SUPER GT Round 6: First podium finish of the season!
On September 20–21, the SUPER GT Round 6 SUGO GT 300km Race was held at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture.
As the series approached its final stages, this race was a crucial opportunity to change the momentum. Many of Astemo’s offices are located around SUGO, making it a home track for us. On race day, over 900 employees and their families came to cheer for the team, making it a battle that we could not afford to lose.
On Saturday the 20th, the practice session began under challenging conditions with a damp track. As the surface gradually dried, the team was able to test slick tires, and during the GT500-exclusive session, Koide set the fastest lap time, giving the team a strong sense of confidence.
In Q1 qualifying, Koide drove with composure and secured advancement to Q2 with a 6th-place time of 1’09.989. In Q2, Tsukakoshi pushed hard but was unable to further improve his time, logging a time of 1’10.210 to place 8th. This set the team’s starting position at 8th on the grid for Sunday’s race.
In Sunday’s race on the 21st, Koide took the start as driver, determined to redeem himself after the disappointment at the previous round in Suzuka. From the opening laps he launched an aggressive charge, finishing lap 1 in 8th position. Beginning on lap 6, he overtook one rival after another, and by lap 15 had passed the championship-leading No.1 au TOM’S GR Supra on the main straight into Turn 1 to move up to 5th. The very next lap, he overtook the No.3 Niterra MOTUL Z to climb to 4th, thrilling the crowd.
On lap 28, the team made an earlier-than-planned pit stop, handing the car to Tsukakoshi. Thanks to a flawless pit stop, he rejoined strongly and continued the charge. By lap 33 he overtook the No.16 ARTA MUGEN CIVIC TYPE R-GT, and when all cars had completed their stops by lap 44, he emerged in 2nd, pushing for even higher positions.
However, a major crash on lap 49 brought out the red flag. During the stoppage, Director Kaneishi encouraged Tsukakoshi, saying, “Let’s refocus and push again.” When the race resumed with 30 minutes remaining, the No.24 Realize Corporation ADVAN Z got past, dropping the team to 3rd. Still, Tsukakoshi fought on, fending off relentless pressure from the No.16 car. In a fierce battle that lasted until the final lap, he held his ground to cross the finish line in 3rd place—securing the team’s first podium of the season.
