2021.10.24

Rd. 6 Race GT500: ARTA NSX-GT Comes from Behind to Take Its First Win of the Season! Charging Hard from a 10th Position Start, ZENT CERUMO GR Supra Takes 2nd

The AUTOPOLIS 300km RACE, Round 6 of the 2021 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, was held at the AUTOPOLIS (one lap 4.674 km x 65 laps) in Oita Prefecture on the afternoon of October 24 (Sun). In the GT500 class race, the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT (Tomoki Nojiri/Nirei Fukuzumi) started from 4th position on the grid but managed to run away to victory in the second half for their first win of the season. In the GT300 class, the No. 31 TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT (Koki Saga/Yuhki Nakayama) ran from pole position to the win in impressive style.

 

 

 

 

The AUTOPOLIS 300km RACE, Round 6 of the 2021 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series, was held under blue skies just as the qualifying the day before. However, the pe-race air temperature stood at a relatively cool 13℃. This brought concern about lack of grip in the early going before the tires warmed up. At 1：30 in the afternoon the action began with two Formation Laps, before the start of what would be a 65-lap race.

Starting from pole position, the No. 16 Red Bull MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT (Toshiki Oyu) defended its lead initially, but the 2nd grid-position starting No. 14 ENEOS X PRIME GR Supra moved up on its inside at the first hairpin turn and came out in the lead. However, due to the fact that the No. 14 team found trouble in its engine after the previous round, the team opted to switch to its third engine of the season. As a penalty for this violation of the race regulation, which limits the number of engines used in a season to two, the team was required to make a 5-second stop penalty in the race that would drop it back considerably in the field. For the same reason as team No. 14, the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S GR Supra and the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO GR Supra were also required to perform a 5-second stop penalty as well.

This put car No. 16 back in the lead, with the No. 64 Modulo NSX-GT, the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT (Nirei Fukuzumi) and the No. 23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R pursuing it as the race developed. However, on the 9th lap there was a crash by the GT300 class car No. 22 that initiated an FCY (Full Course Yellow) and eventually brought out the Safety Car. The race was restarted on the 16th lap, only to see the leading car No. 16 lose its right-rear tire on the 18th lap. This would force No. 16 to retire from the race.

With this, the battle for the lead became a contest between cars No. 64 and No. 8. But immediately after this, another crash by a GT300 car, No. 48, brought out the Safety Car for a second time. When the SC left the track at the end of the 24th lap, the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD GR Supra running 4th position and the No. 1 STANLEY NSX-GT in 9th position returned to the pit for their routine stop and driver change. The other cars soon followed suit. Among the race leaders, car No. 64 was the last to make its pit stop. That done, it was able to return to the race still in the lead, but before it could warm up its tire on the first lap out, No. 64 was passed in succession by car No. 8 (Tomoki Nojiri), No. 39 and No. 1. However, once its tires warmed up and their grip returned, No. 64 was soon able to re-pass the latter two cars to move into 2nd position behind car No. 8. After which, No. 64 was able to open up a large margin of lead over the two Honda NSX-GT cars in 3rd and 4th position.

 

 

 

The battle for the lead between cars No. 8 and No. 64 would only last for about seven laps, however, after which No. 8 gradually began to increase its margin of lead. After that No. 8 continued to run alone in the lead. As for No. 64, which now found itself running alone in 2nd place, its pace began to slow and the group contesting 3rd place began to close in from behind. Finally, by the 51st lap, No. 64 was swallowed up into a group of four including cars No. 39, No. 23 and No. 1.

Then, on the 53rd lap, these four were joined by car No. 38, which had started the race from the 10th grid spot, completed its 5-second penalty stop and then charged back at a ferocious pace, turned the battle for 2nd into a match of five with constant changes in position. From this group, No. 64 was the first to drop back, while car No. 38 showed its faster pace in passing the others in succession and emerging firmly in 2nd place. Meanwhile, No. 39 fell off the pace and was eventually passed by the fast-climbing No. 3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R to drop into 5th position.

 

 

At the end of the 65th lap of the race, the first to take the checkered flag and the win by a big margin of 28 seconds was the No. 8 ARTA NSX-GT (Tomoki Nojiri/Nirei Fukuzumi). Finishing 2nd came the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO GR Supra (Yuji Tachikawa/Hiroaki Ishiura). Coming home next in third place was the No. 23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda/Ronnie Quintarelli), which meant that the winner podium was neatly divided between a Honda NSX-GT a TOYOTA GR Supra GT500 and a NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500.

The No. 1 STANLEY NSX-GT (Naoki Yamamoto/Tadasuke Makino) looked for a while as if it might take a spot on the podium, but eventually finished the race in 6th place. But this finish was just enough to keep Yamamoto and Makino at the top of the series Driver standings in the 1 and 2 spots. By finishing the race in 3rd place as the fastest among the GT-R teams, the No. 23 driver pair of Matsuda and Quintarelli moved up to 5th place in the Drivers ranking.

 

 

 

Page Top