For the fifth round of the season, the Japanese Super GT championship made a return to the Suzuka circuit, the first time in four years. The very least one can say about this race weekend is that it will be remembered. The reason: temperatures so hot that many cars had serious tyre problems which caused several big excursions from the track and the intervention of the safety car.
In the GT500 class, while victory went to the 2011 Champion – the S-Road Nissan team, teams receiving technical support from Motul were able to play their own game successfully. Beginning with the Keeper Kraft team, at the wheel of their Lexus SC430, Yuji Kunimoto and Andrea Caldarelli in effect forced their way through to the podium to eventually be classified second.
Handicapped by grave tyre problems and slowed by a collision with a GT300, Satoshi Motoyama and Michael Krumm (Motul Autech - Nissan GT-R) on the other hand finished in fifth place after briefly having led in the middle of the race.
Still with GT500, it’s worth noting also the eighth place of 2010 Champions, the Weider team (Honda HSV-010).
In the GT300 class, after 173 laps and almost six hours, note too the superb performance of the Motul-supported S Road NDDP team (GT-R) who stood on the second step of the podium. It was a more difficult weekend, however, for the R & D Sport team (Subaru BRZ) who didn’t reach the chequered flag.
Next stop will be 9th September in Fuji for the sixth round of the season.
GT500 Standings
1// Zent Cerumo – Lexus – 94 pts
2// S Road Reito Mola – Nissan – 86 pts
3// Denso Kobelco – Lexus – 76 pts
5// Weider – Honda – 68 pts - Motul
7// Motul Autech – Nissan – 60 pts - Motul
9// KeePer Kraft – Lexus – 48 pts - Motul
GT300 Standings
1// Triple A Vantage – Aston Martin – 94 pts
2// S Road NDDP – Nissan – 92 pts - Motul
3// Gainer Dixcel – Audi – 86 pts
14// R&D Sport – Subaru – 12 pts - Motul
Photo credit: GTA
