Autopolis Circuit in the Oita Prefecture of Japan has been a regular part of the Super GT calendar since 2003 – a highly technical, 19-turn, 4.7 kilometer circuit that will test every facet of the cars today.
Nissan took 3 of the first 4 spots on the GT500 grid for this race, with the NISMO GT-R piloted by Matsuda and Quintarelli on pole. They were unlucky to see victory slip through their grasp at Fuji, and will be looking for a wire-to-wire victory to snap a long winless drought for Nissan’s flagship GT500 entry. Behind them are the #46 MOLA GT-R, co-piloted by Satoshi Motoyama – who will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to avenge his 2012 heartbreak, but before that, he must figure out a way to snap a personal winless streak dating back to the end of 2011. And then there’s Calsonic Team Impul, starting fourth today, with a five-point lead in the championship – if they continue their winning form today, they’ll be one step closer to their first GT500 title in almost 20 years.
After a dreadful outing that saw their cars slowest in every session and failing to see the checkered flag at Fuji, Honda has put four of their five NSX-GT Concept cars in the top 10 starting spots. It will be a long road for the struggling stable to regain their competitive edge before the Suzuka 1000km at their home circuit, but Honda is once again a factor for this event. Conversely, only two of the Lexus RC-Fs made it into the second round of qualifying, but they are the #37 KeePer TOM’s entry co-driven by two-time Autopolis winner Daisuke Ito, and the #1 of the defending champions, Tachikawa and Hirate, in the Zent Cerumo RC-F.
Two early wins for the Hatsune Miku Goodsmile Racing team have resulted in a massive 80kg ballast penalty for Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Katoaka – and with many of their GT300 title rivals starting near the front of the field, it may be a long outing for the team that won this race last year. Meanwhile, the R&D Sport Subaru BRZ that won five poles a year ago, finally claimed their first of the season – can they convert their front-row start into a win? They only did it once all year in 2013, at Suzuka.
It’s the last race in Super GT for two months. For Motoyama, James Rossiter, and Lucas Ordonez, it’s their last race before the race around the clock at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Fine/Dry(Weather/Course)
| Po | No | Machine | Driver | Time | Laps | Best Lap | Tire | WH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | MOTUL AUTECH GT-R NISSAN GT-R / NR20A | Tsugio Matsuda Ronnie Quintarelli | 1:58’46.067 | 65 | 1’36.895 | MI | 14 |
| 2 | 46 | S Road MOLA GT-R NISSAN GT-R / NR20A | Satoshi Motoyama Masataka Yanagida | 5.788 | 65 | 1’37.406 | MI | 2 |
| 3 | 12 | CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R NISSAN GT-R / NR20A | Hironobu Yasuda J.P.L.De Oliveira | 23.285 | 65 | 1’38.048 | BS | 62 |
| 4 | 37 | KeePer TOM’S RC F LEXUS RC F / RI4AG | Daisuke Ito Andrea Caldarelli | 23.649 | 65 | 1’38.523 | BS | 52 |
| 5 | 36 | PETRONAS TOM’S RC F LEXUS RC F / RI4AG | James Rossiter Ryo Hirakawa | 24.036 | 65 | 1’38.619 | BS | 4 |
| 6 | 100 | RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT Honda NSX CONCEPT-GT / HR-414E | Takashi Kogure Hideki Mutoh | 44.576 | 65 | 1’39.069 | BS | 4 |
| 7 | 18 | Weider Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT Honda NSX CONCEPT-GT / HR-414E | Naoki Yamamoto Jean Karl Vernay | 1Lap | 64 | 1’38.774 | MI | 14 |
| 8 | 19 | WedsSport ADVAN RC F LEXUS RC F / RI4AG | Juichi Wakisaka Yuhi Sekiguchi | 1Lap | 64 | 1’39.186 | YH | 8 |
| 9 | 6 | ENEOS SUSTINA RC F LEXUS RC F / RI4AG | Kazuya Oshima Yuji Kunimoto | 1Lap | 64 | 1’39.056 | BS | 52 |
| 10 | 32 | Epson NSX CONCEPT-GT Honda NSX CONCEPT-GT / HR-414E | Daisuke Nakajima Bertrand Baguette | 1Lap | 64 | 1’40.107 | DL | |
| 11 | 39 | DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F LEXUS RC F / RI4AG | Hiroaki Ishiura Oliver Jarvis | 1Lap | 64 | 1’39.223 | BS | 26 |
| 12 | 1 | ZENT CERUMO RC F LEXUS RC F / RI4AG | Yuji Tachikawa Kohei Hirate | 1Lap | 64 | 1’37.736 | BS | 30 |
| 13 | 24 | D’station ADVAN GT-R NISSAN GT-R / NR20A | Michael Krumm Daiki Sasaki | 19Laps | 46 | 1’39.104 | YH | 16 |
Tire = BS:Bridgestone / DL:Dunlop / MI:Michelin / YH:Yokohama
Fastest Lap : 1’36.895 – No.23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R / Tsugio Matsuda
