Tsuboi: No Tire Change Strategy Viable for Motegi Finale

SUPER GT championship leader Sho Tsuboi believes a strategy of not changing tires in this weekend’s Motegi season finale could be a viable, as he bids for a record-breaking fifth GT500 title together with TOM’S Toyota co-driver Kenta Yamashita.

Tsuboi and Yamashita head into Saturday’s first of two title-deciding races defending a slender three-point lead over Kunimitsu Honda drivers Tadasuke Makino and Naoki Yamamoto, who won the previous race at Autopolis.

The No. 36 TOM’S Toyota GR Supra has a strong record at Motegi in recent years, having won there for each of the last three years.

However, the Tochigi Prefecture track has been fully resurfaced since last year’s race, while the shorter distance — 250km instead of 300km — means that tire degradation could be less of a factor than usual.

It opens up the possibility that some GT500 teams may attempt to cover the 53-lap distance without changing tires, as Makino and Yamamoto did on their way to a fourth-place finish at Motegi last year in what was considered a risky gambit.

Although Tsuboi said the track felt similar to normal, he still believes that some teams could try going the full distance without changing tires.

“The No. 100 did the same thing last year, and they didn’t end up with a bad result,” Tsuboi told Sportscar365. “The less degradation there is, the more realistic it is.

“The conditions this year make it more feasible than last year, so it’s something we have to consider during the race. But even if you focused completely on long runs today, there was no time for a full race simulation, so it’s a leap of faith.

“I’m sure some teams will attempt it tomorrow, so we’ll have to assess our own situation during the first stint. It will be vital to stay calm and make sound decisions.”

Both the No. 36 and the No. 100 go into Saturday’s first race carrying a stage one fuel restrictor, as success handicaps are halved, before being removed entirely for the title decider on Sunday, meaning Saturday’s qualifying is likely to be tough for both cars.

However, Tsuboi feels that the results in Friday’s practice session, with the No. 36 car ending up 12th-fastest and the No. 100 11th, may not be representative.

Fastest in the session was the Dunlop-shod Nakajima Racing Honda of Riki Okusa, narrowly ahead of the Rookie Racing Toyota of Nirei Fukuzumi.

“Qualifying is critical, but because it takes place in the morning, it will be colder, so the conditions will be different from today, including which lap we attack on,” said Tsuboi. “I don’t think today’s results are too representative.

“I’m not sure exactly where we stand, but if we don’t qualify well, it will be tough. At the very least, I want to qualify ahead of the No. 100 car. Our lap times were very similar today, and our long-run pace looks good, so we just need to stick to our usual approach.”

For his part, Makino said he felt it was unlikely Team Kunimitsu would aim for a repeat of its 2025 strategy on the new track surface.

“The track surface is not so different compared to last year,” Makino told Sportscar365. “Even though the surface changed, the degradation is higher than last year. Also, the temperature is likely to be cold, so I think it will be impossible.”

On his and Yamamoto’s chances of a first GT500 title for Honda since 2020, Makino expressed uncertainty about whether the HRC Prelude-GT’s strong form will translate to a track where the car has not tested with Bridgestone tires.

“Tomorrow’s qualifying will be tough because we have 50 kg of success weight and the fuel flow restrictor, but the target is to finish in front of the [No. 36],” he said.

“Sunday’s qualifying will also be difficult because everything changes — the weight and the fuel restrictor [are removed]. The car will feel completely different.

“We will see. Of course our qualifying pace is usually quite strong, but I don’t know about Motegi, because it’s the first time we’ve driven the Prelude here.”