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| 2006.12.06 |
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Nissan R383 Makes First-ever on-track run in front of 28,000 fans
at NISMO Festival at Fuji Speedway!
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| Copyright © NISMO |
December 3, Fuji Speedway (Shizuoka prefecture)
Sunday, December 3. The 2006 running on the NISMO Festival at Fuji Speedway was held at Fuji Speedway as a Fan Appreciation event put on by NISMO. The 10th anniversary of the annual event drew some 28,000 spectators.
From 9a.m., the drivers lined up on the main straight for the Opening Ceremony. At 10 o'clock, the "March Cup Exhibition Race" got underway, featuring NISMO-contracted drivers racing alongside the champions of the East and West March Cup Series, including one notable female driver. Also Carlos Tavares, vice president of Nissan, got behind the wheel for the event. Although slightly irregular, the two Tiida cars from the China Circuit Championship joined the field to commemorate winning the championship in their first season. Drivers Masami Kageyama, Satoshi Motoyama, Kota Sasaki and Hirokazu Suzuki undertook a fierce battle for the top spot until Kageyama finally ran across the finish line first after successfully evading his pursuers.
The main event of the day was the "Mix Category Race 1" where more than 20 classic Nissan cars such as the S30 Fairlady Z, the KPGC Skyline GT-R and variants of the Sunny entered in a simulated race. The S30 Fairlady Z, driven by Haruto Yanagida, was the ewinner' of this race after dominating the rest of the field. In the afternoon, a Classic Car Parade with the KPGC Skyline, Bluebird, and Fairlady Z was held. Also making an appearance in this parade was a Group B Rally spec Nissan 240RS restored by a volunteer group of Nissan employees.
Finally, when the sound of roaring engines echoed in the pit garage, a Nissan R380-II driven by Yoshikazu Sunako, a Nissan R381 driven by Moto Kitano, a Nissan R382 by Kazuyoshi Hoshino and a Nissan R383 driven by Masahiro Hasemi entered the track. For the R383, it was the first time the car really hit the road in front of spectators. The car had been built for the 1970 Nihon Grand Prix but never saw the light of day as the race was cancelled. The beautifully streamlined body, painted in silver and dark blue, reflected well in driver Masahiro Hasemi's period helmet, similar to what he wore back in the day. After 37 years, the R383 had been revived; though without a full throttle display, however loud enough as the large displacement V12 engine burst into life.
The following event was the "Mix Category Race 2", featuring cars from the 1990s and a few more recent SUPER GT cars, as well as some Super Taikyu machines and Group C cars. Masami Kageyama, driving the Nissan R391 which entered the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours, was cheered on by the fans as he overtook most of the cars in the field.
At the special stage located in the paddock, many interesting events including the "Race Queen Stage" and "GT500 Team Manager Talk Show" were held. Behind the pits, "A Pitwork Simulation" where fans could compete with team mechanics on tire changes was held, along with the many cars and engines displayed in the pit area. In the open area behind the grandstand, the "Kids' Area" was arranged for children to experience "Enjoy March", "Gran Tourismo" and "Kids in Cockpit" where they could sit in the cockpit of a racing car. There was also a "Kids Park" and a "GT Photo-Spot" where they were able to take photos with a life-size panel of the GT drivers.
For the serious enthusiasts, there was the "Skyline Experience" and an exhibit of historical Z cars named "Fairlady Z History" to keep them busy. On stage, the New-Skyline Talk Show and the KONDO Racing Talk Show were exciting enough to let fans forget all about the cold weather.
At 4 pm, just as the sun was about to set, all the cars that had taken part in the day's events went back on track together. After a parade lap around the track they returned to the main straight. The cars parked to form a message spelling out "THANK YOU", and all the drivers lined up again for the Finale. Satoshi Motoyama and Yuuichi Sanada, the President of NISMO, addressed the fans, pledging to recapture the SUPER GT championship title next year and everybody shouted "1-2-3, Champion!" The drivers and teams could not say enough in their appreciation toward the fans as they left the track, waving to everyone in the stands.
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