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SuperGT 2010: NISMO Second on Podium for Suzuka 700 Enduro Round 6
Team NISMO were able to recover from a potentially race ending spin to pull off a 2nd place finish for round 6 of the SuperGT Championship series of 2010 last weekend. On the scorching hot Suzuka Circuit, NISMO were able to use pit stops/driver changes effectively and take advantage of the cooling conditions as night came to push the GT-R into second place and keep it there.
Engine and drivetrain issues hampered the HIS ADVAN KONDO Racing and the CALSONIC IMPUL teams race efforts and both teams had to retire early from the race. A dissapointment for both teams, especially team IMPUL who had a good shot at moving up the championship ladder this week.
For the full race report hit up the read more link below…
Images: (C) NISMO
SuperGT 2010: Nissan GT-Rs Score Big in Sepang with 1-2 Victory
After qualifying in pole position the #12 GT-R of team Calsonic IMPUL has taken a maximum points victory away from round 4 of the 2010 SuperGT Championships at Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. Team Nismo have also improved on their recent form after upgrading their third place qualifying with a second place final finish.
The Malaysian round of the SuperGT is always a hot one and this year was no different. Track temps were measured at around 43 degrees celsius. Rain was threatening but never eventuated leaving the competitors to tough it out in the hot dry conditions.
While the pole to win victory is sweet it didn’t come without incident and on lap 37 the #12 GT-R was actually given a tap by a rival #100 Honda HSV-010 and sent into a spin. While this created a opportunity for the HSV and the #23 Nismo GT-R to sneak past, both were handed drive through penalties leaving the way clear for the #12 GT-R to resume it’s position in front.
Congratulations to team Nismo and team IMPUL on their great victories this weekend. The win places team IMPUL in 4th position on the championship ladder while Nismo slides up into 9th. For a full race report, click the read more link below…
Super GT 2010: Two GT-Rs Get Points and One Retires in Round 3
It was fine sunny conditions for racing on Sunday when round three of the 2010 SuperGT Championship kicked off at Fuji Speedway. The three GT-R competing teams this year had managed to secure their spots in the top 10 on the grid in qualifying. The #23 Nismo MOTUL Autech car was best placed of the bunch in 4th.
Come race time however it was the #12 Calsonic IMPUL GT-R which would prove to perform best after driver Ronnie Quintarelli built his 9th place qualifying position into a 6th place finish by the end.
The #24 HIS ADVAN Kondo Racing GT-R was able also to reap some points from the round. They qualified in 8th place on the grid. A position they maintained to the checkered flag.
While hopes were pinned on the #23 NISMO MOTUL Autech entry for a podium finish, it was almost a non-starter with engine trouble. Two laps into the race however they were able to join the action but ultimately to no avail as they were forced to retire early when the car troubles returned.
It’s turning out to be the worst year for NISMO, now at the bottom of the championship ladder with just 6 points – the SC430 Lexus teams hold the top 4 spots. Highest GT-R team on the championship so far is Kondo Racing who’re placed 6th.
Let’s hope the season picks up with a few more GT-R wins toward the middle of the year!
