in SUPER GT for the first time in their career this season. First driver is Heikki Kovalainen (partnering with Kohei Hirate) of No.39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F. Kovalainen has a career win in F1 during his years with McLaren and his ability as a driver is unquestionable. Oliver Turvey of Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT also has an experience of driving a Formula One car as a test driver when he participated in a test of Honda’s current F1 engine development program. It is uncertain whether these drivers can exert their ability fully right away since SUPER GT has different difficulty than F1, but their presence certainly adds excitement to the series in a great deal. Speaking of eye-catching figures, Tomoki Nojiri (No.8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT, partnering with Kosuke Matsuura), a GT500 rookie who captured a win in the Super Formula last year despite the year being his first year of participation in the series, and Ryo Hirakawa, who secured a regular seat for the first time, are also noteworthy this season. Hirakawa marked the overall top time at the Fuji test held recently. With the two rookies along with second-year GT500 driver Daiki Sasaki (No.24 D'station ADVAN GT-R), the hope is high for the young drivers to make a leap this season.

Injury suffered on his finger during the off-season spread a concern that he may miss the season opener, but Joao Paulo de Oliveira (partnering with Hironobu Yasuda) of No.12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R returned to action at the Fuji test the other day. Considering he had marked a fastest time of session during the test, he sure can be a strong candidate for the victory at Okayama.

There are many more points to watch in the season opener at Okayama, of course, including the competition between Satoshi Motoyama (No.46 S Road MOLA GT-R, partnering with Masataka Yanagida), who has been saying openly that he will retake the most wins record this season, and Yuji Tachikawa (No.38 ZENT CERUMO RC F), the current holder of the most wins and most pole-positions records, as well as the battle against champion MOTUL AUTECH GT-R by the likes of Naoki Yamamoto / Takuya Izawa, who have returned to No.100 RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT after gaining more experience, and Daisuke Ito and James Rossiter of No.36 PETRONAS TOM’S RC F, two drivers who missed the title at the final round last year. Opening round looks to be a sure provider of many thrills and excitements to the fans.

 

 

 

 

Heat gets hotter in GT300 as more cars and new machines are participating

The first headline to point out in GT300 class would be the increase in the number of participating cars. There were 24 cars that entered the series and actually ran last year (2 cars had entered as out of the championship at the Thai round). At this year’s opening round in Okayama the number of anticipated entrant counts up to surprising 28. The number of car models has also increased to 14 from 11 in 2014. For this reason, a variety of battles and even tighter and thrilling competition can be expected to be seen in GT300.

Looking into the competition this season, it is noteworthy that 2014 champion No.0 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU SLS (Nobuteru Taniguchi / Tatsuya Kataoka), which is predicted to be the center of competition, has purposely changed their car. They are fielding the same Mercedes Benz SLS as their archrival that the team battled against until the very end of last year, No.11 GAINER TANAX SLS (Katsuyuki Hiranaka / Bjorn Wirdheim). As a matter of fact, there are teams other than No.0 that have switched the car to SLS and a total of six SLS will be competing in the series this season. The quickness of No.11 car is prominent as No.11 car marking the overall best time of the 2-day official test at Okayama. On the other hand, last year’s Okayama winner No.0 car was focusing the work on the car setup and tire selection at the Okayama test and, thus, ended the test days at ninth and tenth. Nevertheless, the title contention of this season is most likely to evolve around the head-to-head battle between No.0 and No.11 cars once again, but it won’t be surprising to see other SLS joining this battle.

Obviously, SLS is not the only car competing in the season opener in Okayama nor the whole season. Talks in the paddock tells that this season’s model of Nissan GT-R GT3 has further improved its performance. Among the squad, No.3 B-MAX NDDP GT-R (Kazuki Hoshino / Mitsunori Takaboshi) at the core of the squad, could be seen engaged in the middle of title contention. The eye should also be kept on the momentum which SUPER GT rookie Takaboshi could bring in to the team. Another GT-R user No.10 GAINER TANAX GT-R (Andre Couto / Katsumasa Chiyo) was second fastest in a session at the Okayama test. The team has enhanced its overall competitiveness by restructuring its organization and seen as a strong contender as No.11 Hiranaka put it, “Our rival could be No.10 car.” From the Okayama test, Audi R8 fielded by No.21 Audi R8 LMS ultra (Richard Lyons / Tomonobu Fujii) and the pole sitter of last year’s Okayama race No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT (Koki Saga / Yuichi Nakayama) were also marking fairly good lap times, and, thus, can be expected as well.

 

 

The team that may become a dark horse is No.77 KSF Direction Ferrari 458. Being the first Ferrari to be competing in the series in a while is, indeed, newsworthy, but the fact that the driver lineup of the team is 2013 champion duo of Naoki Yokomizo and Kyosuke Mineo is also important. They frequently marked lap times in top positions at the tests in Okayama and Fuji, and they may become a key player in lifting the excitement at Okayama.

New models should not be forgotten either. Three Toyota 86 built based on the GT300 mother-chassis are participating in the series including No.25 VivaC 86 MC (Takeshi Tsuchiya / Takamitsu Matsui). In addition, No.2 SYNTIUM Apple LOTUS (Kazuho Takahashi / Hiroki Katoh), another GT300 mother-chassis car but with a mid-engined layout, is interesting to watch in terms of the race, of course, but also as a car. Lexus RC F fielded by No.60 SYNTIUM LMcorsa RC F GT3 (Akira Iida / Hiroki Yoshimoto) is making a debut this season as another domestic FIA GT3 car after GT-R. This is another promising provider of excitement.

Other than above, second finisher of last year’s Okayama round, No.7 Studie BMW Z4 (Jorg Muller / Seiji Ara), as well as No.55 ARTA CR-Z GT (Shinichi Takagi / Takashi Kobayashi) with one win last year should continue to show their quickness in Okayama as all the components of both teams remained the same as last season. No.61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi / Hideki Yamauchi), which changed the tire supplier to Dunlop and invited in Hideki Yamauchi, a driver known for his speed, and No.88 MANEPA LAMBORGHINI GT3 (Manabu Orido / Kazuki Hiramine), with talented young driver Kazuki Hiramine joining the driver lineup, are another teams to watch.

 

  

 

 

The competition in 2015 season is expected to be much harder than last year in both GT500 and GT300. The season kicks off on April 4th and 5th at the venue of Okayama International Circuit. Intense and dramatic race will be showcased on the track while fun and enjoyable events will be held around the circuit. Please come and see at Okayama International Circuit during the first weekend of April. If you cannot make it to the circuit unfortunately, then you can still catch the action fully via the broadcast on J SPORTS, “SUPER GT+” on TV Tokyo, or this website.

 

 

*Photos are from Okayama test (3/14 -15)

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