The event’s roots lie in SUPER GT’s successful Suzuka 1000km race, which will be staged for the final time later this season. However, its history will live on through the 47th Summer Endurance Suzuka 10 Hours.

SRO already oversees SUPER GT’s GT300 Balance of Performance regulations, but this is the first time both the Japanese championship class and GT3 – the backbone of worldwide customer GT racing – have had the chance to compete against one another.

That raises the tantalising prospect of manufacturers, teams and drivers currently contesting SRO promoted and partner GT3 series – such as the Blancpain GT Series in Europe and Asia, Pirelli World Challenge in America, British GT Championship, and endurance races forming the Intercontinental GT Challenge (Bathurst 12 Hours, Total 24 Hours of Spa, California 8 Hours and Motul Sepang 12 Hours) – taking on the best Japan has to offer on equal terms.

Times remain TBC but the race is expected to start at 10:30 local time and run into the evening before finishing at 20:30. A total prize fund of 100million Yen ($874,000) has also been confirmed.

Susumu Yamashita, Mobilityland Co. Ltd. President: “First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation and respect for both partners; the GT Association and the SRO Motorsports Group, here today with us, for their collaboration in the realisation of this promising project. We are proud to announce that in August of 2018, the Suzuka Circuit will host as a new project the 47th end-of-summer Endurance Race in the new format of a 10-hour endurance race, as a new project. In collaboration, the Suzuka Circuit will provide the dream stage where worldwide GT series will gather in the prospect of future worldwide expansion. We are determined to, together with the entire local region, fully support the event, the public, the entrants and all of those involved in this promising project. By implementing this new project, we aim to create and nourish a brand new festive summer style which will certainly also promote new values. This summer Suzuka Circuit will host the last SUPER GT Series 1000km race at Suzuka. Hence, we will also be devoting ourselves to detailed preparations in order to assure the hosting of a further innovative and appealing 2018 Suzuka Round SUPER GT Series, which will include updates in race distance and event date.”

Masaaki Bandoh, GT Association Co. Ltd. President: “Following the GT Association vision concept, this new project will constitute one more link and step into the globalisation of the SUPER GT Series. We are and will continue working close together in the effort of establishing this race in the calendar as one of the rounds that will unify the GT300 in South East Asia. Concerning the new race format for the Suzuka Round SUPER GT Series in 2018 and onwards we are determined to, together with Mobilityland, bring to the circuit and to the enthusiasts much new excitement and emotion. We are determined to provide the ultimate environment that continues to invite and satisfy the vast public and motorsports fans.”

Stephane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group Founder and CEO: “I am very excited to be here at Suzuka Circuit today to officially unveil the 47th Summer Endurance Suzuka 10 Hours. SRO fully supports this new project undertaken by Mobilityland. We are at a legendary circuit that is highly valued both in Europe and Asia. It is therefore a most appropriate platform to host a global GT race and write another chapter in the Suzuka Circuit’s long and valuable history. SRO will fully embrace the event by supporting champions from our numerous affiliated global categories and those teams currently competing in the European and Asian Blancpain GT Series to ensure that it flourishes and becomes a success.”

47th Summer Endurance Suzuka 10 Hours
Organiser: Mobilityland Co. Ltd, Suzuka Motor Sports Club
Collaboration partners: SRO Motorsports Group, GT Association Co. Ltd.
Eligible entries: GT300 (FIA-GT3 and JAF-GT machines), GT3 (FIA-GT3, ST-X, etc. (TBC))

Mardenborough was announced on Friday as a driver for the No.12 Team Impul machine which bears the colours of Calsonic – one of the most iconic liveries in global motorsport. The blue colours have adorned Nissan racecars for many years including in Super GT, Group A Touring cars and even the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Mardenborough made his full-time Japanese debut last year in the GT300 class in Super GT and also drove in the Japanese Formula 3 championship.

Race-winning success in both championships have pushed him into the spotlight in GT500 in 2017 alongside Hironobu Yasuda.

Mardenborough, Yasuda and fellow Super GT drivers Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli (GT500 No.23), JP de Oliveira and Daiki Sasaki (GT500 No.24), Satoshi Motoyama and Katsumasa Chiyo (GT500 No.26) and Mitsunori Takaboshi and Kazuki Hoshino (GT300 No.3) were introduced as the 2017 line-up yesterday at Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama.

“The car is amazing. I tested recently in Sepang for the first time in the new car and it’s got so much grip,” Mardenborough said.

“I didn’t expect it to be so particularly quick in the slow speed corners. It’s a massive step up from GT3 and anything I’ve been used to in the past in a car with a roof.

“There’s a lot of testing coming up and the first round is in Okayama in a few weeks time. I’m very pleased to have been given this opportunity by the team and by NISMO.

“It’s going to be coming up on six years now since I won GT Academy. From complete gamer, no experience in a car to the fastest GT cars in the world, I’m very honored and very happy.

“Working with the team, the team have got so much history and the team owner, Hoshino-san has won so many races in the past and to have him as a team manager is incredible because all he wants you to do is just push, give 100% and push.

“He’s always pushing the drivers to extract everything from the car, and if you make a mistake, you make a mistake, but as long as you push he’s happy.

“So to have him as a team manager in GT500 is fantastic. I’m looking forward to working with everybody, my new teammates, Yasuda-san, and I just can’t wait to jump in the car for the next round of testing in a few days time.”

SUPER GT – GT500
With sights firmly set on reclaiming the GT500 championship title, Nissan/NISMO will field four newly developed Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 entries in 2017.

Having won the SUPER GT GT500 Championship two years in a row in 2014 and 2015, but missing out on a third consecutive title after leading the championship until the last event in 2016, NISMO will be back at the track with the driver pairing of Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli in Nissan’s ace car #23.

Fresh from the GT300 class, GT Academy graduate Jann Mardenborough will step up to GT500, making his GT500 debut with TEAM IMPUL together with teammate Hironobu Yasuda. For the first time in 7 years João Paulo de Oliveira will return to KONDO Racing, which took two victories last year, and will team up with Daiki Sasaki. MOLA will continue with the same strong driver combination from last year, with veteran Satoshi Motoyama challenging the series alongside young gun Katsumasa Chiyo.

Toshikazu Tanaka, Corporate Vice President of NISMO remains as Nissan’s team executive director. The complete roster:

#23 – NISMO – Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli
Team Principal: Yutaka Suzuki
MOTUL AUTECH GT-R / Michelin

#12 – TEAM IMPUL – Hironobu Yasuda / Jann Mardenborough
Team Principal: Kazuyoshi Hoshino
Calsonic IMPUL GT-R / Bridgestone

#24 – KONDO Racing – Daiki Sasaki / João Paulo de Oliveira
Team Principal: Masahiko Kondo
Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R / Yokohama

#46 – MOLA – Satoshi Motoyama / Katsumasa Chiyo
Team Principal: Toshiomi Oeki
S Road CRAFTSPORTS GT-R / Michelin

Nissan’s new GT500 racer, which incorporates the distinctive design of the standard 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO, was developed in compliance with the 2017 SUPER GT technical regulations and inherits the competitive and hard-charging spirit of previous incarnations of the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500.

Officially revealed last November, the car has undergone testing in Japan as well as in Sepang, Malaysia. The updates will be made just before the opening round and are expected to result in an even stronger, more competitive GT-R that will build upon the previous championship winning car’s legacy of dominance within the history of motorsports.

CUSTOMER RACING PROGRAMS
Nissan/NISMO will be expanding its Customer Racing program, supplying race cars and engines to teams around the globe.

1) CUSTOMER RACING – GT3 PROGRAM
The Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 debuted in 2012 and since then 33 cars have been sold to compete in Japan, Europe, USA, Australia, and China, 20 of which participated in global GT3 race series in 2016.

The car took numerous victories world-wide and in the Super Taikyu Series, the GT3 GT-R was crowned ST-X class champion. In 2017, NISMO will continue to support Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 customers by providing vehicles and technical assistance.

While providing technical support to all the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 users in SUPER GT, Super Taikyu, and other championships, Nissan/NISMO will support the teams in the following series:

BLANCPAIN GT SERIES ENDURANCE CUP
Nissan/NISMO will continue to support the Bob Neville managed Team RJN NISSAN in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup (Pro Class). The driver lineup once again utilizes drivers from Nissan’s global motorsport family.

The 2015 championship winning pair of Katsumasa Chiyo and Alex Buncombe will team up with GT Academy’s inaugural winner in 2008, Lucas Ordoñez.

# 23 Team RJN NISSAN – Katsumasa Chiyo / Alex Buncombe / Lucas Ordoñez
Team Principal: Bob Neville
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 / Pirelli

SUPER GT GT300
NDDP RACING, which focuses on the development of young drivers, will enter the SUPER GT GT300 class with Mitsunori Takaboshi alongside Kazuki Hoshino as his mentor. The operation continues to be managed by B-MAX.

#3 – NDDP RACING – Kazuki Hoshino / Mitsunori Takaboshi
Team Principal: Masahiro Hasemi
B-MAX NDDP GT-R / Yokohama

SUPER TAIKYU SERIES ST-X
KONDO Racing, which took the 2016 series championship with its ThreeBond Nissan Technical College GT-R, will be aiming for two consecutive titles in the ST-X class this year. Tomonobu Fujii has been named as one of the drivers.