Link: SuperGT Website
Link: Nissan Motorsports
| [Race Results] 88 Laps | ||||
| Pos | Â No | Â Â Car | Â Â Drivers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | MJ KRAFT SC430 | Hiroaki Ishiura/Kazuya Oshima | 2:25’00.795 |
| 2 | 1 | PETRONAS TOM’S SC430 | Juichi Wakisaka/Andre Lotterer | +4.741 |
| 3 | 6 | ENEOS SC430 | Daisuke Ito/Bjorn Wirdheim | +22.875 |
| 4 | 38 | ZENT CERUMO SC430 | Yuji Tachikawa/Richard Lyons | +41.899 |
| 5 | 17 | KEIHIN HSV-010 | Toshihiro Kaneishi/Koudai Tsukakoshi | +51.687 |
| 6 | 12 | CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R | Tsugio Matsuda/Ronnie Quintarelli | +1’11.940 |
| 7 | 18 | Weider HSV-010 | Takashi Kogure/Loic Duval | +1’17.697 |
| 8 | 24 | HIS ADVAN KONDO GT-R | J.P.de Oliveira/Hironobu Yasuda | +1Lap |
| 9 | 32 | EPSON HSV-010 | Ryo Michigami/Yuhki Nakayama | +1Lap |
| 10 | 100 | RAYBRIG HSV-010 | Takuya Izawa/Naoki Yamamoto | +1Lap |
| – | 23 | MOTUL AUTECH GT-R | Satoshi Motoyama/Benoit Treluyer | +30Laps |
SuperGT 2010: One All in Nissan vs Honda Battle for 2010 Championship
There may be no official tally going on but don’t let that fool you there is most certainly huge rivalry between Honda and Nissan this year in SuperGT after Honda debuted their HSV-010 GT500 machine.
Conditions were much improved over the slippery first round when the race kicked off on Sunday.The #12 GT-R of team Calsonic Impul had managed a third position on the grid. Despite a few spins and contacts going on about the circuit, the guys kept out of drama and fought hard with the front runners to maintain position throughout the race. They fought all the way to the end and managed a fourth place finish to take home 11 points total for the round.
“I really wanted to move up one spot and finish the race in third, but unfortunately there was no chance. I gave it my best effort and I believe I put in a good performance. So we can think of this as our starting point and hope to score higher next time. This race was one fraught with frustration.”
– #12 GT-R driver Tsugio Matsuda“Thank you for your support today. I believe we had a car capable of a better result and so it’s disappointing to miss out on the podium. No doubt we’ll be stronger at the next race at Fuji. Please continue rooting for us.”
– #12 GT-R driver Ronnie Quintarelli
Team Nismo’s day wasn’t so great, they qualified in 7th on the grid and had to battle fiercely in the middle of the pack. They began strongly but were back and forth between 6th and 9th until being hit off the track by the #32 HSV-010 Honda (see 3:02 on the video). The Honda scored a penalty for the incident but the Nismo #23 Motul Autech GT-R was forced to retire for the race and score zero points. A huge blow for the season hopes.
Carrying another 40kg’s due to the round 1 win, the #24 HIS ADVAN Kondo Racing was understandably less competitive in qualifying placing 12th on the grid. They battled for 11th but unfortunately due to mechanical issues had to settle for 12th place. It’s not great but it’s not a DNF either so they take home 2 points. Overall it may be a slow round due to the ballast but they’re still sitting pretty in second place on the championship ladder for the season.
Images: Copyright (C) 2010 NISSAN MOTORSPORTS
| Pos | No | Machine | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Weider HSV-010 | 2:02’26.084 |
| 2 | 38 | ZENT CERUMO SC430 | +11.800 |
| 3 | 1 | PETRONAS TOM’S SC430 | +14.209 |
| 4 | 12 | CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R | +14.712 |
| 5 | 6 | ENEOS SC430 | +45.741 |
| 6 | 8 | ARTA HSV-010 | +48.666 |
| 7 | 17 | KEIHIN HSV-010 | +57.285 |
| 8 | 100 | RAYBRIG HSV-010 | +1’11.673 |
| 9 | 35 | MJ KRAFT SC430 | +1Lap |
| 10 | 39 | DENSO DUNLOP SARD SC430 | +1Lap |
| 11 | 32 | EPSON HSV-010 | +1Lap |
| 12 | 24 | HIS ADVAN KONDO GT-R | +1Lap |
| R | 23 | MOTUL AUTECH GT-R | – |
SuperGT 2010: Video Highlights and HSV-10 Drama from Suzuka 300
Well we know the GT-R dominates but these videos go some way to explain why the HSV-10 wasn’t so competitive on the weekend. It never helps to have three of your brand new race cars out on lap 10 in an absolutely insane crash at turn one.
