2023.05.26

【Round 3 preview】 Tactics and intelligence bring a win at 450km race on demanding track of Suzuka!

Competed through a total of 8 races once again this season, the 2023 AUTOBACS SUPER GT is wrapping up the initial phase of the season with the Round 3 "SUZUKA GT 450km RACE" held on June 3rd (Sat) and 4th (Sun) at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture. The race will be hosted on the track of Suzuka, renowned as a highly demanding course that worth challenging, providing another type of characteristics that is different from previous 2 hosting circuits. The race distance will be 450km this year, increasing from last year's 300km. Longer distance can give a wider chance to spurt to an upper position at the end depending on the strategy or decision the team takes during the race. This is also a race that concludes the early stage of this season and important as a milestone in terms of championship.

※Above photo is from last year's Round 5 Suzuka.

 

 

　In recent years, Suzuka races have been reigned by the Nissan squad, as far as the GT500 class is concerned. Since the win by No.23 car at the Round 3 race in 2020, the first win by a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 after 2012, the squad is in a streak of 5 wins at Suzuka, including back-to-back win at Suzuka by Nissan Z GT500 last year. GT-R of back then had downforce-focused characteristics, basically, which was often described as "fast at Suzuka, but...", however, the Z that debut last year turned out to be versatile, allowing the No.3 car (currently No.3 Niterra MOTUL Z: Katsumasa Chiyo / Mitsunori Takaboshi) to score a win already at the Round 3, the first win by the current model Z. At the Round 5, No.12 (currently No.1 MARELLI IMPUL Z: Kazuki Hiramine / Bertrand Baguette) completed a huge come-from-behind win after starting from the very last on the grid, giving the team momentum to stride to the series champion. Supported by the successful case studies, the Z squad must be setting the 2 races hosted at Suzuka as the points for them to score a win again this year.
　No.1 car with a light success weight and No.24 Realize Corporation ADVAN Z (Daiki Sasaki / Kohei Hirate), still pointless despite showing speed on the track, are expected to display their original potential at the Round 3 Suzuka. No.1 car, especially, is anticipated to show champion's way of winning instead of dramaful battle like last year. If it rains on the race day, then No.23 MOTUL AUTECH Z (Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli) with a heavy success weight and No.3 car could be breaking into the top group.

 

   

 

 

　Opponent TOYOTA GR Supra GT500 favors circuits like Fuji Speedway where speed on the straightaway can be a winning factor, but, on the other hand, the car is said to be less competitive at Suzuka where higher downforce, an inversing element to speed, would be advantage. However, the gap against the rival cars seems to be not so great considering the car captured 1-2 in qualifying and a 3rd place finish in the race and, although 4th and 5th in qualifying, another 3rd place in the race at Round 3 and 5 last year, respectively. GR Supra of this season has undergone significant modification in aerodynamics parts, and there are opinions telling it could be competitive even at Suzuka. In addition, the car seems to be a step ahead in adopting to the Carbon Neutral Fuel (CNF) that was introduced this season and possess better fuel efficiency than the rivals.
　It won't be surprising, therefore, to see No.19 WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra (Yuji Kunimoto / Sena Sakaguchi) that captured pole position at last year's Round 3 or No.39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD GR Supra (Yuhi Sekiguchi / Yuichi Nakayama) that finished third at the 450km race of Round 5 going head-to-head with Z or NSX-GT for the top place in the last phase of the race. No.37 Deloitte TOM'S GR Supra (Ukyo Sasahara / Giuliano Alesi), fielded by TOM'S that also manages defending Fuji winner No.36 au TOM'S GR Supra (Sho Tsuboi / Ritomo Miyata), could also be running in the top group if the team's cleverness and the driving style of Sasahara, who has been strong at Suzuka, work out well.

 

   

 

 

 

　No.7 Studie BMW M4 completed a pole-to-win at the Round 3 of 2022 and captured the first win in Japan for BMW M4 GT3. With their ace driver Seiji Ara continuing this season and partnering with Masataka Yanagida, who holds a record of 4 crowns in GT500 and GT300, for upcoming event, the car could be fighting at the top place again at this year's Round 3.
　There were 2 events hosted by Suzuka last year and the other race, Round 5, was won by No.4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU AMG (Nobuteru Taniguchi / Tatsuya Kataoka). Mercedes AMG GT3 is another car model that holds a sound record at Suzuka. No.4 car took a strategy to complete the first pit-stop early, which enabled the team to take the lead in the second half and continue on to win, at last year's Round 5 where the race was competed in 450km, the same as upcoming race, which gives fewer strategy options to FIA GT3 cars. No.4 car is certainly a car to check.
　From a view of strategy options, No.5 MACHSYAKEN AIR BUSTER MC86 MACH GO (Yusuke Tomibayashi / Takamitsu Matsui) fielding a GT300 Mother-Chassis (MC) car could be considered as a favorite. The team executed no-tire-change strategy successfully at last year's Round 3 Suzuka to jump to the second place. The car managed to keep the position and climbed to the second highest place on the podium. With addition of Matsui, who has clinched the GT300 champion in a Mother-Chassis with Tomita, this season, the team's long-awaited win should not be impossible. Out of the GT300-regulation cars, No.244 HACHI-ICHI GR Supra GT (Kimiya Sato / Atsushi Miyake) with GR Supra can be drawing attention. Suzuka does not appear to be a perfectly matched track for GR Supra itself, but this No.244 car has been fast at Suzuka. It won the 2021 Round 3 and fought in the top group in the middle of the race after starting from the second position on the grid at the Round 5 of 2022 (eventually retired). Teams fielding GR86, like No.30 apr GR86 GT (Hiroaki Nagai / Manabu Orido / Yuta Kamimura) that finished in 3rd place at last year's Round 5, are also expected to perform strongly.

 

   

 

　Mercedes AMG GT3, NISSAN GT-R NISMO, and LEXUS RC F GT3 are the cars that could be running in the top group among the FIA GT3 cars. With a heavy success weight, the point leader No.56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira / Teppei Natori) may consider even a 5th place finish satisfactory, but there is a chance to win for No.10 PONOS GAINER GT-R (Hironobu Yasuda / Riki Okusa), No.11 GAINER TANAX GT-R (Ryuichiro Tomita / Keishi Ishikawa / Yusuke Shiotsu), and No.96 K-tunes RC F GT3 (Morio Nitta / Shinichi Takagi).

　Carbon Neutral Fuel (CNF) was planned to be introduced to the GT300 class also from upcoming Round 3 Suzuka, however, a decision was made to postpone the introduction from Round 3, unfortunately, based on the result from the GT300 class exclusive testing held at Suzuka.

 

   

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