Weekly Racing Roundup (8.29.22)

Impul Nissan Wins Suzuka from Last on Grid

Team Impul’s Kazuki Hiramine and Bertrand Baguette carried out an impressive run from last on the GT500 grid to win the fifth round of the Super GT season at Suzuka.

The drivers of the No. 12 Calsonic-backed Nissan Z GT500 moved to the top of the championship table with their first victory as a pairing, after previously finishing third and second on visits to Fuji Speedway earlier in the year.

Hiramine crossed the line 6.6 seconds ahead of Koudai Tsukakoshi after out-braking the Real Racing Honda driver into the Turn 11 hairpin with three laps to go.

The race started with Baguette right at the back of the 15-car GT500 field, while Ronnie Quintarelli led the opening laps in the No. 23 NISMO Nissan that started from pole.

The pole-sitting car dropped behind the Mugen Honda of Ukyo Sasahara and Toshiki Oyu after making an early first pit stop, while Baguette was one of the last starting drivers to come in, handing over to Hiramine at the first opportunity.

A safety car caused by a GT300 Toyota crashing at the fast 130R corner prompted a change in the order that suddenly brought the Impul Nissan into victory contention.

Impul and the No. 39 SARD Toyota crew each brought their cars in on lap 49, exactly when the safety car occurred, while the some of the front-runners including the Mugen Honda were yet to make their second journeys down the pit lane.

When racing resumed, those yet to pit came in, enabling Tsukakoshi to take the lead in the Real Racing Honda which had pitted before the safety car.

An intense battle for second ensued between Hiramine, NISMO’s Tsugio Matsuda and SARD’s Yuichi Nakayama, with the height of the drama being Matsuda’s defensive move across Hiramine exiting Turn 10 that caused the Impul driver to hit the grass in avoidance.

Matsuda received a drive-through penalty for the block, moving Hiramine into second.

Hiramine then quickly hunted down, dispatched and drew clear from Tsukakoshi to complete the last-to-first charge. Tsukakoshi narrowly held off Nakayama for second.

The result marked Hiramine’s first Super GT win since Sugo last year, while former Honda driver Baguette earned his first victory in Nissan colors.

In GT300, Mercedes-AMG squad Goodsmile Racing broke a win drought extending back to the start of 2017 courtesy of Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka’s victory, ahead of GAINER’s pole-sitting Nissan pair of Ryuichiro Tomita and Riki Okusa.

RESULTS: Suzuka

Other Racing Action

***Tim Heinemann won both DTM Trophy races at the Nürburgring to establish an 11-point lead at the head of the championship standings. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Germany driver beat Daniel Gregor to win the opener before finishing ahead of KÜS Team Bernhard teammates Ricky Capo and Gregor in the second 20-lap affair. Race 1 / Race 2

***The Thailand Super Series held its second round of the season at Buriram where Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Thailand and B-Quik Absolute Racing shared the spoils. Nattapong Horthongkum and Manat Kulapalanont, who drove in this year’s Nürburgring 24, won the opening race from third on the grid in their Lexus RC F GT3. There was drama for TGR Team Thailand on the first lap of Race 2 when Audi drivers Eshan Pieris and Pierre Kaffer collided, causing the latter to smash into Earl Bamber’s Lexus as the New Zealander turned a corner. Daniel Bilski and Philip Massoud went on to win after the safety car, leading a one-two for Audi squad B-Quik Absolute with Akash Nandy and Sandy Stuvik in second.

***The penultimate round of the German GTC Race series took place at Assen in the Netherlands. Carrie Schreiner and Kenneth Heyer won the two-driver ‘GT60’ race in a Schnitzelalm Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. In the shorter single-driver races, Audi drivers Robin Rogalski (Seyffarth Motorsport) and Max Hofer (Aust Motorsport) came out on top. Race 1 / Race 2 / GT60

On this weekend: Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup (Hockenheim)