This collaboration between KONDO Racing and the Nissan Automobile Technical College is a unique program that combines education with motorsports.

ST-X – #1 – KONDO Racing -  Tomonobu Fujii / TBA
Team Principal: Masahiko Kondo
ThreeBond Nissan Technical College GT-R

DEVELOPEMT OF NEWLY EVOLVED NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3（R35）
Nissan/NISMO will be developing a newly evolved Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 (R35), with an eye towards 2018, in order to greatly enhance its competitiveness in the increasingly fierce GT3 market.

Masataka Yanagida and Michael Krumm will serve as development drivers and development will be undertaken while carrying out tests in both Japan and Europe.

2) CUSTOMER RACING – ENGINE SUPPLY PROGRAMS
Nissan/NISMO will be expanding its engine supply programs.

Newly introduced programs include IMSA’s Daytona Prototype international (DPi) and LM P1 engine supply to a privateer for the FIA World Endurance Series (WEC).

Domination in the WEC LM P2 class ended in championship success last year – after 37 wins total over the past five seasons – and the company will keep supplying LM P3 engines as sole engine supplier of the globally growing class.

IMSA DAYTONA PROTOTYPE INTERNATIONAL (DPI)
A new program sees Nissan/NISMO supplying a GT3 spec based VR38 engine prepared for Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars to Extreme Speed Motorsport (ESM), based in Florida, USA.

The team takes part in the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with two cars.

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP LM P1
Another new program has Nissan/NISMO supplying a V6 Turbo 3.0 liter engine (VRX30A evo.) to ByKolles Racing Team, a private team based in Greding, Germany. The team will take part in the LM P1 class of the FIA WEC in 2017.

LM P3 SERIES
NISMO will continue to provide VK50 engines (111 units sold in the past three years) and technical assistance to teams competing in the LM P3 class of European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup, and Asian Le Mans Series etc.

With a boom in the LM P3 class continuing this year, Nissan’s presence on the grid will be significantly increased as the manufacturer looks to dominate once again.

3) DRIVER DEVELOPMENT
Nissan/NISMO continue to support young drivers’ participation in race series.

In addition to the previously listed entry to the SUPER GT GT300 class, the manufacturer will support Mitsunori Takabosi and his B-MAX Racing Team Japanese Formula 3 entry via NDDP. As Takaboshi’s executive advisor, the team will welcome GT500 driver, Satoshi Motoyama.

#23 – B-MAX Racing Team with NDDP – Mitsunori Takaboshi
Team Principal: Masashi Miyata
Executive Advisor: Satoshi Motoyama
B-MAX NDDP F3

4) OTHER NOTABLE ACTIVITIES
AUSTRALIA: Supercars Championship
In Australia, Nissan will continue to contest the Supercars Championship with Rick and Todd Kelly alongside Michael Caruso and new driver Simona de Silvestro with the Nissan Altima.

5) PROGRAM SUMMARY
Takao Katagiri, CEO and president of NISMO
“We will be competing in this year’s SUPER GT GT500 class with a new model based upon the 2017 spec GT-R NISMO. We have a firm determination to retake the series championship and, with this in mind, we have reevaluated our cars, drivers, organization and so on in order to ensure we are more prepared than ever.

“Our team structure consists of four seriously competitive teams that will all be aiming for the title. We will be pouring our souls into this season so we hope to continue to receive the passionate support that we have received from our fans thus far.
 
“We will also be strengthening our global Customer Racing programs. While we continue to support Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 customers around the world, we will also begin working on the development of newly evolved Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.

“You can expect to see a new state-of-the-art, highly competitive machine that will ensure customers continue to choose the GT-R from amongst the increasingly large variety of European manufacturers and other rival companies’ GT3 vehicles.
 
“Furthermore, we will also be expanding our engine supply programs. We will be providing highly competitive racing engines and the technical support that we have cultivated throughout the LM P2 to numerous teams to facilitate their success in acclaimed race categories around the world, including the Daytona Prototype International (DPi), the LMP1 (privateer), and various LMP3 series.
 
“In addition to participating in motorsports the NISMO brand feels that an important part of its mission is to provide accessible motorsports experiences and participatory opportunities to all of our customers. As a part of that effort we have been proactively expanding our range of NISMO road cars and occasions for driving experiences. We are committed to delivering a wide range of excitement to our fans through motorsports.”

The Japanese ace was filling in for the injured Katsumasa Chiyo who was forced to skip this weekend while completing his recovery from his recent back issue.

After qualifying on the front row, veteran three-time series champion Motoyama battled strongly early but elected to pit out of sequence early – handing over to Takaboshi.

Far from looking like a rookie, Takaboshi continued to perform strongly and remained in contention throughout the race which was hit with a number of rain showers during the 1000km journey.

Apart from a 10-second stop-go penalty later in the race for passing under a yellow flag, Takaboshi and Motoyama remained strong throughout the 1000km to finish third.

“I’m really relieved to have made it through my first GT500 race,” Takaboshi said.

“I wanted to show what I could do and make it to the podium and so I was able to achieve my minimum goal.

“We had to ride on soft tires for the entirety of the race which made things tough, but I was able to really push hard in my second time taking the wheel, which really gave me confidence and I’m ecstatic to make it to the third step on the podium.”

Championship leaders Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli showed amazing persistence despite carrying 100 kilograms of performance ballast. Qualifying 12th, the duo gradually worked their way through the pack to be up to fourth place in the later stages of the race.

Sadly a fuel issue stopped the car on the final lap but they were still classified sixth and remain in the championship lead.

The other two GT500 GT-Rs had an unlucky days at Suzuka. The No.24 Daiki Sasaki/Masataka Yanagida car was pushed into the gravel trap and lost a significant amount of time early in the race. They continued several laps down to finish 12th.

The Fuji 300km winning Calsonic entry of Hironobu Yasuda/Joao Paulo Lima De Oliveira was very fast early in the race but an oil fire in the car forced them out of the race.

GT Academy ace Jann Mardenborough and Kazuki Hoshino had a strong race but could only manage 10th place by the chequered flag in GT300. 2015 GT300 champion Andre Couto did make it onto the podium in his GT-R NISMO GT3 in third place with Ryuichiro Tomita.

Final day of the fourth SUPER GT official test was held on Saturday, July 9 at Suzuka Circuit in heavy rainfall that hit the region from the morning, contrastingly to the day before. Only 17 cars went on to the track in heavy-wet track condition in the morning session due to the strong rain. Rain eased off in the afternoon session and many teams were putting their effort in testing the rain tires, which the opportunity had been rather insufficient up to this point of the season. Spectator count of the official test at Suzuka Circuit was 4500 people on July 8 in spite of a weekday and the 9th, despite the bad weather, saw more people showing up than the previous day with 6500 fans, and the total number of spectators of two days combined reached 11,000.

Session 3: 09:00-11:10
- Weather: Rain, Track: Heavy wet,
- Temperature: Air 22℃-23℃ / Track surface 23℃-24℃ (22℃ /23℃ at start)
Session 4: 13:40-15:25 (Safety car drill: 13:40-13:55. Extended by 10 minutes from initial schedule.)
- Weather: Rain, Track: Wet,
- Temperature: Air 23℃ Track surface 25 (23℃ / 25℃ at start)

Severe track condition in the morning made even difficult to test rain tires

Day 2 of the official test at Suzuka Circuit started in rain. Pouring rain made the track heavy wet. Session started at 9AM as scheduled, but teams stayed out for a while to wait and see. Cars showed up on the track here and there by the time the session reached the midpoint, but the heavy wet condition that even caused hydroplaning on the straightaway hindered drivers from getting a satisfying lap time. After all, 17 cars made runs during the session across both classes and the 2 min 14.613 sec marked by No.36 au TOM’S RC F (Daisuke Ito / Nick Cassidy) was the top time of the morning session.

Despite the situation, some were actually welcoming the rain. It gave an opportunity to Yokohama and Dunlop which deployed a new tread design this year. Two types of rain tire, the old design and the new tread pattern introduced this year, were brought into the pits of No.19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F and No.24 Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R, the two teams in GT500 class that use Yokohama. “Testing the rain tires is actually difficult,” said Ichiro Akiyama, Head of Development Division, Yokohama Motorsport International Co., Ltd. which manages entire motorsports activities of Yokohama. “First of all, we cannot assess precisely unless the amount of rain is at a consistent level. And the track surface varies by different circuits, and if the track temperature is different, then, again, we cannot assess correctly. We can simulate the water drainage by using computer, but we cannot make assessment just with that, and even when we test by spraying water on the track, it dries out quickly, so it’s difficult. That’s why, to do a test in rain like this time is actually the best way, but…” Akiyama’s bitter smile indicated how severe the condition was in the morning. Nonetheless, it seemed that Yokohama was able to do a comparative test on their new rain tire when the rain weakened in the afternoon.

