Nakajima Racing Leads Testing Ahead of SUPER GT Motegi Grand Final
Nakajima Racing’s #64 Modulo Honda HRC Prelude-GT marked its territory at the Mobility Resort Motegi with the fastest lap during Friday’s dedicated test session for the SUPER GT Motegi 250km Grand Final. Riki Okusa drove the Prelude to a time of 1:37.449, demonstrating exceptional one-lap pace amidst variable conditions.
The 90-minute session was the sole practice before the weekend’s double-header, featuring all cars equipped with “half-ballast,” weighing one kilogram per championship point, compared to the usual two. This adjustment will be carried over into the first race of the event, scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 PM JST.
Following Nakajima Racing, Nirei Fukuzumi’s #14 ENEOS X Prime Toyota GR Supra GT500 secured second with a lap of 1:37.485, while Sena Sakaguchi’s #19 WedsSport Bandoh GR Supra took third at 1:37.528. Notably, Bertrand Baguette in the #12 TRS Impul Nissan Z NISMO GT500 rounded out the top four with a 1:37.597.
In the championship race, four prime GT500 contenders stand within 20 points of the leader. Yuto Nomura’s #17 Astemo Prelude was the quickest of these in eighth, clocking 1:37.762, while Toshiki Oyu’s #38 KeePer Cerumo GR Supra followed in ninth (1:37.791).
GT300 Action and New Concepts
In GT300, the session saw the #61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport take the top spot with Hideki Yamauchi posting a time of 1:46.817. This was closely followed by JLOC’s Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO entries, with Takashi Kogure’s #88 Venteny Huracán and Yuya Motojima’s #87 Open House Huracán clocking times of 1:46.874 and 1:47.055, respectively.
Notably, the long-awaited debut of the #32 ENEOS X Prime GR GT3 Concept took place, with Hiroaki Ishiura stating, “We realized once again that all sorts of challenges can come up.” Ishiura emphasized the importance of the test for refining the vehicle ahead of future competitions.
Masaki “Guts” Jyonai, a stalwart of the series with 29 seasons under his belt, announces his retirement following this weekend, marking the end of an era.
Broadcast Information
Fans in the U.S. and Canada can catch live coverage of this weekend’s races on RACER+, with broadcasts starting Friday and Saturday at 11:50 PM ET / 8:50 PM PT.
Images © GTA
