De Oliveira Expects More “Challenging” Return to Fuji

Joao Paulo de Oliveira has set his sights on another strong finish in next week’s Fuji 300km SUPER GT round after ending Kondo Racing’s losing streak at the same venue in May, even if he expects a more “challenging” event this time.

Sharing the No. 56 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 with Iori Kimura, de Oliveira scored Kondo’s first lower-division win in three years during the Golden Week fixture to launch himself in contention for a third GT300 crown to add to his 2020 and ’22 successes.

However, de Oliveira and Kimura, who are now fifth in the points standings, face a nominal 54 kg success handicap when SUPER GT returns to action after a recess prolonged by the cancellation of June’s Sepang round, and in much hotter weather.

Those factors, combined with a shorter race distance compared to the three-hour format used last time, means de Oliveira is expecting a tougher battle this time, even if he hopes to be able to score at least a top-five finish to stay firmly in the title hunt.

“Round 2 was straightforward,” de Oliveira told Sportscar365. “We knew we had the speed, we knew we had tires that would last, so it was just about focusing on what we do best, which is not to worry about qualifying and to perform during the race.

“The car has potential, and we try use the high-speed downforce to our advantage. We have to also think about tires in a way that suits the car.

“We cannot always think about a tire to qualify, because compared to some other GT3 cars, we are a bit heavier, we have a bit more roll, so then you put more load on the tires and you can wear them out quicker. But we know this, so we adapt accordingly.

“For Round 4, considering the temperature difference, that’s going to be challenging. We are going to bring totally different tires to what we had back then, so I think this is going to be a new factor, which is the same for everybody.

“The pit stop [success penalty] will also hurt us for sure, it’s about six seconds. And it’s a different race; last time we had a three-hour race, which is a lot more on the endurance side than the race we have coming up, which is less than two hours.

“Realistically speaking, a top-five finish would be the target. A podium would be a great result, but we just need to score good points for the championship.”

Adding to the challenge for de Oliveira and Kimura is a revised Balance of Performance, with the GT-R’s minimum weight increased by 10 kg to 1330 kg.

Also with increased weight are the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, which also has been obliged to use a higher rear wing angle and has also had its turbo boost pressure reduced, and the Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.

On the other hand, the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo (now set to be used by Velorex as well as CarGuy MKS Racing and PONOS Racing) has been allowed a reduced rear wing angle as well as higher turbo boost pressure across the majority of the rev range.

The BMW M4 GT3 EVO also has extra boost pressure compared to Round 2.

Despite breaking a long winless streak in May, de Oliveira believes that the Kondo team is operating at a similar level to last season, when the Brazilian’s then-co-driver Kohei Hirate narrowly missed out on winning the GT300 title solo.

De Oliveira missed two rounds last year due to clashing commitments in Brazil’s Stock Car Pro Series, but is back to full-time SUPER GT duties this year.

“Last year I missed Fuji [Round 2], which is a race I love, and I wasn’t in Malaysia, but I feel that we are at the same level as last year, because we had a competitive race car through the second half of the season, all the way to now,” he said.

“I don’t feel like we need to prove anything. The potential is there and we don’t have to put any added pressure on ourselves. We just have to keep doing what we are doing.

“The second half is always the most difficult part of the championship, when you have weight in the car and then you’re racing against lighter cars. So it’s important for us to pick up another good result now to have a cushion for the next few races.

“Knowing SUPER GT, this is what it’s all about — you have to pick up a couple of good results and then try to stay within range on points.”