2017.12.03

Surprise Announcement of Button's Full SUPER GT Entry Next Season! Topics abound at the "Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2017"

This year’s version of the annual Honda fan appreciation event, the “Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2017” was held under fair skies at Twin Ring Motegi on December 3rd. The event had a full and varied schedule befitting a maker like Honda, with its broad-reaching motorsport participation that includes not only 4-wheelers but 2-wheeler competition from road racing to Trial riding and motocross. In addition to the NSX-GT machines and drivers that won two rounds of this season’s SUPER GT series, there were special appearances by McLaren-Honda’s Jenson Button, who made a spot entry as third drivers for the No. 16 MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT at rounds six at Suzuka and his F1 teammate Stoffel Vandoorne, as well as this season’s MotoGP (motorcycle road race world championship) champion title winner Marc Marquez. All this made it a truly exciting day for the 24,000 Honda fans that came out for the event at Motegi.

 

For the popular SUPER GT event program, many fans gather for the talk shows featuring invited team managers and the autograph events attended by drivers. There was also and exhibition race put on by the five NSX-GT cars that participated in this year’s series, plus one development car for a total of six machines, and the fans also thrilled to the “Honda Racing Dream Kart Cup” competed by the GT drivers plus the F1 drivers Button and Vandoorne.

Honda Racing THANKS Ceremony
At the “Honda Racing THANKS Ceremony” to show appreciation to the fans for a year of support, Honda Racing drivers, managers and motorcycle riders appeared one after another, beginning with MotoGP champion for the second straight year, Marc Marquez, and the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500, Takuma Sato. Each was greeted with a handshake on stage from Honda’s President and Representative Director Takahiro Hachigo. After all the guests were welcomed on stage, President Hachigo gave a speech of thanks to the gathered audience. This was followed by greetings from Marquez, representing the Honda motorcycle race stars, and 4-wheeler driver representative Sato.

 

　

Honda Racing Dream Kart Cup
Featuring an all-star cast of Honda drivers is the annual “Honda Racing Dream Kart Cup” race event. This year, the event was divided into two divisions, the first for motorcycle riders and the second for 4-wheel drivers. In the race that featured mainly the SUPER GT drivers, the F1 drivers Button and Vandoorne and Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato also took part. The star-studded roster of 18 drivers were paired as teams by lottery to race the nine cars on hand.
 

First, nine of the drivers chosen by lottery ran 5-minute of timed qualifying laps. The fastest time was recorded by Kosuke Matsuura (No. 64 Epson Modulo NSX-GT), who was teamed with Pierre Gasly, while the next fastest times filling out the top three grid positions were scored by Button, who was partnered with Daisuke Nakajima (No. 16 MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT) and WTCC competitor Norbert Michelisz, who was teamed with Bertrand Baguette (No. 64 Epson Modulo NSX-GT).
 

The ensuing race was run over 12 laps with one required driver change, although the timing of the changes was left up to the teams. At the start there were some who were able to jump up in position, and some close battles developed, some of which got a bit rough with cars forcing each other off the track, and meanwhile there were some behind moving up fast through the group. The winner of this hard-fought race was Koudai Tsukakoshi (No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT), who teamed as a SUPER GT pair with Ryo Michigami, who drove this year in the SUPER GT series while also competing the full season in WTCC. Finishing 2nd came the team of Michelisz and Baguette.
 

 

Manager Talk Show and Manager/Driver Autograph Session
The “Honda Racing Manager Talk Show held on a specially built stage featured four guest managers Aguri Suzuki (No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT), Katsutomo Kaneishi (No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT), General Manager Satoru Nakajima (No 64 Epson Modulo NSX-GT) and Kunimitsu Takahashi (No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT). At the “F1 Talk Show” held in the afternoon, there came a surprise announcement that Jenson Button will compete for Honda full-time in the GT500 class of the 2018 SUPER GT season! Although the team and sponsor for which he will be competing is still unannounced, this development is sure to bring an exciting new topic of attention as we approach next season’s opening round.
 

In the evening there was also a “Manager/Driver Autograph Session” held as final highlight of the excitement-filled day for the Honda motorsport fans.
 

 

HSV-010 GT Pit Crew Experience and Cockpit Ride Experience
At the NAKAJIMA RACING booth, the Epson HSV-010 that competed the 2013 season was used as the racing machine for the Pit Crew Experience. At this popular part of the annual program participants got to experience jacking up the machine, changing the four tires and being part of the driver change. One person each got the chance to experience jacking up the car and changing one of the two front and two rear tires, while two more people participated in the driver change as Driver A or Driver B, so that a teams of seven people competed against each for pit stop working speed. The participants first listened to a lecture on the pit work by professional racing mechanics, while professionals also assisted in the driver change, making this a very high-level experience of closely simulated actual pit work.
 

 

 

 

SUPER GT FINAL BATTLE
For many SUPER GT fans, the main event of the day was the exhibition race named the “SUPER GT FINAL BATTLE” and staged by the five NSX-GT cars that contested the 2017 SUPER GT series and one test car (No. 99). The six cars made a GT style rolling start and then raced over seven laps of the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack. Staged as a mini-SUPER GT race, it included one pit stop for a driver change and tire change. The five SUPER GT race cars, the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT, No. 16 MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT, No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT, No. 64 Epson Modulo NSX-GT and the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT were driven by their season driver pairs, while the test car No. 99 was driven by Button, who will be an official SUPER GT driver next season, and his McLaren teammate Vandoorne.
 

The starting grid was decided by a lottery held the day before, and at the actual start it was Naoki Yamamoto starting from 3rd position in the No.100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT who made the best starting dash. His start took him past Button (No. 99) and Kosuke Matsuura (No.64 Epson Modulo NSX-GT) and into the lead. After perfect pit work the No. 100 car, now driven by Takuya Izawa, made it to the goal first with lead in tact. While ranking top among the Honda cars in the 2017 SUPER GT season, it had bee a winless series for the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT, so this turned out to be a gratifying end to the season for the team at the Honda Racing THANKS DAY.
 

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