2020.06.27

【Official Test at Fuji】A Stunning Last Attack! Top GT500 Time Goes to RAYBRIG NSX-GT’s Makino, GT300 Top Time Goes to Parsons in the Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3

On June 27 (Sat.), the 2020 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Official Test at Fuji got underway at Fuji Speedway. The first Official Test of the 2020 season was held at Okayama International Circuit on March 14 (Sat.) and 15 (Sun.), but after that the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections led the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency, which forced the postponement of the second official test event originally scheduled for March 27 and 28 at Fuji Speedway and re-scheduling of the season’s races. However, it finally became possible to hold this Official Test at Fuji on this day. And with it began preparations for the long-awaited opening round of the 2020 season at Fuji Speedway (July 18, 19).

 

 

Session 1

 

 

 

 

　As indicated in the Road Map for the official events of the 2020 season issued by GTA, the event was held under the requirements that all participants from the teams and the makers wear face masks and head shields and maintain “social distance” (avoid the three forms of close contact (1) in confined areas, (2) in groups and (3) in close proximity) in the circuit areas to prevent infection.
　In the GT500 class, all of the 15 official entrants of the 2020 series participated in the event. In the GT300 class, there were two series entrant teams absent, the No. 22 R’Qs AMG GT3 (Hisashi Wada/Masaki Jyonai) and the No. 35 arto RC F GT3 (Sean Walkinshaw/Nattapong Hortongkum). Also, there were two foreign-resident drivers who were unable to attend the event due to overseas travel restrictions of the related countries. They were the GT500 class No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT team’s Bertrand Baguette, who was replaced by Yu Kanamaru (as 3rd driver), and the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD GR Supra team’s Heikki Kovalainen, who was replaced by Kenta Yamashita (also as 3rd driver).

 

　The 2-hour morning Session 1 began at 10:00. At 10:07 a test was run of the operation of the FCY (Full Course Yellow) track safety provision that has been adopted from this season.

 

　After the removal of the FCY at 10:08, the green flag was once again waved to start the session. Soon after, No. 23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Ronnie Quintarelli/Tsugio Matsuda) was the first to top the time board with a time of 1’28.848 run by Quintarelli. Around this time, patches of blue began to appear in the sky, and the temperature grew hotter. After that, the teams began to go through their test schedules in preparation for the coming opening round to take place here at Fuji. At 10:39, drivetrain trouble struck No. 3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R (Kohei Hirate/Katsumasa Chiyo) being driven by Hirate at the Dunlop Corner. The Red Flag was shown to stop the session while the car was being recovered.

 

 

　The session was then resumed at 10:50. There were no more accidents after that, and with 30 minutes remaining in the session, the No. 14 WAKO'S 4CR GR Supra (Kazuya Oshima/Sho Tsuboi) moved to the top of the time board with a time of 1’28.482 run by Oshima, who was last season’s GT500 class Driver Champion. Shortly after that at 11:38, the No. 87 T-DASH LAMBORGHINI GT3 (Yuya Motojima/Tsubasa Takahashi) came to a stop in the run-off area at the exit from the Panasonic Corner, bringing out the Red Flag for the second time in the session.
　The session was resumed at 11:44. One minute after that there was a test of the FCY safety procedure, and all of the car slowed down in an orderly manner with no trouble. Then the session was restarted at 11:46. It was interrupted again with another FCY practice at 11:50. With six minutes remaining in the session, the No. 38 ZENT GR Supra (Yuji Tachikawa/Hiroaki Ishiura) moved up to the 2nd spot on the time board with a time of 1’28.715. There were no more changes in the order of top times in the GT500 class after that before the session ended at noon.

 

 

 

 

　In the early stages of the morning session, the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou/Togo Suganami) was first to post a top time by Gamou, but that time was bettered by Ara of the No. 7 Studie BMW M6 (Seiji Ara/Tomohide Yamaguchi), who had run off the track at the TGR (1st) Corner in the early stages of the session. Then, in the middle stages of the session, that time was also beaten, first by the No. 21 Hitotsuyama Audi R8 LMS (Shintaro Kawabata) and then by Sakaguchi of the No. 6 ADVICS muta 86MC (Ryohei Sakaguchi/Kazuto Kotaka), who is competing in SUPER GT for the first time this season.

