Autopolis GT3 Hour Race: Honda Dominates Qualifying, Subaru Secures GT300 Pole
Autopolis, Japan – In a commanding display, Honda’s HRC Prelude-GT secured its fourth consecutive pole position at the Autopolis GT 3 Hour Race, continuing its strong performance in the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series. The #64 Modulo HRC Prelude-GT, driven by Riki Okusa and Igor Fraga, excelled in both sessions of knockout qualifying.
Fraga set the pace in Q1 with a time of 1:32.550, outpacing the nearest competitor, Naoki Yamamoto in the #100 Stanley Prelude-GT, by four-tenths of a second. Honda’s dominance continued as four of its five entries progressed to Q2, with only the #8 ARTA Mugen Prelude-GT faltering by a mere 0.008 seconds.
In Q2, Okusa clocked a leading time of 1:32.414, marking his second consecutive pole. However, historical data suggests that success may be elusive, with past races at Autopolis seeing victories from lower starting positions. The front row was completed by the #17 Astemo Prelude-GT of Koudai Tsukakoshi and rookie Yuto Nomura, who qualified second with a time of 1:32.799.
The top three was rounded out by the #19 WedsSport Bandoh Toyota GR Supra GT500, with Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi behind the wheel. Sakaguchi, recovering from an eye injury, demonstrated remarkable resilience in his performance.
Completing the top five were the #100 Stanley Prelude-GT in fourth and the #12 TRS Impul Nissan Z NISMO GT500 in fifth.
GT500 Qualifying Results:
-
64 Modulo HRC Prelude-GT – 1:32.414
-
17 Astemo Prelude-GT – 1:32.799
-
19 WedsSport Bandoh Toyota GR Supra – Time TBC
-
100 Stanley Prelude-GT – Time TBC
-
12 TRS Impul Nissan Z NISMO GT500 – Time TBC
In the GT300 class, the #61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport, driven by Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi, claimed the pole position after dominant performances in both qualifying sessions. Iguchi recorded a top time of 1:44.122 in Q1, paving the way for Yamauchi to secure pole with a blistering 1:42.677 in Q2, marking his 18th career pole.
The top five spots were all occupied by GTA-GT300 vehicles, with the #2 Hyper Water INGING Toyota GR86 starting second after a two-place penalty pushed them down in qualifying. The #52 Saitama Green Brave Toyota GR Supra and #25 Hoppy Schatz GR Supra followed, showing strong potential for the race ahead.
The championship-leading #56 Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 starts in 11th, while the #777 D’station Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo missed Q2 and will begin in 19th.
GT300 Qualifying Results:
-
61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport – 1:42.677
-
52 Saitama Green Brave Toyota GR Supra – Time TBC
-
25 Hoppy Schatz GR Supra – Time TBC
The Autopolis GT 3 Hour Race is set to commence on Sunday at 1:10 PM JST. Global fans can tune in for live coverage through the RACER Network and RACER+, featuring commentary from RJ O’Connell, Jonathan Green, and Jon Massengale.
