SRO Japan Cup: Fuji Speedway Delivers Thrilling Doubleheader
Fuji Speedway, Japan – The fourth round of the SRO Japan Cup showcased a dramatic array of action, with four different overall winners across two races. In Race 1, the #666 seven x seven Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Hiroyuki ‘Bankcy’ Ogawa and Taichi Watarai, took victory, while Race 2 was won by the #296 Hitotsuyama with Cornes Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, piloted by Akihiro Tsuzuki and Shintaro Kawabata.
Race 1 Highlights
Race 1 commenced with chaos, as contact at TGR Corner eliminated both the #24 Max Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Yudai Uchida and the #45 PONOS Racing Ferrari of Yorikatsu Tsujiko on the first green flag lap. Shortly thereafter, the #84 Art Taste Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 caught fire, forcing a 15-minute red flag. Fortunately, driver Nobuhiro Imada was unharmed, and both he and Yasuhiro Shimizu returned for Race 2.
Following the driver changes, Watarai seized the lead for the #666 Porsche and successfully defended against Kawabata, securing the team’s first win of the season. This victory elevated Ogawa to the top of the GT3 Drivers’ Championship standings.
Podium finishers in Race 1 included:
- 2nd: #18 Team UPGarage with ACR Ferrari (Atsushi Akita/Takashi Kobayashi)
- 3rd: #555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari (Yusaku Maezawa/Naoki Yokomizo)
Race 1 Results Overview
- 1st: #666 Porsche 911 GT3 R
- 2nd: #18 Ferrari
- 3rd: #555 Ferrari
- GT3 Am Winner: #1 Team Macchina Ferrari (Tadao Uematsu/Hirokazu Suzuki)
Race 2 Highlights
Starting from pole, Tsuzuki led the initial laps until a significant crash involving the #97 K-tunes Toyota GT4 and #98 Ferrari necessitated another red flag. The race resumed with Tsuzuki maintaining the lead, but a penalty for Bingo/LM corsa Ferrari’s short stop relegated them from contention.
As the clock wound down, Tsuzuki chased down PONOS’ Tsujiko, ultimately taking the lead decisively at Advan Corner during the final lap. Tsuzuki secured the win by 0.519 seconds.
Podium finishers in Race 2 included:
- 2nd: #45 PONOS Ferrari (Tsujiko/Cozzolino)
- 3rd: #555 Ferrari (Maezawa/Yokomizo)
Race 2 Results Overview
- 1st: #296 Ferrari 296 GT3
- 2nd: #45 Ferrari
- 3rd: #555 Ferrari
- GT3 Am Winner: #81 Team Daishin with GTNET Nissan (Ryuichiro Oyagi)
Following the two races, Tsuzuki and Kawabata now lead the GT3 Championship by 12 points, with Ogawa trailing in second and the former leaders Takei/Sasahara down to third, 20 points behind.
Championship Standings
- 1st Place: Tsuzuki/Kawabata
- 2nd Place: Ogawa/Watarai
- 3rd Place: Takei/Sasahara
This thrilling weekend at Fuji not only highlighted the unpredictable nature of the series but also set the stage for what promises to be an exciting next round at Okayama International Circuit.
