2016.10.09

WedsSport ADVAN RC F Gets First GT500 Win in a Perfect Race from Pole Position!

Round 7 Thailand : Race GT500 Review

The BURIRAM SUPER GT RACE, Round 7 of the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, was run at Chang International Circuit (Thailand) on the afternoon of October 9th. This third running of a SUPER GT round in Thailand was blessed with good weather and hot competition on the track. In the GT500 class race, the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F (Yuhi Sekiguchi/Yuji Kunimoto) started from pole position and ran virtually unchallenged to claim the team’s first victory in this class. In the GT300 class race, the No. 25 VivaC 86 MC (Takeshi Tsuchiya/Takamitsu Matsui) took its first win of the season running on a strategy of no tire change.

 

 

 

Following the morning free practice and the schedule of support races and Pit Walk either side of noon that kept the circuit here in Thailand alive with excitement, the start time for Round 7 of the SUPER GT series rolled around. Again this year the grandstand was filled with anticipating fans, including colorful groups cheering for their favorite teams as the racing got underway at 3:00 in the afternoon.

The start saw the pole-starting No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F (Yuhi Sekiguchi) lead the pack into the first corner, followed by the No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT (Hideki Mutoh) starting from 2nd position. From the opening lap, Sekiguchi showed the No. 19 car’s speed as he began to pull away and build his lead over the field.
Meanwhile, competition was hot in the tight scramble of machines behind the 2nd-place No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT. By the time the GT500 class leaders began to come up on the GT300 class back markers, the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Joao Paulo Lima De Oliveira) in 3rd position closed in on the No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT in 2nd place and succeeded in overtaking it on the crowded main straight of lap seven to move into 2nd. Next, it was the 7th-place starting No. 37 KeePer TOM'S RC F (James Rossiter) that had moved up to challenge the No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT. That challenge would end abruptly, however, when No. 37 was given a drive-through penalty for a collision with the No. 17 KEIHIN NSX CONCEPT-GT (Takashi Kogure) on the fifth turn of the race’s opening lap.

From around the 28th lap, the GT500 class teams began to make their pit stops. The leading No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F was finishing the 32nd lap and the preparations were made in the team’s pit for it to come in after a couple more laps, but just then the unexpected happened. Coming out of turn number 11 after the “S” turn, No. 19’s left rear tire burst. Sekiguchi, who had been feeling something strange from a little before the burst, nursed the limping car down the straight and right into the pit lane. The No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F was able to make it into the pit with no significant damage to the car. It had been a close brush with disaster. The tire change was made successfully and Yuji Kunimoto replaces Sekiguchi in the driver’s seat.

 

 

After its successful pit stop, the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F returned to the race still holding the lead. Meanwhile, the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R that had been running in 2nd place made its pit stop at the end of lap 37, but trouble occurred when the windshield film that is supposed to be peeled off along with any accumulate dirt wouldn’t come off cleanly. When De Oliveira jumped out of the car and hurriedly tried to peel the film off, the refueling operation had already begun. This action was deemed to be a violation of pit-work rules and led to the No. 12 CALSONICIMPUL GT-R suddenly being called in for a drive-through penalty on the 49th lap. This allowed the No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT (Tadasuke Makino) to reclaim 2nd position, while the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR RC F (Andrea Caldarelli) moved into 3rd position after prevailing in a battle with the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F (Heikki Kovalainen).
These three lead positions remained unchanged as the race proceeded, but behind them a fierce battle between the ranking leaders, the No. 1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (ranked 1st) and the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (ranked 2nd), had been going on since the early stages of the race. Both cars were carrying heavy loads of handicap weight but neither wanted to relinquish even one point to the other in the title race going into the final round of the series at Motegi.
However, as the No. 1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda) tried to overtake the GT300 class’ 2nd-place runner on the fifth turn of the 57th lap, the machines collided and No. 1 spun out. This caused a crash between the GT300 class No. 60 SYNTIUM LMcorsa RC F GT3 and the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Yuji Tachikawa)! This caused heavy damage to the machines of both title contenders and forced them to return to their respective pits.

 

 

As for the leading No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F, although it had allowed the 2nd-place No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT to close on it, a sufficient margin was maintained to see it to the checkered flag and victory. For the LEXUS TEAM WedsSport BANDOH and for Yuhi Sekiguchi this was a long-awaited first win in the GT500 class. For Yuji Kunimoto as well, it was his first win since the final round of the 2013 season and the second of his GT500 career. After the victory interview, there were tears of joy in the eyes of the team’s manager, Masataka Bandoh, who has continued to compete valiantly in the GT500 class for years.
Finishing 2nd was the No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT in its best finish since the team was founded, and it was also a podium finish in his debut race for the GT500 rookie Makino. Emerging from the battling pack to finish in 3rd place came was the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR RC F.

As a result of this seventh round of the series run in Thailand, the ranking leaders, the No. 1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda/Ronnie Quintarelli) were unable to add any points to their total. On the other hand, by finishing 3rd, the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR RC F (Kazuya Oshima/Andrea Caldarelli) boosted their point total to 46, which moves them to within 10 points of the No. 1 team in the standings. These two teams are followed in the standings by the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Yuji Tachikawa/Hiroaki Ishiura), No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F (Heikki Kovalainen/Kohei Hirate) and the winner of this race, the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F (Yuhi Sekiguchi/Yuji Kunimoto).

 

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