2021.05.04

Rd. 2 Race GT300: SYNTIUM LMcorsa GR Supra GT takes win in fierce contest! Kohno tearful for first win

Round 2 Fuji Speedway : Race GT300

The Takanokono Hotel FUJI GT 500km RACE, round 2 of the 2021 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series was held on the afternoon of May 4th (Tues., holiday) at Fuji Speedway (one lap 4,563m x 110 laps). In the GT500 class, the No. 17 Astemo NSX-GT (Koudai Tsukakoshi/Bertrand Baguette) took the lead with a well-timed pit stop and held off the pursuers in the second half to take the win. In the GT300 class, the No. 60 SYNTIUM LMcorsa GR Supra GT (Hiroki Yoshimoto/Shunsuke Kohno) took the win.

 

 

 

In the first lap of the GT300 class race, the Pole Position starting No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Hideki Yamauchi) was first through the TGR (1st) Corner, while 2nd position went to the No. 60 SYNTIUM LMcorsa GR Supra GT (Shunsuke Kohno) that had passed the No. 55 ARTA NSX GT3 (Ren Sato) in the first lap. Close behind them followed the No. 11 GAINER TANAX GT-R (Hironobu Yasuda) and the No. 52 SAITAMATOYOPETGB GR Supra G T (Hiroki Yoshida). On the third lap of the race, a GT500 class car came to a stop after billowing white smoke, which brought out the Safety Car until the race could be restarted on the sixth lap. After that, cars No. 61 and No. 60 fought a close-quarters battle for the lead.

 

In the early stages of the race, it was the GT300 regulation cars and the Mother Chassis cars that made their pit stops first, and many opted for a strategy of no tire change. Among the lead group, it was car No. 52 running in 5th position that first made its pit stop after the 24th lap. Without changing tires, they changed only their driver to Kohta Kawaai. Most of the cars began making their pit stops around the 30th lap of the race, and then on the 32nd lap a GT500 car lost a tire coming out of the Panasonic (last) Corner, for which the Full Course Yellow system was employed for the first time in a SUPER GT race.

 

When all the cars had finished their first pit stop, the No. 10 GAINER TANAX with IMPUL GT-R (Kazuki Hoshino) that had made its pit stop during the FCY and was the first to finish their pit work and return to the race in 1st position, but on the 38th lap it was passed and surrendered the lead to car No. 52 (Kawaai), which had opted for no tire change. Then, No. 10 was passed again by the No. 88 JLOC LAMBORGHINI GT3. In the early stages of the race, No. 88’s Yuya Motojima had advanced up through the ranks, and now his teammate Takashi Kogure continued their drive toward the front. The No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi) that had led in the early stages of the race was now in 4th position, while the No. 55 ARTA NSX GT 3 (Shinichi Takagi) followed in 5th.

 

Behind them, a three-way battle raged between car No. 60 (Hiroki Yoshimoto) and No .56 Realize Nissan Automobile Technical College GT-R (Kiyoto Fujinami), that had battled for 2nd in the early stages, and car No. 11 (Katsuyuki Hiranaka). It would be car No. 60 that emerged as victor of this contest and rose to 6th place in the race.

 

 

 

The leading car No. 52 made its second pit stop on the 63rd lap and changed drivers from Kawaai to Yoshida. Then on the 71st lap, car No. 55 made its pit stop and changed drivers from Shinichi Takagi to Sato. On the 73rd lap, both cars No. 60 and No. 61and others in the leading group made their pit stops one after another.

 

By the time all of the cars had finished their second pit stop, the No. 52 (Yoshida) was in the lead. Its lead of just under 10 sec. looked solid. Behind it three cars were raging a close battle, but soon car No. 55 (Sato) was passed by cars No. 60 (Kohno) and No. 61 (Yamauchi), moving them up to 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

 

 

At this point it look like the three podium finishers were decided, but car No. 60 began to close steadily of the leading No. 52 and put on the pressure. But then, car No. 52 began to slow on the 96th lap and returned to the pit. The cause turned out to be drivetrain trouble, so its race was over.

 

Now the close battle for the lead was down to three cars. Kohno in car No. 60 was holding off Yamauchi in No. 61 and Sato in No. 55, The race came to an end that way with about one sec. separating the top three. For Yoshimoto it was his eighth win and first since Round 6 at Autopolis in the 2019 series. For Kohno, it was his first SUPER GT win, and in the post-race interview he couldn’t hold back the tears of joy.
Finishing 2nd was the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi/Hideki Yamauchi), while 3rd place went to the No. 55 ARTA NSX GT3 (Shinichi Takagi/Ren Sato). For the rookie Sato, this was his first podium finish. The winner of the opening round of the series, the No. 56 Realize Nissan Automobile Technical College GT-R (Kiyoto Fujinami/Joao Paulo de Oliveira) with its success weight load of 60 kg was able to manage a 7th-place finish and retain its position as the leader of the series standings.

 

 

 

 

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