Situation improved in the afternoon. Rapid change of positions seen at the end like in a qualifying session

Session 2 started from 1:40 PM. Safety car drill was conducted in the first 15 minutes and then the cars were off to their testing. No.38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Yuji Tachikawa / Hiroaki Ishiura) driven by Tachikawa came to a stop on the inner-side of the straight a short after the start. The car had a problem in the propeller shaft, but they were lucky to resume their session after quickly fixing the problem. No.24 Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R (Daiki Sasaki / Masataka Yanagida) was also struck with a problem and slowed down on the track due to a loose nut on the wheel. Yuhi Sekiguchi also brought his No.19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F to a halt at the second turn of Degner. Afternoon session was suspended multiple times with a red flag as the chain of incidents continued with No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT (Koki Saga / Yuichi Nakayama) crashing at the second turn of Degner.

To make up for lost time due to the multiple suspension, the session was extended by 10 minutes, and the remaining 12 minutes after the session resumed from the last red flag stoppage became like a show time where positions on the timing monitor changed rapidly like in a qualifying situation. Top time at the middle stage of the session was the 1 min 56.240 sec marked by Caldarelli of No.6 WAKO’S 4CR RC F (Kazuya Oshima / Andrea Caldarelli). During the last 12 minutes, Naoki Yamamoto, who drove No.100 RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT by himself in the afternoon, bettered the top time of No.6 car with 1 min 56.134 sec. And then No.8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT (also driven alone in the afternoon by Tomoki Nojiri) also replaced the top lap time with 1 min 55.503 sec. Kovalainen in No.39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F (Heikki Kovalainen / Kohei Hirate) as well as No.6 car were also looking good in the later minutes, but didn’t reach Nojiri. After all, NSX CONCEPT-GT topped both days of Suzuka test in different conditions.

ARTA BMW M6 GT3 took the top in GT300 to complete dominance by ARTA over two classes

Top lap times changed frequently in the final phase in the GT300 also. JAF-GT300 as well as the mother-chassis cars continued to show good performance on the day and Yamauchi in No.61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi / Hideki Yamauchi) sat at the top position until the middle phase of the afternoon session. No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT (driven only by Koki Saga) and No.2 SYNTIUM Apple LOTUS (driven by Kazuho Takahashi and Tadasuke Makino only) followed after the No.61 car. When the session was approaching the midpoint, Lyons driving No.21 Hitotsuyama Audi R8 LMS (Richard Lyons / Tomonobu Fujii) emerged to the top by clocking 2 min 8.228 sec. Surprisingly, it was the first time for an FIA GT3 vehicle to be at the top during the weekend. However, No.55 ARTA BMW M6 GT3 (driven only by Takashi Kobayashi) took over the position at the last moment by cutting it down to 2 min 8.228 sec. After all, two cars of ARTA, including No.8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT of GT500 class, were dominating the highest part of the timing monitor in both classes.

No.7 Studie BMW M6 did not run on Day 1, but the team was planning to run only on the 9th from the beginning and Jorg Muller drove for 25 laps in the afternoon of the day. No.63 DIRECTION 108 HURACAN had an engine problem and could not make any runs after all.

The biggest topic of GT300 class this time at Suzuka must be Tadasuke Makino of No.2 SYNTIUM Apple LOTUS who marked the second fastest lap time of the class in the afternoon session on previous day despite his first challenge in the GT300. “Unbelievable. He drove Hako (passenger vehicle type racing car) for the first time and got 1 min 59 sec-mark in only three laps…. It’s really unbelievable.” Yura Takuya, the president of Mooncraft that maintains the No.2 car, did not hesitate to express his shocking feeling.

Makino also drove on the day in rain for 20 laps. “I heard that since GT car is heavy, you would be in trouble if you put on the brake too late and lose control, so I drove with a lot of margin until the second lap (in the morning of previous day). I began to understand about the car and I was able to drive normally from my third lap. There is a different difficulty if you compare with F3 too. Mr. Kato, who is my team manager in F3, was there by my side, so I was able to drive decently without any hustle or frustration. I will do my best to do a good job at Suzuka 1000km. But before that I should get a good result at Fuji next week in Japanese F3 championship and then come back here (Suzuka) with the momentum.” Makino showed his confidence in his comment.

GT500 class Day 2 top time

Top time just came out as a result and I shouldn’t just believe the result (top time) because everybody could increase lap time if they ran more and more as the track was drying up and, also, I don’t know much about the rivals like what kind of menu other teams were running on. But we were able to run in distance in two patterns, dry yesterday and wet today, and, considering the top time came out after we efficiently carried out the testing menu we prepared, I believe we had good test. Car got a lot better (since the disappointing races in the beginning of the season). People from Honda put continuous effort and improved the car in a short period. Engine has improved, and it’s more powerful and easy to handle. In terms of chassis, the team worked hard, so we were able to make a progress in setting. I want to get a good result so bad at the next race in SUGO, because the car felt good at the test the other day and we found the right direction. And hopefully carry the momentum to Fuji and then to Suzuka 1000km. You know Suzuka is the home track of Honda and I have driven there so many times from my racing school days, so I really want to bring in the result.

 GT300 class Day 2 top time

I didn’t think (about top time) at all when I was driving. I was told about it when I came back to the pit. Bridgestone’s rain tire performs superbly in wet, especially in a condition like this where track gradually dries up. I know about it really well because we have been working together in development from the CR-Z days. So the top time today was mostly because of the tire. Car itself was not bad either. But there are still something that we need to work on like to resolve the under (steering) that occurs time to time or to improve the traction because it’s not applied appropriately. We had a little problem yesterday, but I was able to mark a good lap time in dry at the SUGO test, so, I don’t know if we can beat the mother chassis cars or JAF-GT300 cars, but I hope we can run at the top of the FIA GT3 cars and secure points and then finish the race at Fuji with a good result. And carry on to the Suzuka 1000km.

Session 1: 09:30-12:10
- Weather: Cloudy, Track: Dry,
- Temperature: Air 27℃-28℃ / Track surface 30℃-32℃ (27℃ / 30℃ at start)
Session 2: 14:00-16:10 (Exclusive session: GT300 15:50-16:00, GT500 16:00-16:10)
- Weather: Cloudy, Track: Dry,
- Temperature: Air 26℃-28℃ Track surface 30℃-32℃ (28℃ / 33℃ at start)

GT-R tops morning and NSX CONCEPT-GT takes afternoon but 3 models are even

With thick cloud covering the sky and blocking the sunlight during the morning session, air and track temperatures were 27 degrees and 30 degrees, respectively, at the start of session. Condition remained somewhat stable from there despite the temperature increased a bit. It was a similar situation in the afternoon also. Light rain came down for a while during the session, but it remained to be dry as the rain was not enough to wet the track surface. There was actual a few voices wishing for testing in a little hotter condition because every year it usually gets hot during the Suzuka 1000km. However, on the other hand, there were more than a little among the team staff that said they were lucky to run in distance in dry considering there was a prediction for complete wet condition.

In terms of lap times, the best times were rather even among Honda NSX CONCEPT-GT, NISSAN GT-R, and LEXUS RC F, and the three manufacturers shared the top part of timing monitor. Among the pack, the GT-R camp was consistently fast and their performance was prominent as No.24 Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R (Daiki Sasaki / Masataka Yanagida) placing second overall of Day 1, No.46 S Road CRAFTSPORTS GT-R (Satoshi Motoyama / Katsumasa Chiyo) taking the first place of the morning, and No.1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli), which will be loading 80kg of handicap weight at the next round at SUGO (rumored that it may be loading the maximum regulated weight of 100kg during this test), placing ninth position behind only 0.809 seconds from the overall leader. NSX CONCEPT-GT fleet, which have been going through a chain of disappointing races in the early part of this season, was also showing a good sign of increased competitiveness with No.15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT (Hideki Mutoh / Oliver Turvey) marking the top time of the day at the very end of the afternoon session during the exclusive session time, and No.100 RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT was also placing third in the morning session.

Of course, the RC F fleet’s time difference against the rivals was very small that it is merely necessary to mention the second place of the morning session by No.38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Yuji Tachikawa / Hiroaki Ishiura) and the third place of the afternoon and fourth overall by No.6 WAKO’S 4CR RC F (Kazuya Oshima / Andrea Caldarelli). Day 1 of Suzuka test was a suggestive day that the three rounds in mid-summer, Round 4 SUGO (7/23-24), Round 5 Fuji (8/6-7), and Round 6 Suzuka 1000km (8/27-28), will be much hotter than the temperature.

Lotus once again clocks top time in GT300 after SUGO test

In the GT300 class, No.2 SYNTIUM Apple LOTUS (Kazuho Takahashi / Hiroki Katoh / Tadasuke Makino) finished Day 1 at overall top. No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT (Koki Saga / Yuichi Nakayama) placed second at 0.390 second behind. Third place was taken by No.25 VivaC 86 MC (Takeshi Tsuchiya / Takamitsu Matsui / Kenta Yamashita) and No.61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT (Takuto Iguchi / Hideki Yamauchi) placed fifth overall, so it was the mother-chassis cars and JAF-300 cars once again showing good runs at Suzuka. Although No.25 car wrapped up the afternoon session with only eight laps, what it seemed to be due to a problem, the car appeared to be capable of improving some more.

