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September 14, 2020
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CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R grabs fourth consecutive top 10 finish
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It was a hectic round 4 of the SUPER GT at Twin Ring Motegi this weekend, with plenty of bumping and nudging as the pack vied for position throughout the race. A strong performance from the #12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R of Daiki Sasaki and Kazuki Hiramine raised hopes for a podium finish that ultimately proved elusive, but the day saw two Nissans finish in the top 10 of the GT500 class.
Starting from 12th on grid, the #12 GT-R´s Hiramine got off to a blistering start, along with the #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R of Ronnie Quintarelli, as both cars immediately passed two rivals in the opening lap. The two GT-Rs went on to overtake one more car in the following lap before Hiramine saw an opening to get passed Quintarelli in lap 8.
A mid race crash, a safety car dispatch and some impressive driving brought the #12 GT-R up as far as 4th place and the podium seemed within arm´s reach. However, despite this promising opening salvo, the #12 GT-R struggled to maintain their pace in the second half of the race and they gradually dropped down the order.
It was once again the #3 CRAFTSPORTS MOTUL GT-R of Kohei Hirate and Katsumasa Chiyo that proved to be the best finishing Nissan of the day. After beginning from 10th on the grid, Chiyo, taking the wheel for the second stint, fought his way up to 7th before passing the checkered flag just ahead of the #23 GT-R in 8th. This marked the fourth top 10 finish in a row for the #3 GT-R.
Chiyo later commented, "Motegi is a fairly tough course for overtaking. It was a pretty intense, closely fought race and I´m glad we took home some points. We´re moving into the second half of the season, so we´ll definitely be aiming for some top placing finishes in the next rounds."
In the GT300 class the #11 GAINER TANAX GT-R NISMO GT3 managed to finish in 6th despite being laden with a whopping 105kg handicap weight and earned enough points to maintain its lead in the GT300 championship.
The SUPER GT series will be heading back to Fuji Speedway for round 5 over October 3rd to 4th.
