SUPER GT 2015 Round 2 race report: Nissan GT-R takes 1-2 finish in both classes

OYAMA, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan – Blessed with fine weather, Round 2 of the SUPER GT was held at Fuji International Speedway (Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, 1-lap 4.563km) last weekend where the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 grabbed first and second place in the GT500 class, while the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 achieved the same in the GT300 class, making this a total domination by Nissan.

With the race being held both at Fuji Speedway and during the Japanese holiday Golden Week, a total of 91,500 people turned out over the two days of the event.

From the previous day's practice runs, right through to the qualifying sessions, the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 was displaying fantastic form and the #1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie Quintarelli) secured pole position.

Following just behind was the #12 Calsonic IMPUL GT-R (Hironobu Yasuda / Joao Paolo de Oliveira) taking the second fastest time and ensuring that the GT-R would head into the following day's race morning completely occupying the front row.

Starting the race as pole-sitter, Quintarelli stated: "The team (NISMO) did a great job in the factory. The settings we went in with were incredibly good and as soon as I went out for the practice sessions I felt, yeah this is going to work. I'm completely confident that we'll be able to pull out a great run in the final race."

At 2:22 p.m. on May 3, the 500km race was kicked off in front a grandstand filled to the brim with avid race fans. This time the race would be approximately 200km – one hour longer than a regular 300km race. Immediately following the start, the two GT-Rs tore away from the competition and began ticking off laps with a powerful rhythm. Despite having to sandwich two pit stops into the race for refueling, tire replacement and driver changes, both pit crews displayed impeccable execution and sent their cars back out onto the track without a second wasted.

Quintarelli started behind the wheel of the #1 GT-R and then handed it over to Matsuda in the middle of the race. Later on Quintarelli would again take the reins, and at no point (pit timing aside) did they surrender their lead to the their rivals, nor meet with even one accident or incident. After a perfectly implemented race they seemed to effortlessly pass the checkered flag in the lead and take their first victory of the season.

To the rear of the #1 GT-R, the #12 GT-R was constantly on the lookout for a chance to grab the lead, but the #1 refused to present any opportunity and the #12 remained in second until the finish line. However, when we look back at the fact that they had built up an approximately 40-second lead over the car in third, it is clear that they greatly contributed to an overwhelming 1-2 finish for the GT-R.

The #46 S Road MOLA GT-R (Satoshi Motoyama / Masataka Yanagida) began from 9th on the grid with Motoyama in the driver's seat. Unfortunately they were slapped with a drive through penalty for making contact with another vehicle and fell down the order. However, when the Safety Car (SC) was dispatched in order to deal with another accident that occurred later on, they managed to make up their lost time. After the restart, Motoyama began to overtake the preceding vehicles, one after another. Unfortunately, after the change to Yanagida, tire damage, most likely caused by debris strewn on the course, would again cause them to lose a significant amount of time.

Ultimately they finished the race in 10th place. The #24 D'station ADVAN GT-R (Daiki Sasaki / Lucas Ordonez), which had reclaimed its inherent pace, started form a qualified fifth with Sasaki at the helm. After the restart following the SC, however, he made contact with another machine, which sent him into a spin. This resulted in a large drop in position. With the balance of their aerodynamics significantly damaged through the collision, they struggled to lift their pace, and ultimately completed the race in 11th.

In the GT300 class, the #3 B-MAX NDDP GT-R (Kazuki Hoshino/Mitsunori Takaboshi) qualified second and the #10 GAINER TANAX GT-R (Andre Couto/Katsumasa Chiyo/Ryuichiro Tomita) began the race from third place on the grid. Early in the race the #3 GT-R overtook the Prius to be running at the top of the GT300 class, but was replaced as race leader by the #10 GT-R when it came time to make their first pit. Mid-race, the #3 GT-R experienced a tire issue, forcing them to make an emergency pit stop and lose their position. Not taking this misfortune lying down, at the closing stages of the race, Hoshino pulled out a ferocious drive to reclaim second place and achieve another 1-2 finish for the GT-R. The numerous Nissan fans in the grandstand were ecstatic with the result.

QUOTES:

NISMO Team Principal - Yutaka Suzuki
"Yesterday I boasted that 'lights-to-flag victories are NISMO's style,’ and being able to live up to that claim makes me incredibly happy. We have managed to do it (lights-to-flag victories) three times now, from Autopolis and Motegi last year, to this time now. It's a huge boost of confidence. From the staff to the drivers, everyone did a perfect job. I want to apologize again to the fans for coming away from the opening round with such a disappointing result. However, this marks the new start of NISMO this year, and we will continue to build up points and march towards the championship. Please continue to support us."

NDDP RACING Team Principal - Masahiro Hasemi
"At the last stint my voice wasn't managing to reach the driver over the radio. So I was signaling at the sign guard to keep pushing! Hoshino really did a fantastic job of doing that. This time around the car and the tires performed really well. The two drivers also did an amazing job."

[ GT 500 class ] - 110 laps

[ GT 300 class ] - 100laps

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