2022.05.29

Rd. 3 RACE GT500: Recovered CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL Z runs strongly to give Nissan Z GT500 it first victory!

Round 3 Suzuka Circuit : Race GT500

The Takanokono Hotel SUZUKA GT 300km RACE, Round 3 of the 2022 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series took place at Suzuka circuit (one lap 5,807m X 52 laps) in Mie Prefecture on the afternoon of May 29 (Sun). In a rough race that saw the Safety Car brought out twice, the GT500 class winner was the No. 3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) took its first win in the Nissan Z GT500’s debut season. In the GT300 class race, the winner was the No. 7 Studie BMW M4 (Seiji Ara/Tsubasa Kondo).

 

 

 

 

 

Due to the effects of a crash by a GT300 class car in the pre-race warm-up, the Round 3 race was delayed by 10 minutes, with the formation lap getting underway at 2:40 in the afternoon. The skies were blue over Suzuka circuit and the air temperature was even hotter than the previous day, rising to 30℃. The track temperature had risen to 50℃, or the equivalent of a mid-summer race. This forcing everyone to expect severe conditions in the coming race.

As the GT500 class race started, the pole-sitting No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra got a good start and was first to come through the first turn. But the 3rd-position starter, the No. 3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL Z (Katsumasa Chiyo) passed the 2nd-position starter, the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S GR Supra in the first turn to take 2nd place. After that, No. 3 maintained its momentum to also pass car No. 19 at the 130R curve of that lap and take the early lead.
On the second lap, the action behind the leading No. 3 saw the No. 17 Astemo NSX-GT pass both cars No. 37 and No. 19, but behind them, the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL Z began to slow because of machine trouble. When the machine came to a stop at trackside, it prompted an FCY (Full Course Yellow) to be called. This lasted for just one lap, however, and when the racing resumed, Chiyo in car No. 3 was able to pull away from the field and build a 3-sec. margin of lead by the ninth lap of the race.

Then on the 11th lap of the race, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO GR Supra developed machine trouble and pulled off to trackside and came to a stop. At around the same time, a crash by a GT300 car brought out the Safety Car to control the race. This caused car No. 3 to lose its margin of lead again, but when the race was restarted on the 14th lap, No. 3 was still in the lead and managed to extend that lead once again to a margin of just under three seconds within three laps or so. Meanwhile, a close battle had developed for 2nd position between cars No. 37, No. 17 and the No. 16 Red Bull MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT.
By the end of the 18th lap, some cars began opting for an early routine pit stop, beginning with car No. 16. The leading car No. 3 also made an early pit stop at the end of the 21st lap. Determined to make the most of the lead Chiyo had built up until this point, the team worked to get their second stint driver, Mitsunori Takaboshi, back on the track in the lead, and in fact, the speed of their pit work even increased that lead.

 

 

 

 

 

By the time all of the GT500 class cars had finished their routine pit stops, car No. 3 was back in the lead again. Behind it, car No. 17 had emerged in 2nd position, and by the 30th lap of the race, No. 3 had expanded its lead to about 17 seconds. Meanwhile, No. 17 and No. 37 were locked in a battle for 2nd place that cause the lead of No. 3 to grow even larger.
Takaboshi had come to this race at Suzuka after suffering a devastating crash in the previous round. There were worries about his state of recovery from his resulting injuries, but he continued to drive on strongly in the second half of this race. On the 38th lap of the race, however, car No. 16 collided with a GT300 class car and both came to a stop at trackside. This brought out the Safety Car for the second time, and with it, Takaboshi had to watch the nearly 20-sec. lead he had built up vanish all at once.

But on this day, car No. 3 would show no signs of weakening. When the race was restarted after the Safety Car retired, Takaboshi once again pulled off the start brilliantly, and in little more than three laps he was able to build up a nearly 3-sec. lead over car No. 17 running in 2nd place. And from there he went on the grow that lead.
From there, the No. 3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) would run on the take the checkered flag first and the win. This meant a first victory for the new Nissan Z GT500. It was also a momentous first win in the GT500 class for both Chiyo and Takaboshi. Finishing the race in 2nd place came the No. 17 Astemo NSX-GT (Koudai Tsukakoshi/Nobuharu Matsushita), while 3rd place went to the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S GR Supra (Sacha Fenestraz/Ritomo Miyata). This meant that from Round 1, all three of the GT500 class makers had gotten one car on the podium in each race, and each had gotten one win, as solid proof that all three makers were competing with equal success in the early stages of the season.

 

 

 

 

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