SUPER GT Motegi GT 300km Race: Grand Final Qualifying Report
Motegi, Japan — The #38 KeePer Cerumo Toyota GR Supra, driven by Toshiki Oyu and Hiroaki Ishiura, captured pole position for the SUPER GT Motegi GT 300km Race. This marks Oyu’s third career pole and secures an additional point in their quest for the GT500 championship.
Qualifying Highlights:
- Oyu set a pole-winning time of 1:35.768 during Q2, having previously clocked 1:35.796 in the session.
- Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita, championship leaders in the #1 au TOM’S GR Supra, qualified second with a time of 1:35.943.
- Tsuboi set the fastest time in Q1 at 1:35.685, while Ishiura finished third-fastest in his session.
Oyu expressed motivation to perform well for Ishiura, who will retire at the end of the season: “It was great to know that we will be starting Ishiura’s final race from the very front of the grid. Since we are also in competition for the season title, it is also good that we will be getting one more point for winning pole position.”
The championship leaders need only to finish in their starting position to clinch the title during the 63-lap, 300-km race.
Notable Eliminations:
- Kazuya Oshima, driving the #14 Eneos X Prime GR Supra, struggled to find a suitable lap, qualifying 13th despite being the fastest in practice.
- Other Toyota contenders, including the #39 Denso Kobelco SARD GR Supra and #37 Deloitte TOM’S GR Supra, also failed to advance past Q1.
The Nissan teams locked out the second and third rows of the grid, led by the #23 Motul Autech Z in third place. Honda vehicles, including the #100 Stanley Honda Civic Type R-GT, advanced to Q2, securing strong positions for the race ahead.
GT300 Highlights:
In the GT300 category, the #61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport, with Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi, dominated qualifying. Yamauchi’s record-extending 16th career pole was achieved with a lap time of 1:45.192, over a second ahead of the second-place #5 Mach Syaken/Air Buster MC86.
Yamauchi remarked, “The car’s balance and the tyres that Dunlop prepared for us were really great, so it felt very good to drive.”
Championship Scenarios:
For the GT300 Championship, the race will be crucial. The #52 Saitama Green Brave Toyota GR Supra and #56 Realize/Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R both qualified in the top four and remain in contention. Championship leaders Naoya Gamou and Togo Suganami will start 14th, necessitating a significant performance to secure points.
Qualifying Results Overview:
- GT500 Pole: #38 KeePer Cerumo Toyota GR Supra (Oyu/Ishiura)
- GT300 Pole: #61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport (Iguchi/Yamauchi)
The GT500 and GT300 races promise exciting competition as teams vie for crucial championship points during the season finale at Motegi.
