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AUTOSPORT's report
*Problem of Lexus
Lexus renewed SC430 greatly at this season. It changed the arrangement of the engine room and lowered the center of gravity, suspension was updated. Lexus says "All are new excluding the monocoque".
BS users are doing a different attempt from last year of the tire, too. They try to use the same structural tire as HSV. It is a character that the grip power continues when getting warm once. On the other hand, the warm-up performance is inferior. Therefore, they cannot use it. This year, Lexus try a new approach to win HSV that the grip power continues.
Michelin user(Team SARD) also has a problem. The tire at this season is not suitable for the character of SC430 yet. They use the 2010 spec suspension because the data of the 2011 spec is a little. The 2011 spec suspension seems not to be versatile.
In Okayama round, Tom's(#36)'s race pace in the latter stage of the race was one second or more slower than that of KEIHIN(#17).
So TRD tried a new approach for Sepang round. To improve the pace in the long run, they changed front fender to the Fuji spec (low downforce), and prepered new rear end (to increase rear downforce) for #35, #36. Because the wind tunnel test had been delayed, it was delivered only to two team. As a result, CoP was moved to backward. These had aimed at the improvement of the cornering speed and making the tire wear a minimum.
The race pace of Lexus was not too bad in Sepang round. However, they left the problem for the qualifying result.
*BS users of Honda used quite same spec tires in Super lap of Sepang round. The result is as follows.
1. Kogure(#1) 1'55.984
3. Tsukakoshi(#17) 1'56.710 (+0.726)
6. Izawa(#100) 1'57.491 (+1.507)
7. Mutoh(#8) 1'57.712 (+1.728)
*Jim Gainer might participate with two cars from SUGO round. 2nd car will be FIA-GT spec F430 or JAF-GT300 spec F430.
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