Since this current testing is held mainly to prepare for the Round 6 Suzuka 1000km, it was not rare to see a team having a third driver taking the wheel in GT300 class. Among them, Tadasuke Makino, who finished second in the ranking of FIA-F4 last year and moved up to Japanese Formula 3 Championship this season, showed impressive run at Suzuka as a driver of No.2 SYNTIUM Apple LOTUS. He even marked the session best time of No.2 car in the afternoon with 1 min 59.120 sec. The team seemed satisfied as they were convinced that the load on ace driver Katoh can be reduced at the long-distance Suzuka 1000km.

View on the test by Michelin that supports GT500 ranking leader No.1 car

Cancellation of AUTOPOLIS round in May created a long gap between Round 2 Fuji in May and Round 4 SUGO held in the second half of July, but testing was already scheduled for a few times during this time of the season. Those rounds of testing can be divided majorly into GTA’s official test, like the one currently held, and the tire test organized by the tire manufacturers, but what are the differences between those tests? We asked Hiroaki Odashima, Motorsports Manager, Michelin.
“Initially, GTA’s official test was held six times a year. But it was reduced, so the tire manufacturers started to hold tests in place for that. That’s why, as a tire manufacturer, there is no particular difference” said Odashima. However, although almost all teams participate in the official test, there is only a limited number of cars per automaker participate in a tire test, thus, it seems that some people get suspicious that something must be going on. Odashima responded as he explained, “Test menu is basically the same for both tests, and it is mainly to check tires for the race, but we do, in some occasions, test a totally new technology (incorporated tires). But that does not only happen in the tire manufacturer test, it also happens in an official test too.”

Then how are the lap times during a test assessed? “Lap times (during a test) are only used as a benchmark for qualifying. In another words, if the teams wearing Michelin and the rivals were running at a similar time, then we focus more on long-run (of the race) rather than to make it go faster in the qualifying. But if we were two seconds slower than the rivals, then we need to focus on improving the lap time.” Teams can load whatever handicap weight they want to mount on the car during a test, so how do they compare the lap times? Odashima answered with a smile, “We can only guess rather than analyze because we don’t know exactly about the cars wearing other tires.”

 GT500 class Day 1 top time

Hideki Mutoh (No.15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT)

Car felt good already from the beginning this time. In the morning, it was difficult to get a lap time out because there was a red flag when I was doing an attack lap, or I was doing a best time in one sector (an area defined by dividing the circuit into three areas) but got stuck behind a slower car in another sector. After all, I got a clear lap during the exclusive session at the end and that gave me a chance to mark the top time. I believe this result came because the team continued to put effort in doing many tests from the offseason and the car improved a little by little as we went through testing. Oliver (Turvey) and I have done testing and driven in the race together many times up to this point, so our communication is perfect. However, although we became teammates from this season because our driving styles are the same, we found out it (driving style) is slightly different. That’s why, we first should finish up the car to be fast and then the drivers should adapt to that. From today’s situation, I think if Oliver can adapt a little, then we can have a competitive race. I’m hoping to race at a position where we can aim for the podium at the next round at SUGO.

GT300 class Day 1 top time

We have been able to update our car to a complete 2016 specification from the previous test at SUGO. We had good parts and bad parts at SUGO, but this time there are many good parts, so the car is coming up pretty well. But the lap time just came out because the tires that were on the car at that time just happened to be one of the better ones, and matched well to the condition, out of all the tires we brought in, and it was the same story at SUGO (test) too, and I know it will be difficult when it gets a little bit hotter at the real situation (of each race). We were able to select what we think to be good tires, but it’s not good that we couldn’t do a long-run on that (due to so many testing menu). It seems tomorrow (7/9) will be wet condition, and the top priority of today was to have Makino pass the rookie test. I have been watching (Makino as a team manager) in F3, but he is impressive. I was thinking that this year’s Suzuka 1000km might be a tough one because I might need to cover more stints (number of laps to drive) this year, but he seems to be a sufficient force. That might be the most valuable findings we got today.

The “Official of the Order of the Italian Star” is an accolade awarded by the President of the Italian Republic to individuals of merit in a variety of fields.

Italian born Quintarelli has competed in the Super GT behind the wheel of the Nissan GT-R since 2008 and has scored four series championships over a five-year period from 2011 to 2015, the most ever titles for a driver in the series.

In addition to these achievements, this award is being bestowed in recognition of his continued social contributions in the Tohoku region following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

“I would like to thank the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella and the Italian Ambassador to Japan, Domenico Giorgi for this unexpected recognition,” said Quintarelli after being presented with the award by Italian Ambassador, Domenico Giorgi at the conferment ceremony held at the Italian Embassy in Tokyo.

“To receive such an important medal today is a huge honor for me and it is undeniably the result of the firm commitment and strong relationship between myself and the Japanese people.

“I have achieved four titles in the Super GT with Nissan/NISMO but, thanks to the medal I have received today, I want to keep pushing even harder in the best way possible as an Italian racing driver here in Japan.

“In the same way, I will continue to support all of the people in the Tohoku area who continue to suffer from the tragedy of the March 11th, 2011 earthquake. I appreciate the support of the people that have been with me during my career, especially my families in Italy and here in Japan.”   

Quintarelli has won the past two championships with Tsugio Matsuda. The duo have also kicked off their championship defence in the best possible way by winning the opening two rounds of 2016.

“I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to Ronnie on this occasion. It’s great that our racing partner, Ronnie’s achievements, both on and off the circuit in Japan, are so highly regarded in his native Italy,” said Takao Katagiri, CEO of Nissan Motorsports International Co, Ltd. who was in attendance for the ceremony.

“Ronnie and the NISMO team are attempting to achieve an unprecedented three straight consecutive championships. I believe that being awarded this accolade will further add to his momentum and by the end of the season we will have even more happy news to send over to Italy.

“I sincerely hope that Ronnie’s continued competition as the Italian champion in Japan will bring our two countries even closer together.” 

After the meeting, ITR Chairman Hans Werner Aufrecht said: “During today’s meeting we made another step forward regarding the harmonisation of the regulations and defined the next milestones on the way to doing so. Furthermore, we succeeded in describing the way along the two main goals: cost reduction and geographic expansion of the marketing campaigns.”

Technical regulations of GT500 class has been unified with DTM car since last season, and SUPER GT’s GT500 car and DTM car will be racing under an international specification, Class One, in future. Expectation has risen for a joint race by GT500 and DTM cars since the decision was made for the plan, and it can be said that it has gotten much closer to realization considering that detail timings of the events have been mentioned by Chairman Bandoh in this press conference.

According to Chairman Bandoh, three manufacturers competing in the DTM are considering to field four cars each, a total of 12 cars, to the joint race planned to be held in Japan after the 2017 season is over in around November. He said another joint race is under consideration to be held in the following year in Germany before the 2018 season start in February or March. He added that he wishes to have all cars competing in GT500 class to race in both evets, if possible. Chairman also explained that these details had already been discussed with ITR Chairman Hans Werner Aufrecht during the “4th Steering Committee,” an international meeting held between GT races of Japan, Germany, and USA, held in May this year and it is progressing in a positive way.

It was also revealed in the press conference that GTA wishes to provide an opportunity to top performing drivers in the FIA-F4 Championship, which inaugurated this year, to test SUPER GT cars and to request JAF to enable young drivers who are not old enough to obtain a driver’s license to compete in SUPER GT with JAF’s limited license (currently issued only in open-wheel races).

As the last topic of the press conference, it was announced that SUPER GT’s prize ceremony is planned to be held in Tokyo after this year’s season is over in December.

Currently at the top of GT300 series ranking, Andre Couto (GAINER TANAX GT-R), and 3^rd in that of GT500, Andrea Caladrelli (LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM’S) both aiming to pile up some more achievements upon this important turning point in the season, came upon this world’s highly renowned technical course, Suzuka Circuit, where also the F1 Japanese Grand Prix is hosted each year.

Topics: Andre Couto who has been fighting in the All Japan GT race (the current SUPER GT) since 2001 celebrated his 100^th GT entry in 2015 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Rd. 5.　Inside the pit garage, celebration was done for Andre with many fans and drivers all gathered to congratulate him for his big accomplishment!

 August 29^th (SAT)  Official Qualifying

Following the downpour from the night before, Wet was declared for the Official Practice held on Saturday morning (09:20 – 11:10). As the session opened, the course was already drying and all the GT500 (15 cars) and GT 300 (28 cars) put on slick tyres. (Air temp. 24 deg. C / Track temp. 25 deg. C)

No. 37 of GT500, LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM’S went onward setting the machine with Andrea Calderelli / Ryo Hirakawa pair working together as usual. They finished this session in P10 with the time of 1’48.730.

In the GT300 class, GAINER TANAX GT-R (No. 10) with Andre Couto, Katsumasa Chiyo, Ryuichiro Tomita – the three drivers in a team this time, – finished this session positioning 10th with the time of (2’00.562) and progressed on towards qualifying.

Soon it was14:30, under cloudy skies and in Dry condition, the Official Qualifying was finally set to begin.