 

 

　In the middle stages of the session, the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Gamou) recorded a time of 1’37.458, after which the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida/Kohta Kawaai) team that has changed to a GR Supra machine came in with a time of 1’37.666 to move into 3rd position.

 

　Note that for this Official Test, all of the cars of the GT300 class display an AUTOBACS sticker at the top of their windshield, thus giving a different atmosphere to the field.

 

 

   

 

 

Session 2

 

 

　Rain had been predicted of the second day of the Official Test at Fuji on Sunday the 28th, and for this reason the afternoon session was moved up 20 minutes from the scheduled 2:00 to start at 1:40 in the afternoon. Also, ten minutes before the start of the session, during the practice of the FCY (Full Course Yellow) safety procedure adopted this season, a “calibration” exercise to have the card slow to a designated speed of 80 km/h was conducted.

 

   

 

　Driving the No. 14 WAKO'S 4CR GR Supra (Kazuya Oshima/Sho Tsuboi) that had recorded the fastest time in Session 1, Tsuboi recorded the first top time of Session 2 with a 1’28.955 lap. This was followed by the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT (Tomoki Nojiri/Nirei Fukuzumi) in 2nd position (Nojiri) and the No.16 Red Bull MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT (Hideki Mutoh/Ukyo Sasahara) driven by Sasahara in 3rd position.

 

　Some 42 minutes after the start of the session, the No. 24 Realize corporation ADVAN GT-R (Mitsunori Takaboshi/Yann Mardenborough) driven by Mardenborough ran off the track and came to a stop in the run-off area at the outside of the 300R curve. What’s more, the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Kazuki Hiramine) came to a stop at the Dunlop Corner just beyond. The Red Flag was shown to stop the session while these two cars were recovered.

 

 

　The session was resumed at 2:37. After that, the teams worked on test runs aimed at refining their settings for the upcoming Fuji race, which meant there were no improvements on the teams’ best lap times. Also, cars No. 24 and No. 12 were able to return to the track during this time. However, car No. 24 came to a stop once again at the 300R curve at 3:31 in the afternoon. Also, at 3:59 the Red Flag came out again for the third time when the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GB GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida/Kohta Kawaai) came to a stop at the end of the second corner, but was quickly towed back to the pit and was able to return to the session in seven minutes.

 

　In session 2, the two classes were given ten minutes each of class-specific running time. In the GT500 class time period, Sasahara in the No. 16 Red Bull MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT recorded a time of 1’28.446 to move into top position in the first half. Then the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra (Yuji Kunimoto/Ritomo Miyata) driven by Miyata ran a time that moved the team up into 2nd position.
　Then just before the end of the session, it was Makino who greatly reduced the top time with a lap of 1’27.870 in the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX-GT (Naoki Yamamoto/Tadasuke Makino). Next, Fenestraz in the No. 36 au TOM'S GR Supra (Yuhi Sekiguchi/Sacha Fenestraz) drove a time that moved the team up to 2nd position, Tsukakoshi in the No. 17 KEIHIN NSX-GT (Koudai Tsukakoshi/Yu Kanamaru) moved the team up to 3rd position. Among the NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500 teams, Marenborough in No. 24 Realize corporation ADVAN GT-R that had been quickly repaired after suffering machine trouble managed to rank highest for a Nissan team in 8th position.

 

 

 

 

　In the early stages of the GT300 class session, the top time was recorded by Iguchi in the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi/Hideki Yamauchi). This was followed by Yoshida in the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPET GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshida/Kohta Kawaai) that had been strong in the morning session, and then NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3 teams including Aoki in the No. 360 RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R (Takayuki Aoki/Atsushi Tanaka/Yusaku Shibahara) that is always strong at Fuji, the No. 11 GAINER TANAX GT-R (Katsyuki Hiranaka/Hironobu Yasuda) driven by Hiranaka and the No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN AUTOMOBILE TECHNICAL COLLEGE GT-R (Kiyoto Fujinami/Joao Paulo Lima de Oliveira) driven by Fujinami.

