2019.12.15

Under blue skies at Fuji, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing FESTIVAL draws 45,500! Fans thrill to the final run of the LC500 and the first of the new GR Supra GT500

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing FESTIVAL 2019 (hereafter TGRF) was held on December 15 at Fuji Speedway with a snow-white Mt. Fuji in the distance signaling the coming of winter but warm sunlight to greet the fans. The attendance statistic showed a larger crowd that last year, at 45,500, to enjoy an exciting array of events. Of the Lexus partner teams competing in this year’s SUPER GT’s GT500 class, the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR LC500 (Kazuya Oshima/Kenta Yamashita) that won the Drivers Title and the No. 37 KeePer TOM’S LC500 (Ryo Hirakawa/Nick Cassidy) that won the Team Title were on hand to show the fans the LC500’s last run. The same fans were also anxious to see the new GR Supra GT500 class machine that with take over for the LC500 next season.

 

　Before the Welcoming Ceremony, a Talk Show featuring the GT500 drivers and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Ambassador and manager of the LEXUS TEAM LEMANS WAKO'S team, Juichi Wakisaka, was held on the TGRF stage set up behind the main grandstand. The talk focused on a review of the 2019 season and the GR Supra GT500 machine that replaces the LC500 next season. Drivers Yuji Kunimoto (No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN LC500) and Yuji Tachikawa (No. 38 ZENT CERUMO LC500), who have already put the new GR Supra GT500 through its paces, had positive things to say about the new machine, commenting that, “It seems to have more power than LC500,” and that, “It is fast in the corners.” Everyone is also looking forward to the pre-season tests to be held at Sepang.

 

 

 

 

　At the Welcoming Ceremony held on the track in from of the grandstand, this year’s SUPER GT GT500 class Drivers Champion, Kazuya Oshima made his appearance in the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR LC500. Next to him was the GR YARIS GR-4 prototype of the model that will be officially unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2020 on January 10th. The other SUPER GT drivers also made their appearances hand-in-hand with the event’s “Escort Kids” to celebrate the opening of this year’s TGRF.

 

 

 

 

After the Welcoming Ceremony, in a room in the Pit Building outfitted with the Grand Tourismo SPORT racing simulator, a “GR Supra GT CUP Special Race” competition was held pitting one of the top Grand Tourismo hands in SUPER GT, Ryo Hirakawa and the GT300 class driver Ritomo Miyata (No. 60 SYNTIUM LMcorsa RC F GT3) against some of the world’s top Grand Tourismo SPORT competitors (eRacers) in a GR Supra one-class race.

 

 

 

 

 

　Around that time, the “Circuit Taxi” event took place on the track in which fans got to sit in the passenger seat and be driven around the track by SUPER GT drivers in the Toyota/Lexus production sportscar models GR Supra and Lexus LC. The lucky fans that got to participate in this event were clearly excited by such an out-of-this-world experience even though they were riding in latest front-line sportscars instead of the actual racecars.

 

 

　Meanwhile, behind the grandstand another Talk Show was held featuring TGRF’s overall producer and GT500 team manager Juichi Wakisaka, who talked about how the exciting final race of the season at Motegi between Kenta Yamashita in the WAKO'S 4CR LC500 (Yamashita was absent from TGRF due to an overseas race commitment) and the au TOM'S LC500 (Yuhi Sekiguchi) will go down in SUPER GT history, while LEXUS TEAM WedsSport BANDOH manager Masataka Bandoh talked about interesting occurrences with the SUPER GT x DTM special exchange race (Dream Race). It was an entertaining talk show full of laughter right down to the finish.

 

　Around noon came one of the highlights of the day, a demonstration run by the new GR Supra GT500 machine. Given the car number 90, the Supra was driven by Yuji Tachikawa, who rounded the track at a speed close to race speed. It was a clear showing that the machine development is proceeding on pace for next season.

 

 

 

 

　In the afternoon, there were autograph sessions with the drivers in the Pit Building and the “Circuit Safari” event in which fans get the thrill of riding buses on the track and seeing the racecars blasting past them at full race speed. Also riding the buses in this popular event to talk to the fans about the machines and behind-the-scenes stories were SUPER GT drivers and team managers.

 

 

 

 

 

　The exciting finale of the TGRF is the demo race by the SUPER GT machines. For the three retiring LC500 machines, it would literally be their last run, and running with them were five GT300 machines. At every turn there were exciting nose-to-tail scenes just like in the real season races, and it made a fitting final display for the fans of the much-loved LC500. When the checkered flag was waved at the end of the demo race, appearing in front of the three LC500s was the new GR Supra GT500 driven again by Yuji Tachikawa. Thus the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing FESTIVAL 2019 came to an end with a two-lap debut run by the new machine that will carry next season’s Toyota hopes.

 

 

 

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