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November 9, 2020
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Hard-fought 7th place sees MOTUL AUTECH GT-R retain 3rd in rankings
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The #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R put in a solid performance at Twin Ring Motegi this weekend, securing 4th on the grid and engaging in several hard-fought skirmishes with fellow top ranked machines. Having taken wins in both round 3 and round 6 this season, a 7th placed finish for the number 23 was enough to keep them at 3rd in the rankings with a mere two points separating them from the series leaders.
Beginning from 4th on the grid, Ronnie Quintarelli took the wheel of the #23 GT-R and put in a strong opening volley to try and reel in the top 3. However, the Italian struggled with pace from around lap 15, falling back one place to 5th where he fought off some strong challenges from the competition in his rear-view mirror.
The #23 GT-R was still running in 5th after Tsugio Matsuda took the reins, and the dual title holder pushed hard to raise them up further, but ultimately found himself fighting off more attacks from the rear. Despite allowing two rivals to get passed in lap 48 he went on to staunchly hold off any further challenges and passed the checkered flag in 7th.
After the race Matsuda related, "I was able to carry out some good battles with our championship rivals, so it was a really enjoyable race." Team Principal, Yutaka Suzuki was also positive, stating, "We were able to duke it out on an equal footing with the top ranked cars and this race gave the team and drivers a lot of confidence. We´re still sitting at 3rd in the rankings with just 2 points in it, so everything is now riding on the final round."
In the GT300 class the Realize Nissan Automobile Technical College NISSAN GT-R NISMO GT3 began from 7th and pulled out an impeccable performance to take their second win of the season and move up to the top of the GT300 class standings. With the RUNUP RIVAUX GT-R also taking the 3rd step on the podium it was an impressive showing for the GT-R NISMO GT3 at Motegi.
The final round of the SUPER GT will be held at Fuji Speedway on November 29th.