First of all, in the GT300 class, the first attempts (Q1: 14:30 – 14:45) began where Andre Couto on GAINER TANAX GT-R serving the time attacker placed the session in P9 (1’59.839) in spite of carrying heaviest WH (Weight Handicap) of all – 88kg. Therefore, Andre finished this session in 9^th, qualifying to make the Q2 competed by 13 machines. Then the next driver up, Katsumasa Chiyo, entrusted with the machine now exhibited a fabulous performance in the Q2 (15:25 – 15:37) and hopped up to P2 (with 1’58.600 time marked)! This resulted with the team to start the Race on Sunday from the front row.

 Andre Couto

“It was a good qualifying. We owe this to the team for preparing a great machine. However, how tomorrow goes will always depend on weather so we should expect and be ready to fight a tough race.”

In the GT500, Ryo Hirakawa was in charge of making the attacks in Q1 (14:50 – 15:05). As the machines all got to making attempts, one of the machines coursed off and therefore the session was red-flagged. However, Hirakawa undisturbed, finished this session in P6 (1’48.258) and advanced to Q2. Hence, putting the KeePer color machine under his command, Andrea Caldarelli gave another brilliant attacking pursuit and brought the team to qualify in P6 (1(48.665)

Andrea Caldarelli

“Between Q1 and Q2, we changed the setting which ended up giving us reverse effects, and without adequate front grip, this is the only result we got. As tomorrow’s race will be long-ranged, let’s make sure that we put perfect measures in place.”

 August 30^th (SUN)  RACE

On the race day as well, Suzuka Circuit was found under rainclouds from early morning, and due to some drizzles falling from around 11:00am, soon the track turned to a completely Wet condition.

Free Practice was not held this time like the usual Sunday mornings, but from 11:08, 20 minutes of warm-up session was held instead.

Then, at 12:30 (Air temp. 26 deg. C / Track temp. 28 deg. C / Humidity: 68%) still under the Wet condition, 173 laps of this famous long race began. In the beginning of the race, rain showers turned heavier at one time, but two hours into this long race it cleared, and the track began to dry.

 Starting from the front row of the GT300 class, Andre Couto on Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 (No. 10) suffered with insufficient matching of the track condition versus the rain tyres, and could not help positioning down to the tail end of the 300s. From the way it was looking, the team made the judgment to instruct No. 10 to pit-in on the 19^th lap. And just on finishing the 15^th lap in his stint, Andre returned to the pit for an early routine pit-stop. Changing to intermediate tyres and switching to Chiyo, now was the time to chase up from the backfield. Looking at other machines some coursing off or some that were pitting in as well, Chiyo worked up the notches little by little, and by the 35^th lap No. 10 got up to P9, and further, on the 52^nd lap up to P8. In the next lap, the team tried its second pit-in of the day and the car was now handed to the third driver Ryuichiro Tomita. Now Tomita continued with fine driving as marking the fastest time in the GT300 (of 2’08.162). In the meantime, there were SC runs for two times (14:50’25-15:12’05、15:23’09-15:42’04), also another machine which left the race and by the 89^th lap this team was up to P4.

After 90 laps done, steering was now entrusted to Andre Couto and this is exactly where Andre Couto struck off the strongest Push! As if to cancel out his somewhat frustrating tyre choice issues from the first stint, this veteran Portuguese driver charged(!) and now the GAINER TANAX GT-R was up at the top in lead on 96^th lap!

 Like so, No. 10 was now leading the GT300 race, but on the 120^th lap had to be passed by no. 7 (Studie BMW Z4) coming from behind. After that Andre pitted in, and the driving now switched to Katsumasa Chiyo in charge of the last stint! Fast pit actions by the team on No. 10 seized no. 7 and returned to the top position again with one more hour remaining in the race. Though every now and then, no. 7 often closed in from behind, Chiyo’s push continued until the gap between them gradually started widening. Then, at 18:25 received the chequer flag in the 1^st place and therefore GAINER TANAX GT-R captured its second victory of this season.

Andre Couto

“This is the finest result we can have! To have won this historic race of Suzuka 1000km, and also on my 100^th race, being able to win it is a memory you will treasure forever. The team did a very good job, all of us drivers did good. In the next race we will have 100kg WH on us, so we will stay focused. Please continue to give us your kind support!”

 In the GT500 class, LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM’S which made a rolling start from the 3^rd row with Ryo Hirakawa driving, could not raise his pace in the early laps and drew back to P9. Hirakawa continued on with a patient stride, but on the 31^st lap coursed off on the second bend of the Degner Curve! Luckily no damage was caused to the machine but with this the standing lowered all the way down to P14. Hence No. 37 did its first pit-stop on the 33rd lap, where the car was under the command of Andrea Caldarelli. By then the rain showers were much lighter allowing Andrea to push at high pace. Eventually, when the race turned to 64^th lap, there was an accident between GT300s and the safety car (SC) was drawn in.

And right after the SC was released, No. 37 pitted and tyres were switched to slick. Hirakawa back driving again, calm and concentrated, drove to the 104th lap, and as positioning 10^th, brought the car to pit stop for the second time. In Andrea’s stint, positioning up to P9 was accomplished on the 117th lap, and in that position 135 laps were down with the last stint left for Ryo Hirakawa to handle. Hirakawa also continued on with consistent driving and never giving up, finished the race in 8^th with 4 points gained.

Andrea Caldarelli

“In today’s race the weather was always un-foreseeable making tyre selection difficult to make, also when the SCs came in became the time-points to determine the good or the bad (outcomes), and it was really a tough race. This race never turned into a kind that we had hoped for. In my stint, I gave my best push but unfortunately no large improvement in our positions could be made.”

Coinciding with the Bon Festival holiday, Fuji Speedway saw a whopping 56,000 spectators turn out over the weekend to watch the race. Under the blazing sun, the fans in the grand stand experienced some sweltering conditions, but the excitement of race day blew away any concerns about the heat. Having achieved very good results thus far in the season, both the #1 GT-R and #12 GT-R have been assigned handicap weights exceeding 50kg. Consequently, they have been fitted with fuel restrictors that limit the supply of fuel to the engine. Due to Fuji Speedway’s considerably long straight, the difference in top speeds between cars with and without this device is quite telling. As a result, the two cars struggled during the official qualifying sessions, leaving the #12 starting the final race from 8th and the #1 from 11th on the grid. The #24 GT-R, having yet to be set any handicap weight, secured a 6th place start. Starting behind the wheel of the #24 GT-R, Krumm protected their 6th position in the opening stages and then went on to climb up one spot before handing the car over to Sasaki. Approximately 1 hour after the race started, the road surface temperature began to drop and, as if corresponding to this, Sasaki began his push through the pack. First he passed the #100 NSX CONCEPT-GT to climb to 4th, and followed this up by overtaking the #36 RC F to leap into 3rd. In front of him the #1 GT-R was battling it out with the #38 RC F, but Sasaki almost effortlessly passed these two machines to put him in the top spot. After this he continued to lift his pace and pass the checkered flag with a 4.7 second margin over the next car. This was the first win for the #24 GT-R in 5 years and 4 months, the last being in the 2010 season opening round at Suzuka. Furthermore it was Sasaki’s first ever win in the SUPER GT, and Krumm’s first since 2004 at Tokachi, an interval of 11 years. KONDO RACING team principal, Masahiko Kondo went on to say, “We owe a big thank you to Yokohama for creating such strong tires. We’ve had a streak of bad luck and there have been so many races where victory just slipped out of our grasp so I’m really ecstatic. Everything finally came together and we’ve been able to get this fantastic result. [Michael] Krumm did a great job surpassing the harsh developments in the early stages of the race and then Daiki really pulled out a superb performance.”

The success of the GT-Rs was not limited to this though. Starting from 11th on the grid, Matsuda took charge of the #1 GT-R and right from the word go was tenaciously chasing down his rivals to raise them to 8th by the time he headed into the pits. The NISMO mechanics then performed a blisteringly fast pit stop, 10 seconds faster than the rest of the competition, and when the #1 GT-R returned to the course it had risen to an astonishing real 3rd place. Quintarelli continued to ride on this momentum, passing the #36 RC F to put them in 2nd, and rapidly began to close the gap with the #38 RC F. However, a sufficient chance to overtake the #38, which was free from the burden of a fuel restrictor, never quite presented itself, and towards the end of the race the #1 GT-R began to lose tire grip. At this point it relinquished its position to the #12 GT-R and passed the checkered flag in 4th. The #12 GT-R had fallen down the order early in the race but shot back up in the second half to ultimately pass the #1 GT-R, a serious rival in the championship, to grab the 3rd step on the podium. They are now sitting at the top of the point rankings.

Last round’s winner, the #46 “S Road MOLA GT-R” (Satoshi Motoyama / Masataka Yanagida) started from 10th and completed the race in 14th place. In the GT300 class the #3 “B-MAX NDDP GT-R” (Kazuki Hoshino / Mitsunori Takaboshi) was hit by another car in the opening lap at Dunlop Corner, resulting in significant damage. Despite managing to get back to the pits it was forced to retire. The #10 “GAINER TANAX GT-R” (Andre Couto / Katsumasa Chiyo) came home in 6th and this put Couto at the top of the championship rankings.

