2018.12.09

Honda Racing THANKS DAY draws 24,500 with added celebration of GT500 title!

December 9th saw a large gathering of Honda fans at Twin Rings Motegi circuit for the Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2018. Befitting Honda’s wide range of motorsport activities for 4-wheelers and 2-wheelers alike, the event schedule featured a large number of programs prepared for this fan day. Considering the great performance of the RAYBRIG NSX-GT in winning GT500 class title in this year’s SUPER GT with four wins and six pole positions, this year’s fan event was full of excitement for all.
 

Winners Run and Honda Racing THANKS Ceremony
As a special “Winners Run” parade run was held on the road track in the morning to honor the champions and championship machines that won titles in the various categories this season. Jenson Button was there to drive the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT that won the GT500 class title in this year’s SUPER GT. In the parade, his SUPER GT teammate, Naoki Yamamoto, drove the machine that he use to win his own title in the Super Formula series this year. Before this Winners Run, the yearly events including the GT machine fan rides, the Circuit Safari and other maker-related events were held to the delight of many fans to show appreciation to them.
 

Then, just after noon, the Honda Racing THANKS Ceremony was held on a stage set up on the Super Speedway with the full host of Honda Racing riders and drivers and the team managers attending. Honda’s CEO, Takahiro Hachigo and 4-wheeler driver representative Naoki Yamamoto, who won both the SUPER GT and Super Formula titles, the two top race series in Japan, both got up to thank the fans for their support this season.
 

 

Honda Racing Kart Cup
Among the Honda Racing THANKS DAY events that is always popular as an all-out competition between the drivers and riders is the Honda Racing Kart Cup. This year’s Kart Cup was divided into two races, one for the riders and the other for the drivers. Competing in the Drivers race were the ten GT500 class NSX-GT regular drivers plus F1 driver Pierre Gasly, Indy driver Takuma Sato, Super Formula drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Nobuharu Matsushita, Nirei Fukuzumi and also FIA F2 driver Tadasuke Makino. The race was competed by a pair of drivers for each machine like SUPER GT, but since the pairs were decided by lottery, there was naturally a big difference from a SUPER GT race.

 

 

 

Yamamoto won pole position in the qualifying and second position on the grid was won by his GT RAYBRIG NSX-GT teammate Button, setting the stage for a fiercely competitive race. In the race, Button passed Yamamoto to take the lead. In the driver change, Takashi Kogure took the wheel from the leader Button for the second stint and was chased hard by Gasly! In the resulting battle between the two No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT drivers, Tsukakoshi passed Kogure to win for the second straight year. In his winner interview, Tsukakoshi made the fans laugh by saying that this win ensured him another 3-year contract to drive for Honda.
 

SUPER GT Grand Final of Honda
In the afternoon, the main feature on the road course was the SUPER GT Grand Final of Honda. In addition to the five NSX-GT cars competing in the SUPER GT series GT500 class, the No. 99 test car joined the race. And it was driven by a golden pair of Gasly and Sato! It was certainly a spectacle for the fans to behold.
 

The race was competed over seven laps of the Motegi course with one mandatory pit stop for a driver change and tire change simulation (off and on). However, to give its team a slight advantage, the No. 99 only had to make the driver change and was allowed to skip the tire change. Starting from 2nd position on the grid (decided by lottery), it was Sato in car No. 99 that made a fast dash! But that only put the spurs to the regular GT500 drivers. Especially determined were the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT pair starting from the back row of the grip. Showing the same speed as in the regular season, with the driver change from of Naoki Yamamoto to Jenson Button, they went on to take the checkered flag first in a big come-from-behind victory. In this way, the new GT500 champions won the last “race” of the season.
 

 

Honda Racing team managers Talk Show and Drivers Autograph event
This was a Honda Racing Thanks Day with plenty of crowd-pleasing competition on the track with the array of GT, Formula and motorcycle racing machines, and there were also plenty of events that gave the fans a chance to mix with the drivers and riders.
At the Modulo booth behind the main stand, there was a live Talk Show featuring drivers Ryo Michigami and Hiroki Otsu (both of the No. 34 Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3 team) and the Honda support driver Takashi Kobayashi (driver for the GT300 class No. 18 UPGARAGE 86 MC). And there was also a team manager Talk Show featuring manager Kunimitsu Takahashi of the GT500 champion team, the No. 100 TEAM KUNIMITSU, and manager Satoru Nakajima of the No. 64 NAKAJIMA RACING team.
There was also a pit-work simulation event held in the machine display area using the No. 34 Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3. It was certainly an impressive sight that can’t normally be seen by the fans during a GT race to see the tires changed and driver change take place literally right in front of their eyes. Each completed change brought applause and cheers from the excited fans.

 

 

 

As the early winter sundown drew close, it was time for the closing finale with everyone in attendance. After all of the drivers and riders had paraded their machines around the Oval Course, they climbed up on the stage to mingle with the fans. When rider Dani Pedrosa, who has announced his retirement this season from MotoGP, represented the riders in thanking the crowd of fans on the stage for their support this season and asked for their continued support for Honda Racing in the future, his words were greeted with a big round of applause. This brought this year’s Honda Racing THANKS DAY to a close.

 

 

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