2019.05.25

Rd. 3 Qualifying GT500: Brilliant last time attack gives au TOM'S LC500 pole position!

Round 3 Suzuka Circuit : Qualifying GT500

The qualifying for the SUZUKA GT 300km RACE, Round 3 of the 2019 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series was held at Suzuka circuit in Mie Prefecture on May 25. The No. 36 au TOM'S LC500 team (Kazuki Nakajima/Yuhi Sekiguchi) won the GT500 class pole, with Sekiguchi taking his second career pole position in the GT500 class. In the GT300 class, the No. 25 HOPPY 86 MC (Takamitsu Matsui/Kimiya Sato) took class pole position.

 

 

 

Qualifying day for the SUZUKA GT 300km RACE, round 3 of the series, dawned with the temperature rising at Suzuka Circuit to reach 25℃ by 10:00 in the morning. Strong sunlight shone down on the circuit making it a hot day. The official qualifying began with the GT300 class Q1started at 2:40 in the afternoon, and at that time the air temperature was 31℃ and the track surface was 48℃, the equivalent of a midsummer race.

 

Due to a Red Flag stoppage during the GT300 class Q1, the GT500 Q1 started 9 minutes later than scheduled at 3:09. As usual, the 15 cars waited in the pits when the session started. With 9 minutes left in the session, the first to take to the track was the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN LC500 (Yuji Kunimoto). Following this the other cars came out one after the other. The last to leave the pit was the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC500 (Nick Cassidy). At this point, there were 7 minutes remaining in the Q1 session.

 

When all of the cars had started their time trials, the No. 23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda) posting a time of 1’47.076 that beat the fastest time from the morning official practice. Then, with a 1’46.740 from the No. 1 RAYBRIG NSX-GT Jenson Button) and a 1’45.916 from the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT (Tomoki Nojiri) the top spot on the time board changed hands twice.
Although they failed to beat the time of No. 8, the No. 36 au TOM'S LC500 (Kazuki Nakajima) moved into 3rd position with a time of 1’46.808, while 4th position went to the No. 16 MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT (Hideki Mutoh) with a 1’46.821, and the No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT (Koudai Tsukakoshi) moved up to 2nd with a time of 1’46.350. This made it look like Honda NSX-GT cars would take the top three positions, but the top places would change again when the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC500 (Nick Cassidy) bettered No. 17’s time to move into 2nd position.

 

Then the red checkered flag was waved to signal the end of the session, but the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR LC500 (Kenta Yamashita) and No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD LC500 (Yuichi Nakayama) were still in their last flying lap and Car No. 6 came home with a time of 1’46.144 to move up to 2nd position. In contrast, No. 39 could only manage a time of 1’46.949 and remained in 9th position, failing to move on to Q2. Also failing to move on to Q2 were the current point leader, the No. 23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda) and the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO LC500 (Hiroaki Ishiura). Eventually, the qualifiers for Q2 were four NSX-GT cars, three LEXUS LC500s and one NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500.

 

 

 

The GT500 class Q2 started at 3:52. Although it was only a 10-minute session, the cars waited in the pits for a while after the session’s start, and it wasn’t until eight minutes remained in the session that began to move out to the track. Then all of the cars began to make their flying laps from their third laps. It was the first car to take to the track, the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Daiki Sasaki) that became the first to take the top position on the time board with a time of 1’46.216. Then the No. 16 MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT (Daisuke Nakajima) moved into 2nd position with a 1’46.462 lap.

 

Then, the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC500 (Ryo Hirakawa) moved to the top spot with a time of 1’45.788. The fastest car from Q1, the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT (Takuya Izawa) then ran a 1’46.207 lap to move into 2nd position. When the checkered flag was waved at the end of the session it looked as if No. 37 had clinched pole position.
But, continuing their runs on that last lap were two LC500 cars. When the No. 36 au TOM'S LC500 (Yuhi Sekiguchi) finally took the checkered flag, its time of 1’45.775 topped that of No. 37 to take first position, while the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR LC500 (Kazuya Oshima) had to settle for 5th position with a time of 1’46.246.
With this, the No. 36 au TOM'S LC500 (Kazuki Nakajima/Yuhi Sekiguchi) claimed pole position, and 2nd position went to the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S LC500 (Ryo Hirakawa/Nick Cassidy), which meant that the two TEAM TOM'S cars would sit on the front row of the grid for tomorrows race. For Sekiguchi, it was his second pole position following the one at the Thai Round 7 of 2016. For car No. 36, it was the first pole since the one by Kazuki Nakajima in Round 6 at Suzuka in 2014.

 

Behind these two LC500 cars in 3rd position were the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT team (Tomoki Nojiri/Takuya Izawa), with 4th position going to the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Daiki Sasaki/James Rossiter) to fill the second row of the grid. In tomorrow’s race, the early stages will surely see hot competition between the three makes.

 

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