QUOTES:

#24 GT-R driver, Daiki Sasaki
“After Krumm did such a fantastic job to bring the car into the pits in 5th under those severe, hot conditions, I really tried to push as hard as I could after it began to cool down. At first I just aimed to grab 3rd, but after I managed to get there I felt that I could go even further and continued to push for a higher spot. In the final stages I was furiously driving while desperately maintaining control of the tempestuous machine. I was overcome with emotion after I passed the finish line. Then after I brought the car into parc ferme and looked at Klumm’s face, tears once again filled my eyes.”

#24 GT-R driver, Michael Krumm
“This is my 3rd season driving for KONDO RACING and beginning from the folks at Yokohama Tires, everyone in the team has been fervently striving for a win and today is the result of all those efforts. Of course there was also a bit of luck involved. We’ve had a lot of misfortune recently so I am incredibly happy with this win. Especially since its my first in 11 years.”

NISMO team principal Yutaka Suzuki
“Ronnie did an amazing job raising us up through the order. Unfortunately our speed on the straight was hampered and he was unable to overtake that last rival. Ultimately the tires began to lose grip and we fell back to 4th, but looking at the fact that we started from 11th and ended up engaging in a battle for the lead, I think this was a good race for us. Both the drivers and the team, who did some phenomenal pit work, deserve full recognition. We’re sitting at 2nd in the rankings but we’ll be going into the second half of the season with high hopes of taking the championship.”

Andre Couto (GAINER) won Round 2 of this Series right here on the same circuit, and Andre Caldarelli (LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM’S) who in the SUPER FORMULA took a pole-position in July came upon a big summer race again this weekend as the point leaders in each of their classes. Hence, both GRM racers arrived at the stage highly driven to keep their leads!

 (Attendance figures officially announced:  August 8^th 20,400 / August 9^th 36,400 = Total of 56,800)

 August 8^th (SAT)  Official Qualifying

At the present time, the Japanese islands are struck by powerful mid-summer heat day after day. And though this track is located in the higher Fuji mountain altitudes, on Saturday morning air temperature was at 28 deg. C from early on, with light clouds spreading all above (Track temp. 33 deg. C / Humidity 75%). Under such hot and muggy conditions, Saturday morning’s official practice began from 8:50 – 10:35 where 15 of GT500 and 29 GT300 machines, the total of 44 cars took part for as long as 105 minutes.

 Based on SUPER GT’s technical regulations, weight handy (WH) is loaded upon each car according to race results from the previous round and here KeePer TOM’S RC F (No. 37) carried a 60kg WH. Andrea Caldarelli and Ryo Hirakawa pair driving, their best time of 1’30.530 from this session positioned them in P13.

 * In the GT500 class, when the Weight Handy exceeds 50kg, a conversion is made to such 50kg worth of fuel flow restrictor diameter, and then the remaining weight is imposed as is.　For example: In the case WH is 56kg, first the fuel flow restrictor diameter amounting to 50kg is converted, then the remainder (of which in this case, is) +6kg is loaded on the car as a weight handicap.

Meanwhile, GAINER TANAX GT-R (No. 10, WH78kg) had Andre Couto’s teammate Katsumasa Chiyo starting the session. And just when their time was improved to 1’40.088, trouble with the drive system emerged and car stalled on the course. The machine was soon brought back to the pit and the team mechanics all hurried to fix everything in time for the approaching qualifying sessions.

 Hot summer day eventually turned cloudy with the temperature still at 28 deg. C, but at 14:15, under Dry condition with even a nice breeze felt on the skin, the Official Qualifying session began.

 In the first attempts by GT300 (Q1 14:15 – 14:37), on GAINER TANAX GT-R efforts to repair the car continued till just before the starting time of the quali, but the team managed it all well and sent Katsumasa Chiyo out to the course in time.

Chiyo made strong pursuits throughout, but No. 10 had to settle to P14 (with their best time 1’38.792) which was barely falling short to advance to the Q2. However, since there was another competitor imposed with a penalty, GAINER TANAX GT-R was up in P13 and suddenly Andre Couto who did no single warm-up lap in the morning, was to run the Q2 (15:08 – 15:21). Never wasting such chances however, veteran driver Andre gave a decent push, and clocking the same exact 1’38.729 time marked by Chiyo earlier in the day, brought the team to position 11^th after qualifying.

 Andre Couto

“Considering that we had a trouble this morning, this is perhaps the best result we could have gotten for today. We were lucky to have also advanced to the Q2. For me, it turned into driving the qualifying rather “un-rehearsed”, but glad that I could bring us to P11. Now I can’t wait for tomorrow’s race.”

 On the other hand, the Q1 of GT500 had to start behind schedule (14:43 – 14:58) as there was interruption in the Q2 of GT300s. No. 37 KeePer TOM‘S RC F was run by Ryo Hirakawa first. However, with the time stumbling at 1’29.359 (P12), it saw no Andre Caldarelli on the steer in Q2 competed among the best 8.

 Andrea Caldarelli

“Regrettable qualifying result, but even with WH (of about 50kg, with restrictor limitations) machine condition was never so bad from the morning, and the time gap with competitors is also not that large. We have not given up on tomorrow’s race at all. In the long 300KM race, I’ll work hard as a good team with Ryo (Hirakawa), and do our best!”

 August 9^th (SUN)  Race

Sunday was again found under fine weather from the morning, and in the Free Practice (9:35 – 10:05) everybody worked on final adjustments tuned to the upcoming Race. GAINER TANAX GT-R with Andre Couto/Katsumasa Chiyo started the day positioning 5^th in the GT300 class. Meanwhile, Andrea Caldarelli/Ryo Hirakawa pair resulted with P12 in the GT500 class with the time of 1’31.663. Both GRM drivers went on with their preparations respectively for the coming race with good feelings gained from morning practices.

Soon it was 15:00 time to start the race. By then the temperature had risen to 31 deg. C, with track temperature reading 45 deg. C but then with pleasant winds also brushing by, the 66 laps (approximately 300km) race got under way.

In the GT300 class, GAINER TANAX GT-R (No. 10) Andre Couto kicked off from 11^th, and with skillful driving in the opening laps kept raising his position up to P9, then to P8 on the 4^th lap, P7 on 7^th, and to P6 in the 10^th lap! From there the veteran Portuguese driver continued to push up the field battling for 2^nd. Only, coming to the 1^st turn on the 18^th lap, surrounded by other machines and losing space, and moreover with a GT500 machine contacting from behind led to a regrettable spin! This caused No. 10 to lose positions again down to P12. However, that did not bring this gutsy driver down! From there Andre Couto chased up the field strong, passing cars one after another until finishing the 27^th lap, and finally pitted and handed the machine to Katsumasa Chiyo.

After that, Chiyo also kept pushing with tenacious driving, and as passing some machines that also left the frontline worked his way up to P6. Back where they were, No. 10 continued to battle in that position and till the end, earned 5 points. As a result of this, Andre Couto retains his point leader’s position in the GT300 class.

Andre Couto

“Overcoming some troubles, to finish 6^th and earn points, which lets us keep the ranking-top position makes me happy. Also since the team prepared a great machine for us, I was able to enjoy the battling especially during the early laps. We will stay on this good note, and get ready for Suzuka where it’s going to be an even tougher race! I ask that everybody continues to support us!”     

 As the starting driver of LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM’S (No. 37), Andrea Caldarelli took off well as jumping up from P12 to P9 in the opening lap! The brave Pescara-born Italian drove aggressively in that position throughout the first so many laps but in the 10^th lap due to collision with another car, No. 37 was issued a drive-through penalty. Andrea Caldarelli on this day drove 35 laps, and then went into the pit for a switch to his teammate. Ryo Hirakawa took over the steering next, and pushed as hard as he could to catch up, as going from P14, but in the end finishing in 12^th was the best that could be done for this time around.

 Andrea Caldarelli

“My Start went well and I pushed hard but after a few laps, it became hard on the tyres. We must admit that harder tyres were not the best choice this weekend. I will reflect seriously on this race where we ended up with no points, make a good switchover to the next, prepare for Suzuka 1000km!”

 The next stage of AUTOBACS SUPER GT Round 5 will be at Suzuka Circuit over August 29^th and the 30^th.

 It was a great day to watch a race at Fuji Speedway with bright sunny skies, towering white cumulus clouds and a fresh breeze blowing down from the slopes of Mt. Fuji. Just before the start of the race, the spectators were treated to the sight of the 44 competing SUPER GT cars parading down the racetrack behind an escort of nine white police bikes and four patrol cars of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police. This parade combined a traffic safety message for the SUPER GT spectators.

