SUPER GT Rd. 5 Suzuka: From a long-awaited pole position to a tight battle for the top position, No. 17 shows its progress
The fifth round of SUPER GT, the SUZUKA GT 300km RACE, was held at Suzuka Circuit in midsummer on August 22 (Sat) and 23 (Sun).
In Saturday’s official qualifying session, Yuto Nomura of the Astemo HRC PRELUDE-GT secured his first-ever pole position in the GT500 class. In doing so, he also broke the record for the youngest pole-sitter, previously held by Ralf Schumacher since 1996.
In the following day’s final race, the car ran at the front from the early stages and engaged in an intense battle for the lead with the No. 16 PRELUDE-GT. Although overtaken in a neck-and-neck battle, the team fought tenaciously to the end and took the checkered flag in second place.
At the previous round at Fuji, the team finished fifth amidst changing weather and track conditions, but started to identify how the machine could demonstrate its full potential. At Suzuka, the team carried that momentum further, converting it into first place in qualifying and second place in the race.
August 22 (Sat): Qualifying / Weather: Sunny / Track: Dry
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The official practice runs saw two red flags interrupting the sessions. Nonetheless, the team steadily proceeded with its planned setup checks and finished official practice in fourth position.
Kodai Tsukakoshi handled Q1. With a stable run, he recorded the fourth-fastest time and safely advanced to Q2. In the subsequent Q2 session, after fine-tuning the machine, Nomura went out on track with seven minutes remaining. He carefully warmed up the tires and delivered a superb final attack to set the fastest time. As a result, Nomura claimed his first GT500-class pole position, and the No. 17 car would start the final from the front of the grid.
August 23 (Sun): Race/ Weather: Sunny / Track: Wet, Dry
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The weather remained clear at Suzuka Circuit on race day, and after the formation lap, the 300 km final got underway. Starting driver Nomura made a strong launch from pole position and kept the lead, pulling away with a gap of more than two seconds over the second place No. 16 PRELUDE-GT (ARTA MUGEN HRC PRELUDE-GT). In subsequent laps, due to the intermingling of traffic from GT300, the No. 16 car closed the gap, but once clear of the traffic, Nomura regained his pace and continued to lead the race.
Nomura pitted on lap 18, ahead of the other competitors. In the pit lane, before the driver change, Team Director Kaneishi was seen giving Tsukakoshi a strong embrace, entrusting him with expectations and confidence for the second stint.
The team completed the pit work and driver change without mistakes, sending Tsukakoshi back out onto the track. After the rival No. 16 car exited the pit, it briefly got ahead, but since its tires were still warming up, Tsukakoshi quickly retook the lead.
By lap 35 all cars had completed their pit work, and the No. 17 car was back in the lead, with the gap to second place at just 0.4 seconds. Amidst the tense battle that had the machines side-by-side, on lap 37 at 130R, Tsukakoshi was held up by a GT300 car, which the No. 16 car capitalized on to move ahead—dropping Tsukakoshi to second place.
Tsukakoshi continued chasing the leader until the end, but with five laps remaining, a GT300-class accident brought out the safety car, and the race concluded without a chance to contend for the top spot. The Astemo HRC PRELUDE-GT took the checkered flag in second place and earned 16 points.
Although the team fell just short of a pole-to-win result, it demonstrated top-of-the-pack performance, improving on its fifth-place finish at Fuji.
■Comments from Team Director and Drivers
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- Team Director: Katsutomo Kaneishi
In qualifying, both drivers delivered excellent attacks, and we were able to take pole position. We were also having a good race in the final, but it was frustrating with how it ended. At the next round in Sugo, we want to win and continue fighting through the series.
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- Driver: Koudai Tsukakoshi
Official practice was rough, with oil cleanup and red flags continuing, but we were able to proceed firmly with the setup. In qualifying, I was in charge of Q1 this time and was able to pass the baton to Nomura for Q2, which led to us taking pole position.
In the final, we made the driver change at the minimum lap, and it became a battle with the No. 16 car on track. However, partway through, I allowed the No. 16 car to get ahead, and we ultimately finished second. The car was in very good condition this time, and I went into the race intending to win, so I am truly frustrated that we couldn’t achieve it. I will reflect properly and come back even stronger for the next round at Sugo, so please continue to support us.
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- Driver: Yuto Nomura
The car’s feeling was not bad from official practice, but we started from the point of needing to make adjustments for qualifying.
In qualifying, Engineer Daieki and everyone on the team prepared a good car for me, and I was very happy to be able to take pole position.
The race pace was also not bad, and the feeling in my first stint was not bad either, but the rival No. 16 car was even faster, and we finished second, just one step short.
I think we have been improving over the last two races, so I will do my best to win at the next round in Sugo.
