r/super_gt • u/Michal_Baranowski . • Oct 20 '24
(Spoiler) Ends Four-Year Win Drought at Autopolis – Sportscar365 Spoiler
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/super-gt/sard-toyota-ends-four-year-win-drought-at-autopolis/3
u/Michal_Baranowski . Oct 20 '24
I am totally digging 3-hour format at Autopolis. Longer race at this track debuted last year and it made it much better than previous 300km formula. This track is very good for longer racing.
This year's running was quite dramatic. Plenty of incidents brought a lot of safety car periods, which made the strategy tricky. Those who timed their final pit stops the best, they prevailed.
GT500 - penultimate safety car period demolished the race for all remaining GR Supras, apart from one - SARD #39 Supra decided to pit earlier and that was a bull's eye. After that caution ended, #39 took a comfortable lead and cruised to the finish. Great run from them all race long, breaking their 4-year streak of no victories. Finally it's over.
Team TOM's clearly lost a lot due to safety cars. #36 despite carrying a massive success ballast, was even in fourth place at some stage and could score a top 5 finish even! #37 was also very competitive. And despite losing out of worse strategy situation, both TOM's Supras finished in points, seventh for #36 and eighth for #37. After Kunimitsu Honda lost third place, both TOM's cars lead the championship 1-2, just before success ballast gets halved at Motegi. TOM's is absolutely doing amazingly again, especially #36 - their race pace is always amazing, no matter how much handicap they have to carry onboard.
Good day for Nismo crews. #23 in second place and #3 clinched the bottom podium spot after Atsushi Miyake's pass on Kunimitsu Honda for third place, late in the race. Good display of form prolongates their championship chances.
Team Kunimitsu could have been leading the championship by now, however dropping to fourth place and not keeping Nismo #3 crew behind caused the opposite. Maybe Civic Type R-GT GT500 is not exactly polished yet. The car just wasn't doing really well at Autopolis. Definitely not as good as Toyotas and Nissans.
Team Rookie Toyota #14 feels all over the place. A chance for a good result thrown away after pretty much unforced contact with Real Racing Honda #17 and a subsequent penalty. Kakunoshin Ohta was rightfully angry.
Kondo Racing Nissan and Bandoh Toyota always find a way to bin a good chance.
GT300 - safety car helped JLOC Lamborghini #88 winning the class, but overall the pace was really great as well. Cautions really caused some strategic havoc in GT300, throwing the standings up and down. Muta Racing #2 Toyota despite having a penalty and sufficient success ballast, crosses the chequered flag in second position with K-Tunes Lexus #96 in third position.
Absolutely gutted for Subaru. This season is so unlucky for them. Just when it seemed like a big chance for a good result. Possible brake failure and a huge accident. At least with no injuries to Takuto Iguchi.
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u/V8-Turbo-Hybrid Honda Oct 20 '24
What a bad day for Honda, two car were out by heavy damaged, and the race just ended under SC action.