 In contrast to the 500-km race held here at Fuji Speedway as Round 2 of the season, this time the race distance was 300 km to be competed over 66 laps. The race started at exactly 3:00 in the afternoon. Starting from pole position (1^st position on the grid), Yuji Tachikawa in the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F held the early lead. Meanwhile, in the No. 24 D’station ADVAN GT-R of the team led by singer and accomplished race driver Masahiko Kondo, veteran driver Michael Krumm, and experienced former SUPER GT champion, was holding position comfortably from a 6^th-position grid start. At the routine pit stop, Krumm turned over the wheel of car No. 24 to his teammate, the young second-year GT driver Daiki Sasaki. In the second half of the race, as the pace of the leading No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Hiroaki Ishiura) slowed, the winner of this year’s Round 2 here at Fuji, the No. 1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Ronnie Quintarelli) began to close in. But, running behind car No. 1 at an even faster pace came Sasaki in the D’station ADVAN GT-R. Moving up to 3^rd position with ten laps remaining in the race, Sasaki then went on to past in succession the remaining two cars in front of him, the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R and the ZENT CERUMO RC F, representing the ace teams of the GT-R and RC F camps. Having won no series points as of the previous round, the D’station ADVAN GT-R was carrying none of the handicap weights unique to SUPER GT, which was clearly an advantage over the other two cars. Still, one couldn’t help but be impressed by with the way Sasaki drove the D’station ADVAN GT-R past his rivals to take the lead. Then, with five laps remaining in the race, Sasaki continued to push hard like the aggressive young driver he is, and by the time he took the checkers to complete his come-from-behind victory, he had a roughly 4-second lead over the ZENT CERUMO RC F in 2^nd place.

  For Manager Kondo and his KONDO RACING team, this was their first GT500 class victory since the opening round of the 2010 season at Suzuka and their fifth win overall. For the 23-year-old Sasaki this was a felicitous first GT victory, while for Krumm it is his sixth career GT win and his first since 2004.

 In the GT300 class, the pole-starting No. 55 ARTA CR-Z GT (Shinichi Takagi/Takashi Kobayashi) pulled steadily away from the pack in the early stages of the race. After a flawless pit stop, the team went on to score a pole to checkers win without having given up the effective lead at any point in the race.

 (Spectators: 36,400)

 ■Winner Comments

No. 24 D’station ADVAN GT-R [GT500]

Daiki Sasaki: “Despite the hot conditions, [first stint driver Michael] Krumm ran strongly for us through it all. When I took over the wheel, I didn’t know if I could move up enough to get the win, but I set my sights on 3^rd place and drove as hard as I could. I am really happy that our efforts [as the drivers] and the hard work of everyone on the team paid off and we were able to get the win. For me, having Krumm-san back with us on the team is a feeling like having a father return to us. It was so reassuring to have him with us.”

Michael Krumm: “Since the team haven’t had a win in SUPER GT since 2010, I’m really happy with this result. Also, the motivation is really high on the KONDO RACING team this year and everyone has been very determined to win a race. In order to win, you always need a certain amount of luck, and this time we were able to take advantage of that luck. This win really makes me happy. I have gotten older (40) but I still feel young in spirit. At the next Round, the Suzuka 1000km, it will not be easy because of the handicap weights we will now be carrying, but I hope we can win again at SUGO or Motegi.”

 No. 55 ARTA CR-Z GT [GT300]

Shinichi Takagi: “This season there is only one CR-Z competing, and because of that we have been lucky to get lots of spare parts. This time, because the added weight of the car was making us slower, I decided to run without the cool suit. In the end that turns out to have been a help, because I was able to run at the same speed all the way to the end, and the performance of the Bridgestone tires was good too. Since we were able to win this race, I feel that we will be able to run more relaxed at the Suzuka 1000km in the next round.”

Takashi Kobayashi: “Today, [teammate Shinichi] Takagi was able to run at a very fast pace without the cool suit, and because he built up such a lead [and there was no longer any competition around him], our car wasn’t on the TV monitor much. When I took over for the second stint, it was still very hot in the car, but since we had a good margin of lead, I was able to run a controlled pace while watching the cars behind. With only one CR-Z competing this year, we have no other standard to base judgments on, and as a result it is harder to judge what is good and bad, but I am very glad to see that we are able to win races like this.”

The SUPER GT qualifying is run in a 2-session (Q1 and Q2) “knock-out” format. It is a stringent type of qualifying in which only those cars finishing among the designated number of slots in Q1 qualify to compete in Q2 for the top grid positions. In the GT500 class, only the top eight Q1 qualifiers of the 15 participating teams move on to Q2.

This day at Fuji Speedway saw a break in the extreme heat wave that had gripped Japan in recent weeks. Although the morning was still hot and muggy, afternoon brought increasing cloud cover and the air temperature dropped to a more comfortable 27 degrees C. Due to a delay in the GT300 class Q1 session, the GT500 class Q1 began eight minutes late at 2:43 in the afternoon. In this Q1 session, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F driven by Hiroaki Ishiura recorded a time of 1’28.929 near the end of the session to finish with the fastest time. The second fastest time went to the No. 8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT driven by the new driver Tomoki Nojiri just 0.023 seconds behind Ishiura.

In the ensuing GT500 class Q2 session, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F was driven by Yuji Tachikawa, the record holder for most pole positions in the GT500 class and a driver known particularly for his successes at Fuji Speedway. Tachikawa aced his two time attacks, recording the fastest laps of the session each time. Driving the No. 8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT that had shown great speed in Q1, Kosuke Matsuura recorded a time of 1’28.733 but failed to beat Tachikawa’s time of 1’28.579. This gave pole position to the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F

For Tachikawa, this was his 21^st pole position in the GT500 class and it extended his record for most poles by a driver. It was also his ninth pole position at Fuji Speedway, far more than any of his rivals. For the Lexus RC F, this was the sixth pole position in the GT500 class.

In the GT300 class, the No. 55 ARTA CR-Z GT had the fastest time in Q1, driven by Takashi Kobayashi, and also in Q2, driven by the veteran Shinichi Takagi, thus claiming the GT300 class pole position. For Takagi, this was his ninth pole position in the GT300 class, putting him in a tie for third place in total GT300 poles. For the Honda CR-Z GT, this was its 5^th pole position in GT300 class competition.

 ■Pole Position Winner Comments

No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F [GT500]

Yuji Tachikawa: “The condition of the machine itself had improved compared to the last round. Having a new engine spec and the results from the tests run at SUGO, there was good power and things felt good to me from the morning practice stage. And in fact, results showed that the performance had indeed gotten better. I felt that I could get pole position this time if I didn’t make any mistakes, but in actuality I think this was a pole that the two of us drivers won by working together. I want to defend this position in tomorrow’s race.”

 No. 55 ARTA CR-Z GT [GT300]

Shinichi Takagi: “Based on our experience until now, we are usually passed by a couple of machines in the race. But, even if that happens again, I believe that we can make up for it with gains in our pit work (time). In the race, I want to be careful to avoid anything like a crash at the start and manage to keep this pole position so I can hand over the machine to [teammate Takashi] Kobayashi-san with a lead. If I can do that, I hope that Kobayashi-san can manage to do what it takes [to win].”

Since the days of its founding, Honda has always tackled the challenge of competing in motorsports events around the world, using the races as a springboard for the company’s growth by testing, refining and proving the worth of its original technologies on the global stage. Under its corporate slogan of “The Power of Dreams,” Honda aims to satisfy the expectations of its customers by putting more power behind its motorsports activities, so that through racing it can bring fun, joy and excitement to people across the globe.

In the GT500 class of the SUPER GT Series, Honda will compete with its NSX CONCEPT-GT equipped with a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder direct injection turbo engine and a racing hybrid system, in its attempt to recapture the dual title of drivers’ and team championships with its five teams and five machines. In the GT300 class, Honda will continue its support for AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI, supplying them with a racing hybrid system, in cooperation with M-TEC Co., Ltd.

SUPER GT Series <GT500 class>

Honda, with its further refined NSX CONCEPT-GT and with newly added riders Tomoki Nojiri, Oliver Turvey and Takuya Izawa, will compete with five teams racing five machines again this year.

With an aim to recapture the dual titles of drivers’ and team championships, the machine is being developed again this year under the auspices of the Honda GT Project by Honda R&D Co., Ltd., in cooperation with M-TEC Co., Ltd.

SUPER GT Series <GT300 class>

Under the CR-Z GT project this season, Honda will provide the racing hybrid system and also support the participation of AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI in cooperation with M-TEC., Ltd.

• Further expansion of participation in major endurance races around the world
• Set to compete in the LM P1 class, the top category of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans
• Following from last year, aims to achieve two consecutive season titles in the SUPER GT’s GT500 class
• Nismo athletes composed largely of gamer-born drivers to participate in racing series around the world

1. FIA World Endurance Championship / 24 Hours of Le Mans
The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, revealed to the world on 1 February 2015, is Nissan’s LM P1 challenger. The innovative racing car is a front-engined, front wheel drive vehicle, powered by a V6 3-litre twin turbo petrol engine and a kinetic energy recovery system.

The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season starts at Silverstone, UK on 12 April and heads to Spa-Francorchamps before heading to France for the blue riband event of the series: the Le Mans 24 Hours. The season continues at Germany’s Nurburgring before it goes to the US, China, Japan and the Middle East.

Car numbers: 21 (Le Mans only), 22 & 23 (FIA WEC full season)
Drivers: Tsugio Matsuda (JAP), Marc Gene (ESP), Olivier Pla (FRA), Harry Tincknell (GB)
Michael Krumm (GER), Lucas Ordonez (ESP)
The full LMP1 driver line-up and the configuration of the line-up for each car will be announced at a later date.