 

 

　In the middle stages of the session, first Matsui in the No. 25 HOPPY Porsche (Takamitsu Mitsui/Kimiya Sato) and then the No. 30 TOYOTA GR SPORTS PRIUS PHV apr GT (Hiroaki Nagai/Manabu Orido) driven by Orido moved up into 2nd position 1 hr. and 20 min. after the start. Also, the No. 21 Hitotsuyama Audi R8 LMS (Shintaro Kawabata) was able to move up into 3rd position.

 

　Then the GT300 class entered the last ten minutes of its session time. This is where the No. 4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU AMG (Nobuteru Taniguchi/Tatsuya Kataoka) driven by Taniguchi recorded a time of 1’37.421 to move to the top position. Also, joining car No. 360 (Aoki) in the top group were Yanagida in the No. 2 SYNTIUM Apple LOTUS (Hiroki Kato/Takayuki Yanagida) and Tsutsumi in the No. 6 ADVICS muta 86MC (Ryohei Sakaguchi/Kazuto Kotaka/Yuui Tsutsumi).
　The No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou/Togo Suginami) that had recorded a top time in the last three minutes before the checkered flag of the morning session, recorded a time of 1’37.465 by Gamou to take a top position. Just when it looked as if that is how the session would end, Parsons in the No. 34 Modulo KENWOOD NSX GT3 (Ryo Michigami/Jake Parsons) recorded a time of 1’37.412 in his last attack to finish Session 2 with the top time.

 

 

   

 

 

“We weren’t in very good condition for the Official Test at Okayama, but during the interval since then we have worked hard to prepare for these tests at Fuji and I feel that we are now seeing positive results and things are functioning well. Although I was able to get the top time on my final attack, I really don’t feel that was because our settings have worked out that well. Thinking that way, I guess I could say that we weren’t actually in as bad a condition as I originally thought. It has been a very long three months (since Okayama), and when I got out and started driving in the morning, I felt anew how really fast SUPER GT racing is. But, in spite of these feelings, I was able to spend a good amount of time driving in the afternoon, and I guess that made it a good day for me. It looks like there will be rain tomorrow, but we still have a lot of testing to do, so I want to work hard to do all the preparations we can before the opening round and start off the season with a win.”

 

“The feeling of the car is very good. Also, I was very happy to get back in the cockpit after these three interim months. When I started driving in the morning it was a joy, and I felt the first five or six laps was really fun to drive. Of course, I learned a lot of things after that, and in the long run I had in the afternoon I learned something about running together with the GT300 class cars. Then, although there was a lot of testing to do, I felt happy to be able to get such a good time in dry conditions. Of course, we want to win in the season’s opening round, but my main goal for this year is to be able to run consistently with good results. It is of course my first [GT500] season, so I wants to learn as I go in each race and keep earning points toward the title.”

 

“Since this was the first test in three months since Okayama, there was certainly a lot that we wanted to try to do today. There was some trouble, but I think it was a good first day of testing. Also, because we were able to get the fastest time among the GT-R cars. There is a lot we still have to do before the season opener, but I feel that we certainly made a lot of progress today. This time there has been some improvement work done on the track surface from the Toyopet 100R Corner to the ADVAN Corner (hairpin) and the car’s balance felt good. The fact that we were able to verify that and adjust the settings well to that was also important. Tomorrow I want to work hard again to get the ongoing test work done.”

 

“Since today was the first time that we were able to drive a full day in dry conditions, I think we were able to get a lot done in areas like verifying the car’s balance and testing the dry-use tires. I feel I learned a lot over the course of the day. In the last session I was able to push steadily, and I am very happy that I was able to get the fastest time. Especially because it was the first top time for the team as well. Minna ha ii kanji deshita! (Everyone felt good about today). Tomorrow I want to help work step-by-step on improving the settings.”

 

 

Page Top