Fortunately it looks like everyone was able to walk away, sore looking but ok.
This wasn’t the only drama of the day and you can watch the highlights of the entire race in the video below including a four car incident in the GT300 class as the rain began to sprinkle down.
That’s followed almost immediately with the race leader and pole position starter Weider HSV-10 that goes off the slippery track losing a lot of positions in the process.
Only a few turns later and the eventual race winner HIS ADVAN GT-R also overruns a turn coming onto the straight.
All this is only by lap TWO by the way. You’ll have to watch the whole thing for the rest of the nail biting suspense. Too bad I already spoiled the ending for you.
Video of the highlights is below…
SuperGT 2010: Nissan GT-R Outshines Honda at Suzuka With Victorious Beginning to Season
Unable to duplicate Nissan’s 2008 GT500 GT-R debut race victory, Honda must settle for third position after the Suzuka GT 300km race held this Sunday at Suzuka Circuit, Japan. Victory went to the Kondo Racing team in their #24 HIS ADVAN GT-R who battled it out from way way back on the starting grid, qualifying 10th when they suffered a severe crash during the second qualifying round.
Fortunately for them, they were able to work through the night to repair the car and in front of a crowd of 31,000 spectators began the race, but in fairly slippery conditions on a cold track with occasional rain.
After four laps they had already gained two positions and were looking competitive. On lap 10 the Safety Car was called out after an accident at turn one and it stayed out for five full laps before the race could resume. By now the drizzle had set in and the conditions on the track worsened.
Despite the lack of grip, GT-R battled along and found itself in a three way tussle for position with the #6 and #1 Toyota SC430’s. The race was now down to strategy and endurance and the mid-race driver change pit stop would either make or break their race.
The team decided to forgo a tire change and have Yasuda go out on the same tires, it was a gamble but it paid off and they were even able to use the clear air to build a bigger gap to finish ahead of second place #6 ENEOS SC430 by 9.3 seconds.
Team Nismo’s luck wasn’t so great, after a spin at the first corner cost them dearly in time that they just weren’t able to make back and were stuck back in 10th place. After the driver change 2008 champion Motoyama fought hard to claw back two more places and finish in 8th place. Nismo are happy that this position means they at least earn points for the round.
Talking about luck, Team IMPUL suffered the worst of it unfortunately with their #12 Calsonic IMPUL GT-R. After also spinning in the rain early on the car suddenly lost power on lap 10, they were unable to restart it and had to retire. This means zero points for them which is not a great way to begin the season.
We have an absolutely massive photo gallery after the jump so hit it up for some more photos from this weekends racing…
Photos: Copyright 2010 NISMO
| Pos | No | Car | Time / Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | HIS ADVAN KONDO GT-R | 1:53’23.333 |
| 2 | 6 | ENEOS SC430 | +9.322 |
| 3 | 100 | RAYBRIG HSV-010 | +15.397 |
| 4 | 1 | PETRONAS TOM’S SC430 | +17.954 |
| 5 | 39 | DENSO DUNLOP SARD SC430 | +19.326 |
| 6 | 35 | MJ KRAFT SC430 | +20.363 |
| 7 | 17 | KEIHIN HSV-010 | +46.508 |
| 8 | 23 | MOTUL AUTECH GT-R | +1’32.333 |
| 9 | 38 | ZENT CERUMO SC430 | +1Lap |
| 10 | 32 | EPSON HSV-010 | +1Lap |
| 11 | 12 | Calsonic IMPUL GT-R | +42Laps |
SuperGT 2010: Season Opener This Weekend at Suzuka for Round 1
The GT500 Nissan R35 GT-R squares off against Honda’s newcomer HSV-10 equipped with an entirely new engine this weekend in the inaugural race for the SuperGT 2010 Championship Season! This race takes us to Suzuka Circuit for the annual Suzuka GT 300km race, a circuit where the R35 version of the GT500 GT-R began it’s outstanding racing career back in 2008. In that year it scored a momentous debut 1st and 2nd place victory. Since then the circuit has been kind to them, winning there again in 2008 during the Pokka 1000km enduro and scoring podium spots in both the 300km and 700km races there in 2009.