2. SUPER GT GT500 Class
● GT500 Class Vehicle

Last season, the first under the new rules where Technical Regulations (excluding engines) were aligned with those of the DTM (German Touring car Masters), NISMO’s entry into the GT500 class, the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500) took home the series championship. The 2015 spec machine is based on the 2014 champ car and has been further developed with an emphasis on increasing powertrain durability, improving aerodynamic performance, and improving vehicle dynamics performance by enhancing weight reduction.

● Team organization:
As with last year, four NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT500s from the four teams of NISMO, TEAM IMPUL, KONDO RACING and MOLA will be competing in the GT500 class. In order to enable Michael Krumm to be wholly devoted to and concentrate on vehicle development for the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, the FIA World Endurance Championship challenger, until round 3 Lucas Ordonez will be stepping up from the GT300 class and will pair up with Daiki Sasaki. Kunihiko Kakimoto will continue his role as executive director for the Nissan related teams.

3. Customer Programs
Nissan/Nismo will continue to support customer teams racing with Nissan cars and Nissan engines this season.

● Supply and technical support of NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3
The “NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3,” a racing car developed in accordance with FIA GT3 regulations and intended for customer use, has been updated since it was first released in 2012. The 2015 spec machine has aimed to enhance weight reduction, revise the weight distribution, and improve aerodynamics, fuel economy and brake performance. Nismo, in collaboration with its program partner, JRM in Europe, will continue to provide “NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3″ users with vehicles and technical assistance.

● SUPER GT GT300 Class
Nissan/Nismo will continue to provide technical assistance and ongoing vehicle supply to customer teams competing with the NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3 in the GT300 class of SUPER GT. Nismo will also field an NDDP RACING entry. Under the supervision of Team Principal Masahiro Hasemi, Mitsunori Takaboshi, who has been competing in the All Japan F3 Championship through the NDDP (Nissan Driver Development Program) will step up and pair with Kazuki Hoshino.

● Blancpain Endurance Series
In Europe, RJN, which is implementing activities for the Nissan GT Academy, and Nismo’s joint team will be entering one “Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3″ into the Pro Class. This is the first time for them to make an entry into this category.

● 24 Hours of Nurburgring
In collaboration with Nissan Germany, RJN and Nismo’s joint team will enter two “Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3’s” into the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.

● Super Taikyu Series (ST-X class)
Nismo will be providing technical assistance to customer teams which are competing with the “NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3″ in the Super Taikyu Series ST-X class. In addition, the collaboration team of KONDO RACING and the Nissan Technical College, the “ThreeBond Nissan Technical College GT-R” project, will continue its participation in the ST-X class this year. This program, in which the season’s racing activities form part of the students’ educational program, is heading into its fourth year.

● Supply and technical support for LM P2-class engines
Nismo will provide VK45 engines and technical assistance to teams competing in the LM P2 (Le Mans Prototype 2) class of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which includes the 24Hours of Le Mans, as well as those competing in the European Le Mans Series’ LMP2 class.

● Supply and technical support for LM P3-class engines
Nismo will supply VK50 engines (5 liter NA, V8) and technical assistance to teams competing in the European Le Mans Series’ LM P3 (Le Mans Prototype 3) class. The LM P3 class, which was established this year by the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest), is a category that was created to provide teams and drivers with an introduction to endurance races. The Nismo developed VK50 engine, which will be supplied through the European race company, ORECA, is designed to be a one season-maintenance free, highly durable, low cost engine with excellent drivability and performance that achieves a perfect cost balance.

● Super Taikyu Series (ST-3 Class)
Continuing its activities from last season, Nismo will provide technical support to customer teams competing with the Fairlady Z NISMO RC in the ST-3 class of the Super Taikyu Series.

4. Activities of Nismo Athletes
● Nismo Global Driver Exchange Program
Nissan/Nismo is placing a great deal of focus on developing, and promoting interaction between, young drivers. Beginning from 2013, the Nismo Global Driver Exchange Program was developed with the goal of further enhancing the talents of Nismo athletes who are young Nissan drivers competing worldwide. It seeks to accomplish this through increasing their opportunities to experience driving in racing events around the globe while concurrently expanding their chances of success. This year, inaugural Nissan GT Academy graduate, Lucas Ordonez, who competed last year in the GT300 class of the SUPER GT, will be stepping up to the GT500 class for 3 races and will also be competing in the All Japan F3 Championship. In addition, Katsumasa Chiyo will be following on from last year to undertake full participation in the Blancpain Endurance Series, while Wolfgang Reip will take part in the SUPER GT’s round 5 Suzuka 1000km Race as a number 3 driver.

● All Japan F3 Championship
The above mentioned Lucas Ordonez and Mitsunori Takaboshi will be competing in the All Japan F3 Championship (Champion Class).

● Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO

“2014 was a vintage year for Nissan and NISMO. Not only did we celebrate our 30th year but we also raced across the globe to 84 podium finishes, 42 of which were race victories.  How do we top that? We make our return to the premier class of sports car racing in 2015. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is at the pinnacle of the sports car ladder we have created. We can now take drivers from GT Academy to LM P1 via our ladder – from gaming to GT4 to GT3 and onto LM P3, P2 and then P1. Lucas Ordonez has shown that the ladder works and his arrival in Super GT GT500 and Le Mans in LM P1 is a lesson to anyone who dreams of becoming a racing driver. We want to make motorsport mainstream again – to bring the thrills, the fun, the innovation, the genius of engineering to everyone.  I hope we can look back one year from now and see that we did that.”

● Shoichi Miyatani, CEO and President of Nismo:
“Last year we were able to properly celebrate Nismo’s 30th Anniversary by taking home the series championship in the GT500 class of the SUPER GT. This year we will finally be participating in the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. This will be the first time in a while that Nissan/Nismo will participate in a world stage series and so we’re perfectly aware that it will not be a walk in the park. However, we will treat this first year as an opportunity to learn from some of the best. Furthermore, in order to solidify the credibility of NISMO as Nissan’s performance brand, not only in the LM P1, but also the SUPER GT, GT3, LM P2, LM P3, and so on, we fully intend to provide customer support etc. that will effectively display our presence in the global racing scene.

On February 28th (Sat), there will be an event held at Nissan’s Global Headquarters Gallery in Yokohama in which SUPER GT team principals and drivers will participate. On top of this, machines such as the #1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R and #3 B-MAX NDDP GT-R with their new colorings will be on display.

Takuya Yura, the president and CEO of Mooncraft, the builder of the car, commented with a smile, “I enjoyed building a car for the first time since a long while. I want to do a shakedown before the official test (in Okayama) if it’s possible…. Racing car is useless until it actually runs. But I had many customers coming up to me and say “It’s cool’, so at this point I am satisfied.” Although the mother chassis is used just like in TOYOTA 86, the car is a MR (mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive) package with a GTA engine mounted behind the cockpit. Yura showed a bitter smile as he said, “I now deeply understand the difficulty Honda said it experienced when they built NSX.” But he implied the maturity of the car in his comment, “Since a carbon cowling is fully attached on the chassis, the stiffness of chassis should be much higher than 86.”

Capitalizing on the advantages of the common basic performance across its vehicles – the Horizontally-Opposed Engine and symmetrical layout with a low center of gravity, SUBARU pursues ‘Enjoyment & Peace of Mind’, and participates in motorsports which offer the ultimate opportunity to demonstrate its pursuits. SUBARU also regards competing in and winning races as a challenge to take on for all SUBARU fans and owners around the world.

Nürburgring 24-Hour Race
STI will take part in the 43rd Nürburgring 24-Hour Race held at the Nürburgring in Germany from Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 May with the SUBARU WRX STI. This will be its 8th consecutive year to compete in the race since 2008. Based on the WRX STI, the racecar has been tuned in various areas such as the aerodynamics, suspension, rigidity of the body and output of the engine. With this car, STI will be aiming to reclaim its dominance in the SP3T class for cars with turbo charged engines displacing 2-liters or less. Taking advantage of the characteristics of the high-spec base car, the performance of the whole package has been enhanced and together with its past experience in the 24-hour race, the team will be looking to achieve even better results than ever. Hideharu Tatsumi from STI will act as General Team Manager while STI employees and dealer mechanics picked from selected SUBARU dealerships across Japan will operate the team. As for drivers from Europe, Marcel Lasée and Carlo van Dam will be joined for the first time by Tim Schrick, the 2014 VLN champion. Japanese drivers are as yet to be decided.

SUPER GT Series
STI will run a SUBARU BRZ GT300 in the GT300 class of the SUPER GT series, the most prestigious motorsport category in Japan. The competition vehicle has adopted the FR system with the same powertrain layout as its mass produced road-going sibling. The performance of many areas of the car including the 2-liter turbo Horizontally-Opposed Engine has been enhanced for improvement in its comprehensive competitiveness. Together with R&D SPORT, which is the main operator of the team, STI will be striving to win the series, a goal which the team missed out on in 2014. Hideharu Tatsumi will continue to lead the development of the car and to act as General Team Manager. Hideki Yamauchi has been appointed as a new team driver and will be working with Takuto Iguchi who joined the team last year.

Other activities
STI has applied for FIA homologation for the new SUBARU WRX STI to accommodate the requests of its customers who wish to utilize the vehicle in various motorsports.