2019.08.04

Strategy based on fuel efficiency brings come-from-behind GT300 class win for T-DASH Lamborghini GT3!

Round 5 Fuji Speedway : Race GT300

The FUJI GT 500mile RACE, Round 5 of the 2019 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, was run on August 4th at Fuji Speedway (4,563m x 175 laps) in Shizuoka Prefecture. This longest race of the series at 500 miles (807 km) turned out to be a truly tough midsummer endurance race. The winner of the GT500 class race thanks to a quick and decisive pit stop when the Safety Car appeared was the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR LC500 (Kazuya Oshima/Kenta Yamashita), in what was a second consecutive win for the team following the victory in Round 4 in Thailand. In the GT300 class, the winner was the No. 87 T-DASH Lamborghini GT3 (Tsubasa Takahashi/Andre Couto/Kiyoto Fujinami).

 

 

 

 

At the start of the GT300 class race, it was the No. 360 RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R (Takayuki Aoki) coming from 3rd position on the grid that made the strongest start, overtaking the pole-starting No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPETGB MARK X MC (Hiroki Yoshida) to move into the lead. Then the No. 25 HOPPY 86 MC (Takamitsu Matsui) starting from 2nd position on the grid also passed No. 52.

In the early stages of the race it was these three machines that formed the top three, followed by the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Hideki Yamauchi) and the No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN AUTOMOBILE TECHNICAL COLLEGE GT-R (Kazuki Hiramine), and from the large pack behind these five a number of machines made an early routine pit stop, including the No. 7 D'station Vantage GT3 (Joao Paulo de Oliveira), the No. 10 GAINER TANAX triple a GT-R (Keishi Ishikawa) and also the No. 4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU AMG (Tatsuya Kataoka).

Meanwhile, the leading GT300 Mother Chassis cars adopted a number of strategies to save time in the pits, like car No. 25 that opted to change only two tires each time, and car No. 52 that opted for no tire change in its first pit stop. Then, the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Haruki Kurosawa/Naoya Gamou) that had chosen to move up in position gradually into the middle stages of the race elected for no tire change in its second routine pit stop.

Meanwhile, as the GT500 class race entered its 74th lap, a crash by a GT500 machine brought out the Safety Car. At this point, many of the GT300 class cars had finished their second pit stop, and as four cars including No. 25 (Kimiya Sato) had chosen to extend their second stint, which brought focus on the result that the Safety Car run would have on the race order.

As the GT500 class race entered the 8oth lap of the race and the race was restarted, car No. 25 immediately made its pit stop, causing it to lose ground. It was also hampered by a collision in the later stages of the race.

 

 

 

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As the GT500 class entered the 105th lap of the race, a GT500 car ran off the track and brought out the Safety Car again. It was the No. 7 D'station Vantage GT3, the No. 4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU AMG, the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT and the No. 360 RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R among others that had started their pit stops just prior to the SC intervention.

In the final stages of the race around lap 130, all of the GT300 cars had finished their fourth mandatory pit stop. In the lead at this point was the No. 87 T-DASH Lamborghini GT3 (Andre Couto) that had started the race in 13th position on the grid and run the early stages of the race in the middle of the pack. After making its first pit stop on the 39th lap, it came right back in for its second pit stop on the very next lap 40. Its strategy was to complete its pit stop requirement in as little time as possible and then count on the Lamborghini Huracan’s good fuel economy to get it to the finish before the competitors.

 

 

In its final stint, No. 87 (Couto) had a lead of nearly 40 seconds over the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPETGB MARK X MC (Yoshida) in 2nd place. That was enough for the veteran driver Couto to breeze on to the finish at a good pace. This victory was the first ever GT300 win for the No. 87 T-DASH Lamborghini GT3 (Tsubasa Takahashi/Andre Couto/Kiyoto Fujinami), for the JLOC car No. 87 and for the Lamborghini Huracan. Of course, it was also a jubilant the first SUPER GT win for drivers Takahashi and Fujinami. For Couto, it was his third GT300 class win and his first since the 2015 season Round 5 at Suzuka.

For 2nd place, its was a battle between the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPETGB MARK X MC (Hiroki Yoshida), which had also opted for a pit stop with no tire change, and the No. 34 Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3 (Hiroki Otsu) making a hard charge forward in the final stages of the race. In the end it was the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPETGB MARK X MC (Shigekazu Wakisaka/Hiroki Yoshida) that held on to take 2nd place, the team’s best finish ever. Third place went to the No. 34 Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3 (Ryo Michigami/Hiroki Otsu).

 

 

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