Honestly – while I’d love to be able to say I hope for a good clean and fair fight with the Honda’s… I’d rather be honest and say I’d rather see the Honda’s leave the circuit on cranes line this!
Go Nissan!
SuperGT 2010: Nismo MOTUL Autech GT-Rs Storm Suzuka Test
SuperGT manufacturers were able to get out and stretch their 2010 GT500 spec car’s legs over the weekend at Suzuka Circuit in Mie prefecture, Japan. Each GT-R fielding team was out on the track alongside 2009 championship winning team Tom’s Petronas in the SC430 and of course the brand new for 2010 Honda HSV-10 cars.
Of course there’s always some drama at these tests and this time it was the HIS KONDO GT-R that had a near miss when it spun off the track. No serious damage was done.
Nismo had both cars and drivers out in the #23 and #230 GT500 GT-Rs with Motoyama driving the former and Treluyer in the latter. The GT-Rs with their brand new 3.4 litre VRH34A V8 engine look like strong enthusiastic contenders and lets hope that they will not let the newcomer Honda take the glory this year.
SuperGT 2010: Nissan Launch GT500 GT-R Teams for 2010 and New Engine
Nissan and Nismo have unveiled their plans for motorsports in 2010 with an announcement today regarding the teams and cars to be featured in 2010 championships. In the Japanese SuperGT championships, Nismo’s field will shrink to just three teams down from four in 2009 which was five in 2008!
The 2010 GT500 specification Nissan GT-R will be raced by:
- #23 Nismo MOTUL Autech GT-R driven by Satoshi Motoyama and Benoit Treluyer
- #12 IMPUL Calsonic IMPUL GT-R driven by Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli
- #24 KONDO RACING HIS ADVAN KONDO GT-R driven by Joao Paolo de Oliveira and Hironobu Yasuda
In the GT-R this year will be the brand new VRH34A 3.4 litre engine which replaces the outgoing VK45 V8 unit due to an update to the SuperGT rules. We’ll get you some technical details on the VRH34A as soon as we can.
As well as the SuperGT cars, Nismo will also be providing support to teams who will field their 2010 FIA GT1 Nissan GT-Rs abroad for the 2010 FIA GT Championships. Two teams will field two cars each in the series which kicks off mid April in the UAE at the Yas Marina Circuit.
We hope to see great things from the teams SumoPower GT and Swiss Racing Team and we’ll certainly be following their progress throughout the year.
Link: Nissan Motorsports Website
Link: SumoPowerGT Website
SuperGT 2010: Suzuka Preseason Testing
SuperGT teams competing in the 2010 championship were given an opportunity to stretch their legs in their 2010 spec cars at Suzuka circuit.
While the HSV-10 was out and about getting all the attention, the GT-R teams are slipping some slight body updates under the radar.
The front fenders are standardizing on the waved single piece design which debuted late in 2009 season on the IMPUL and ADVAN cars. This was never adopted by the Nismo team during the 2009 season but they look to have made the move now.
The rest of the car seems much unchanged except for the return to being car #23 instead of running the championship winner #1 tag.
Should be a very interesting season up against Honda! We’ll keep you guys updated as we have for the past seasons!
Update: We found some updated timing direct from Suzuka circuit. The quickest cars on the track were the 5 Lexus SC430s that ran as quick as 1:53.14 seconds (Petronas Tom’s #1).
Interestingly, Nismo also ran the FIA GT-1 spec Nissan GT-R at Suzuka with Michael Krumm driving. Comparing laptimes between the two reveals just how important the downforce on the GT500 cars really is. The 600hp GT1 car only managing a 2:01:132 behind the 500hp Nismo GT500 car’s 1:54.787.
Source: SuperGT via 7tune.com
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