2024.12.08

Rd. 5 Race GT300: The VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 holds off second half pressure to take its fourth win of the season! The team also comes from behind to take its first title!

The SUZUKA GT 300km RACE Grand Final, Round 5 of the 2024 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series took place in the afternoon of December 8th (Sun.) at Suzuka circuit (1 lap 5,807m X 51 laps) in Mie Prefecture. In this final round of the series held under fair skies, the No. 36 au TOM'S GR Supra that clinched its second straight GT500 class title in yesterday’s qualifying also took today’s race win from pole position. In the GT300 class, the No. 88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima) would lose position for a while after starting from pole position but eventually worked back brilliantly to take the win. With this, No. 88 came from behind to take both its first Drivers and Team championships in the GT300 class.

 

 

 

 

 

　Race day for the Rd. 5 race at Suzuka Circuit dawned with fair weather from morning, but clouds were numerous and the wind was strong. At the time of the start, the air temperature stood at 13℃ and the track temperature at 21℃, making for less than desirable race conditions. Then, at 12:50 in the afternoon the activities began with the start of the Traffic Safety Awareness Activities Parade Lap led by seven police motorcycles and three patrol cars of the Mie Prefectural Police. This led directly into the formation laps, which would be run for two laps in consideration of the low track temperature.

　The teams included the No. 20 SHADE RACING GR86 GT (Katsuyuki Hiranaka/Eijiro Shimizu) that had qualified in 19th position, which developed brake trouble just before the start and could not take its place on the grip due to the need for repair and had to start from the pit exit. Also there was the No. 62 HELM MOTORSPORTS GT-R (Kohei Hirate/Yuya Hiraki/Reiji Hiraki) that opted to start from its pit in order to make a last-minute tire change. With the exception of these two cars, the remaining 25 cars line up to rush off in a furry when the start signal went on.

　In the early stages of the race, Motojima, in the pole-starting Pole Position No. 88 JLOC Lamborghini GT3 (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima) that was looking for a come-from-behind title win, started to run away in the lead. In hot pursuit close behind him came the 2nd to 4th position grid starters, namely the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi/Hideki Yamauchi), the No. 2 muta Racing GR86 GT (Yuui Tsutsumi/Hibiki Taira), and the No. 31 apr LC500h GT (Kazuto Kotaka/Jin Nakamura/Yuki Nemoto).

　Behind them, the No. 56 REALIZE NISSAN MECHANIC CHALLENGE GT-R (Daiki Sasaki/Joao Paulo Lima de Oliveira) that started from 5th position was struck with machine trouble and returned to the pit on the 7th lap. The No. 87 METALIVE S Lamborghini GT3 (Kousuke Matsuura/Natsu Sakaguchi) that moved up to 5th position as a result wouldn’t stay there long, however, as soon it suffered a collision with a GT500 car at the Degner Curve. This collision caused it to crash into the barrier on the out-side of the curve, which resulted in the call of the first Full Course Yellow (FCY) of the race.

　After the FCY ended, car No. 88 continued to run at the front and build up a margin of lead of some 4-sec. Then, at the end of the 15th lap, the ranking leader, the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou/Takuro Shinohara/Haruki Kurosawa), which had been running in 8th position returned to the pit first. There it changed drivers from Shinohara to Gamou and chose to hurry back into the race without making a tire change. From this point on until around the 23rd lap, the other cars made their pit stops one after another. Among these, the cars that were able to move up in position were car No. 65 and another car that chose a no-tire-change strategy, No. 31.

　In contrast, the leading car No. 88 opted to change only its two rear tires, while changing drivers from Motojima to Kogure. When No. 88 returned to the race, its title rival, car No. 65, was rapidly closing in from behind, immediately bringing new intensity to the race. As for car No. 2, which needed the win to retain any chance of a title, it delayed its pit stop until the last possible opportunity for the GT300 class, the 25th lap, and here it also opted for a no-tire-change strategy.

 

 

 

 

 

　By the time all of the cars in the GT300 class had finished their required pit stops, car No. 2 was in the lead, followed by cars No. 31, No. 88, and No. 65, as the race entered its second half. If this order held, No. 65 would win the title, so all eyes were focused on the ability of car No. 88 to give chase to it. On the 31st lap, the No. 48 Datsumou K's Frontier GO&FUN NEKONEKO GT-R (Taiyo Ida /Takumi Sanada /Takashi Ito) came to a stop at the Degner Curve, bringing the second FCY of the race, and after the racing resumed, there began to be changes in the top four.

　On the 33rd lap, taking advantage of a delay in car No. 31’s pace as it was being passed by a GT500 car, No. 88 suddenly close the gap. Then, on the first corner of the 34th lap, Kogure succeeded in a quick overtake to move into 2nd position. Clearly running at a faster pace than the leading car No. 2, No. 88 kept chiseling away at No. 2’s lead. In the course of just one lap, it shaved 2 sec. off that lead, and by the 37th lap it had closed in on No. 2’s tail.

　By the 38th lap, No. 88 was riding No. 2’s tail as the two entered the main straight and proceeded to pull even on the in-side. No. 88 then took the lead just before the first corner. At this point, car No. 65 was in 4th place, which meant that if No. 88 could reach the goal with no change in this order it would also make a come-from-behind win in terms of series points over No. 65, which would be another thrill for its fans at、Suzuka.

　In the leading No. 88, Kogure maintained his pace and drove on toward the goal unchallenged. Finally, the No. 88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima) took its third straight win of the season, after Autopolis and MOTEGI. Which meant four wins on the season.
　Finishing in 2nd and 3rd came the No. 2 muta Racing GR86 GT (Yuui Tsutsumi/Hibiki Taira) and the No. 31 apr LC500h GT (Kazuto Kotaka/Jin Nakamura/Yuki Nemoto) respectively. Although it continued its efforts to close in on car No. 31 in the final stages of the race, the No. 65 LEON PYRAMID AMG (Naoya Gamou/Takuro Shinohara/Haruki Kurosawa) ended the race in 4th position, which allowed No. 88 another come-from-behind win in the series points as well.

　With these results, the No. 88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 driver pair of Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima won 2024 GT300 class Drivers championship title, their first ever. It was the first GT300 title ever for both drivers, and for Kogure it was his first title since one in 2010 in the GT500 class, making him only the third driver ever to win a Drivers title in both classes, following those of Masataka Yanagida and Kazuya Oshima.
　As for the Team title won this time by JLOC, which has competed in the JGTC since its inaugural year 1994 (at first under the name KEN WOLF, etc.), it is the team’s first title as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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