2018.09.07

[Round 6 Preview] Final stage starts from here! It'll heat up even more at SUGO race.

Round 6 Sportsland Sugo : Preview

SUPER GT's annual stop at Sportsland SUGO is famed for hot battles it showcases on the track. This year, the staple event will be held as the sixth round "SUGO GT 300km RACE" on September 15th (Saturday, Qualifying) and 16th (Sunday, Race). Unlike last year, the circuit is hosting the event in the second half of the season with only three races remaining in the championship including this one. Whether fighting for the victory or a top group finish or trying to survive through the title contention, numerous elements are there for the race to heat up.

 

 

Stringent restriction has been placed on the development of GT500 car in recent years, and it is now rare to see a car gaining significant leap in competitiveness right in the middle of a season in the class. However, there is still a small chance for the leap and that is the deployment of a second engine which is usually released in the later part of the season. GT500 cars are allowed to use two engines per car during a season. In another words, teams can have one engine developed before the season for the first half and another one built based on the data collected during the season for the second half. LEXUS LC500 and Honda NSX-GT teams have already deployed their engine for the second half of the season at the previous race in Fuji. NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500 squad, however, is deploying their second engine at upcoming Round 6.

For the GT-R squad, upcoming SUGO can be the place to start charging back against their rivals. Considering the situation and chance, No.23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli) may already have drawn up a road map with a win at SUGO, give last hard push in the last two races of the season where the handicap weight will be reduced, and end the season with the title in their hand. No.12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Daiki Sasaki / Jann Mardenborough), after letting a sure chance to win the race slip away at previous Fuji event, can also emerge into the title contention if they can win at SUGO. In any case, the heat is on for the GT-R squad.

 

 

SUGO track is known to be hard on the brake and tire with its huge up and down layout. Most important factor in this time of the season would be how to use the tires with a heavy handicap weight accumulated over the season. In 2016, KONDO RACING's No.24 car and Yokohama Tire combination flipped the game around and won the race by taking no-tire-change strategy at Round 4 race held here at SUGO. Repeating the dramatic victory would be one of the objectives No.24 Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira / Mitsunori Takaboshi) would want to achieve here. Likewise, other teams using Yokohama tires, such as No.16 MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT (Hideki Mutoh / Daisuke Nakajima) and No.19 WedsSport ADVAN LC500 (Yuji Kunimoto / Kenta Yamashita), shouldn't be underestimated either.

 

 

Cars ranked in the top group, No.1 KeePer TOM'S LC500 (Ryo Hirakawa / Nick Cassidy), No36 au TOM'S LC500 (Kazuki Nakajima / Yuhi Sekiguchi, only Sekiguchi is ranked second), No.100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT (Naoki Yamamoto / Jenson Button), No.17 KEIHIN NSX-GT (Koudai Tsukakoshi / Takashi Kogure), and No.39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD LC500 (Heikki Kovalainen / Kamui Kobayashi, only Kovalainen is ranked fifth in the points), can be taking a strategy for securing a place in the upper position to pick as many points as possible so that they can be fighting the last two races, where the handicap weight will be reduced, in an advantageous position since all of them have to load a handicap weight of over 70kg at SUGO. From a different perspective, this is like a survival game of the title contention. Battle in the middle group can also be intense while cars fight for a position to gain even a point or two more.

 

 

 

 

Due to limited number of pit boxes at SUGO where Round 6 will be held, unfortunately, the number of cars allowed to participate will be limited to 28 cars in the GT300 class. As a consequence, No.777 CARGUY ADA NSX GT3 will be absent because the team is not seeded and placed last in the team point ranking as of the end of Round 5. In addition, in order to avoid situations where some drivers are fortunate and some others are unfortunate due to congestion on the track while they take on an attack lap during the qualifying, it has been decided for SUGO event to carry out Q1 in two groups, Group A and B

 

SUGO is a demanding track to the drivers as well as the cars with the track being very technical and having continuous up and down in its layout. At such circuit, JAF-GT300 cars and the mother-chassis cars with more flexibility in the setting are thought to have advantage. In fact, the pole sitter has been 86MC, a mother-chassis car, in past two years. However, the SUGO track has a tendency to create traffic during the race and that increases the chance to win for the FIA GT3 cars with more horsepower.

 

   

 

In addition, with the event moved to the end of the season, the handicap weights on the top teams are heavy, and that could mean that the field is wide open to anybody for a win. The chance can be very high especially for No.10 GAINER TANAX triple a GT-R (Kazuki Hoshino / Hiroki Yoshida) and No.21 Hitotsuyama Audi R8 LMS (Richard Lyons / Ryuichiro Tomita). Eyes should also be kept on No.60 SYNTIUM LMcorsa RC F GT3 (Hiroki Yoshimoto / Ritomo Miyata) as well as No.95 K-tunes RC F GT3 (Morio Nitta / Yuichi Nakayama) fielding an RC F GT3. Especially, this would be a critical race for No.96 car as a win here would put then in the title contention. No.25 HOPPY 86 MC (Takamitsu Matsui / Sho Tsuboi) and No.18 UPGARAGE 86 MC (Yuhki Nakayama / Takashi Kobayashi) with mother-chassis cars also would want to score a win here considering SUGO being one of the favorite circuits to them.
Contrastingly, number one and two in the drivers point ranking, No.55 ARTA BMW M6 GT3 (Shinichi Takagi / Sean Walkinshaw) and No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT (Koki Saga / Kohei Hirate), respectively, can be just settling for points since they have to carry huge handicap weight.

 

   

 

 

With the season shifting to the final stage, fans can be assured to witness fierce battle everywhere on the track, regardless of top or bottom group, with cars keen to finish in a higher position than its rival.

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