2022 SUPER GT Round 6 Report

• HOME
• Motorsports
• 2022 Motorsports
• 2022 SUPER GT
• Round6 Report

The sixth round of the 2022 Super GT series was held at Sportsland Sugo in Miyagi prefecture. The first half of September had passed, and the signs of fall gradually appeared in the area around the race track.

A “normal” 300km race was back again here in Sugo. Moreover, this was the last of the races with Success Weights that had counted up. So one of the most intriguing topics was how the leading teams with heavy cars would fight against the teams with lighter cars and vice versa.

In the GT300 class, seven Yokohama Tire-shoed crews survive the battle for Q2. Kei Cozzolino in Pacific Hololive NAC Ferrari headed Group A of Q1, followed by Kakunoshin Ohta behind the wheel of UpGarage NSX GT3. So they looked promising. Yuya Motojima in Weibo Primez Lamborghini GT3 was the third fastest in Group B.

As for Q2, Natsu Sakaguchi, sharing Bamboo Airways Lamborghini GT3 with Kosuke Matsuura, was the top Yokohama Tire user, and Takashi Kogure at the wheel of the Weibo-backed Lamborghini followed. And since the top qualifier in the session was disqualified due to a technical infringement after the session, they got the second and third girds, respectively. These results meant the JLOC team’s two Lamborghinis shared the second row.

Kimiya Sato, paired with Takamitsu Matsui, Hoppy Schatz GR Supra on the sixth grid. Once again, it was terrific that Kiyoto Fujinami ended the session in eighth, driving Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R with a 100kg Success Weight. Even though the car had to serve a four-grid penalty because of Joao Paolo de Oliveira’s accumulated Moral Hazzard Penalty points, many were interested in how they would perform in the race, starting from the 12th grid.

In the GT500 class, Yuji Kunimoto in WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra was the seventh in Q1, the second lowest place to go on to Q2. On the other hand, Realize Corporation ADVAN Z, with Kohei Hirate behind the wheel, failed to follow Kunimoto’s path, as he had to settle for the 13th in Q1.

However, Sena Sakaguchi’s stunning performance in the Supra was enough to change the Yokohama Tire camp’s mood. Despite hitting traffic at the last corner of his final qualifying attempt, Sakaguchi set the fastest time and broke the course record. Thus, WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra claimed its fourth pole position this season.

The air/track temperatures were 27/33 degrees centigrade when the race was about to get underway on Sunday. These numbers were within the predicted range, but the weather changed quickly as the time to start the race was approaching. The clear autumn sky in the early morning became dark and overcast, and then it drizzled when the cars were taking their grids, which didn’t last long, at least for the moment.

Meanwhile, there was an unexpected announcement from GoodSmile Racing that Nobuteru Taniguchi wouldn’t participate in the race because of a sudden illness. But the team didn’t just withdraw their GoodSmile Hatsune Miku AMG, which was qualified in 14th. While it was apparent that they had to retire the car when Tatsuya Kataoka’s driving duration reached the maximum that the rules allow, they decided to start the race with Kataoka in the driving seat to show their appreciation for fans at the track.

And there was an accident immediately after the start. Pacific Hololive NAC Ferrari with Takeshi Kimura at the wheel was hit from behind and crashed on the first lap, resulting in premature retirement. It was a shame because many expected the car’s great recovery from the 15th grid, especially in the second half.

The Safety Car was deployed to remove Kimura’s damaged Ferrari, but it didn’t influence the race’s outcome. Instead, the rain, which started to fall around Lap 10, did. Although it only wetted some parts of the track’s tarmac initially, it soon got much heavier, and the whole circuit became soaked.

Responding to the condition change, most teams switched to the wet tires from Lap 13 onward, but Motojima in Weibo Primz Lamborghini GT3 and Sakaguchi in the sister car, Bamboo Airways Lamborghini GT3, dared to stay out. As a result, they formed one-two for a while, only to prove it was a wrong decision. Consequently, Sakaguchi lost control of his car and went off the track, and Motojima also had to lose positions.

In contrast, Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R with Fujinami behind the wheel chose to get the wet tires early, and it paid off, as he could move up to second. And the team put the slick tires on the car at the stop when Fujinami changed to Oliveira on Lap 43. The rain had already stopped around the halfway point of the race, and the track began to dry. So thanks to this call regarding the tires, he could climb up to fifth soon.

In the closing stage, the rain returned. And the Brazilian veteran’s skill shone under those problematic conditions. He gained another position by overtaking an opponent on Lap 73, with eight laps to go, and kept it until he saw the checkered flag. While they narrowly missed a podium finish, Realize Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R remained in the lead in the championship point standings.

Some teams opted for their third stop to change to wet tires again when they saw the rain come back, though their proactive decision backfired. So it was fair to say the weather changes tossed them about very much. Nevertheless, Hoppy Schartz GR Supra finished in tenth, scoring the first championship point with the team’s new weapon.

GoodSmile Hatsune Miku AMG had to end the race on Lap 56 for a reason mentioned above, but it was still classified 26th in the class, adding a valuable point for finishers to their tally.

Regarding the GT500 class, Kunimoto in WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra, starting from the pole position, fell back to third during the opening lap. After the Safety Car period, he kept the place for a while, but the team’s decisions in terms of tire change went wrong due to the changing weather conditions. While Sakaguchi, who drove for the second stint, also gave his all, they had to settle for the lowly 15th.

Almost the same applied to Realize Corporation ADVAN Z, and the pair of Hirate and Daiki Sasaki ended the race in a disappointing 14th.