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| Copyright © NISMO |
The third round of SUPER GT was held on May 4 at Fuji Speedway, with Satoshi Motoyama and Tsugio Matsuda on the XANAVI NISMO Z (#23) taking a 3rd place finish. The car started from the rearmost 15th slot on the grid and during the long 110 lap, or 500km event, overtook 12 cars to successfully take the podium finish. The CALSONIC IMPUL Z (#12, Benoit Treluyer & Kazuki Hoshino) followed in 4th place. 54,300 spectators gathered at the track.
During the free practice session in the morning, the #23 Z developed a problem in the engine and the unit had to be replaced. This procedure forced the team to start the race from the very last grid position, as per the regulations. Driver Tsugio Matsuda started the race and immediately improved his position from 15th to 12th on the opening lap. He was at one point nudged from behind, resulting in a spin, though managed to recover quickly. Many incidents of contact and spins occurred during the first laps but Matsuda managed to avoid these, continuing to lap steadily.
On lap 40, the car returned to the pits, running tentatively in 5th place, with Matsuda handing the wheel over to Satoshi Motoyama.
After all cars had completed their first stops, Motoyama was ranked 10th. He managed to make steady progress throughout his stint on hard compound tires, without letting the gap to the car in front build too much. On lap 77, the car pitted and without a driver change, completed the refuelling and tire change sequence before returning to the track. On soft compound tires, Motoyama started a fierce pursuit. The car overtook the #32 NSX at the hairpin on lap 83; then passed the #3 Z on lap 91 before taking the #12 Z on the final corner of lap 104, bringing the #23 car up to 4th place. The car took the checkered flag in that position, but due to an incident involving a higher placed finisher who subsequently received a penalty, the drivers of the #23 Z found themselves on the 3rd step of the podium.
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| Copyright © NISMO |
The WOODONE ADVAN Z (#24, Eric Comas & Masataka Yanagida) clearly excited the fans in the grandstands with its fierce pursuit at the beginning of the race as Comas climbed from a starting position of 11th up to 2nd place. After the first pit stop, the car was found to have a loose wheel and immediately had to make another stop. Later, Yanagida exceeded the speed limit at the pit lane exit, leading to a drive through penalty.
The MOTUL AUTECH Z, (#22, Michael Krumm & Sakon Yamamoto) started the race from 7th on the grid. Krumm ran steadily without any trouble in the early part of the race. However, after the second pit stop, while running 9th on lap 89, the car was handed a penalty for violating the regulation which does not allow working on the car during refuelling. The result was a drive through penalty,
after which the #22 returned to the track, continuing steadily until the end of the race. The car finished in 9th place.
The CALSONIC Impul Z (#12, Benoit Treluyer & Kazuki Hoshino) started the race from 12th on the grid. Treluyer was behind the wheel for the first stint, and he passed the car over to Hoshino in a better position than at the start. Hoshino fought hard with the #23 Z toward the end of the race, finishing 4th.
"There was a lot of pressure in the race as there were so many Nissan / NISMO fans and many people from Nissan watching." said Yoshitaka Iijima, NISMO Team Director. "But both the drivers and the team were able to perform at their very best. I think our success today owes mostly to our drivers. Motoyama lived up to his name of being an ace-driver, and Matsuda was able to keep his promise, to return within the top 5. We as a team will make further improvements on the speed of the car and reward the drivers. Thank you as always for your support."
Satoshi Motoyama, driver of #23 Z commented: "Our goal from pre-race testing was to set up the car so we would be in a good position after the long 500km race was over. We knew for sure the race would be very difficult, and we did have moments where we couldn't lift our spirits this weekend. But all of us, including our engineers and mechanics, had their minds set towards our goal and had no doubt about doing their very best to achieve it. Our 3rd place finish is simply the result of those endeavors. I am so glad that we could show our fans the power and speed of the Z. Their support and cheering is always a great push for us to go forward. I am very grateful. Thank you very much."
