2015 Japanese Super GT

[AkioAsakura95]

To @Japanese Samurai :

There is the rumor that Team Studie (#7) will start at 2nd position instead of 3rd position according to Seiji Ara comment

https://supergt.net/news/single/15398

[Japanese Samurai]

No. He says that "start from second row."

[J Jay]

Wait, so Tachikawa was only .152s off pole with 52kg of ballast? Daisuke Ito better watch out because if this continues Tachikawa will be taking his seat in the #36 Petronas. Mind, the Motul Autech's pole was with 68kg of ballast but you could attribute that to the tyres (or just Quintarelli being Quintarelli).

[carbsmith]

Originally Posted by Artur

Did you watch GT500 qualifying or just saw the result? I wonder where I could watch GT500 qualifyings. I read that Nico Nico Douga(a Japanese website, so difficult to do) streams it but I think you need to pay for it.

It's free but it's (usually) region restricted.

[TF110]

I used vipbox.tv to watch qualifying, but only made it in time for q2.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by J Jay

Wait, so Tachikawa was only .152s off pole with 52kg of ballast? Daisuke Ito better watch out because if this continues Tachikawa will be taking his seat in the #36 Petronas.

Tachikawa has been a top driver since I've started following the series, and if he had any intention of leaving Cerumo, he'd have left long ago. Instead, Tachikawa has become increasingly ingrained at Cerumo and is now team director for the Super Formula side of the operation.

That said, Ito shouldn't feel all that secure in his seat regardless. I think the threat could be coming from the way of Hirakawa, who has matured nicely this season.

[J Jay]

30 seconds into the stream and Collins has already mentioned the ILMC.

Chiana would be proud

It is raining rather heavily.

[Beryl]

When can we breathe?

[J Jay]

This is the best (GT500) start to a Suzuka 1000 that I can remember.

Meanwhile, in GT300 the Syntium Lotus has taken off.

[Beryl]

Those GT500 Dunlop tires are really not liking these wetter conditions. They'll come into their own when it starts drying out, but for now Baguette is just going to keep dropping.

Kogure and Yamamoto turning a really quick pace at the moment.

[J Jay]

You're right about the Dunlops, and it looks like Couto is coming in for a new set of wets. Not much else you can do other than stick with the tyres until the rain subsides.

It looks like it's a matter of time until Yamamoto gets past Quintarelli. Like now, just as I'm typing this!

[Japanese Samurai]

Sunday press conference by GTA (Masaaki Bandoh)
http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=67619

*About technical regulations unification between SGT and DTM
-Technical regulation unification work except for tires faces a climax.

*About inter race
-A schedule of an inter race in Japan is November, 2017.
We'd like to accept 12 DTM vehicles.
-A schedule of an inter race in Germany is February or March, 2018.
We want to send all GT500 vehicles.

[J Jay]

Keeper RC-F is off at Degner 2. The car is being recovered but it looks like their race is done.

[Beryl]

After praising Hirakawa before the race, he dutifully crashes it during the race.

[Japanese Samurai]

Sunday press conference by GTA (Masaaki Bandoh) Part.2
http://www.fmotor.jp/2015-sgt-rd5-gt500-yokusei

*Restriction of cornering speed
-We'd like to introduce restriction system of the cornering speed appropriate to the escape zone of the each circuit in 2016.

[J Jay]

Looks like the Michelins might be having a hard time getting up to temp, or is it just Matsuda being cautious? He got out of the pits just in the lead, got passed by the two NSX as expected, then the Petronas RC-F waltzed past in the next few corners. Of course, it could just be Ito on a tear...

Edit - Looks like it was Matsuda being slow. He's just dropped it into the gravel at Turn 1. Massive advantage to the Calsonic Impul for the championship.

[J Jay]

Big off for the Keihin NSX! Looks like an accident with the NDDP GT-R (?) on the way into the Casio Triangle.

Nope, it was the exit of 130R, that's a big off. Heavy front damage on the NSX, I don't think it will continue.

Edit - Syntium Lotus pits. Barring extra stops it looks like a 3-stop strategy for the car that makes fuel as it runs.

[J Jay]

I'm with Sam on that one, the RC-F GT3 knew what it was doing and tried to chop the NSX's nose off. Thankfully it was rewarded with a trip to the gravel trap.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by J Jay

I'm with Sam on that one, the RC-F GT3 knew what it was doing and tried to chop the NSX's nose off. Thankfully it was rewarded with a trip to the gravel trap.

I don't buy it. The same RC-F GT3 badly blocked the Tom's RC-F on the previous occasion that it was lapped by the leaders. The Syntium RC-F GT3 driver just seems to lack spacial awareness.

Edit: The Syntium RC-F blocks it's livery-brother Petronas Tom's RC-F once again, furthering my conviction that it was simply poor spacial awareness on the part of the Syntium driver.

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Beryl

I don't buy it. The same RC-F GT3 badly blocked the Tom's RC-F on the previous occasion that it was lapped by the leaders. The Syntium RC-F GT3 driver just seems to lack spacial awareness.

I saw that, but it's one thing to take the line over a lapping car in a slower corner, but on the way into Turn 1 would need a lack of self preservation as well as spatial awareness.

He did just keep out of Turvey's way at Spoon though, maybe he's learning on the job.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by J Jay

I saw that, but it's one thing to take the line over a lapping car in a slower corner, but on the way into Turn 1 would need a lack of self preservation as well as spatial awareness.

He did just keep out of Turvey's way at Spoon though, maybe he's learning on the job.

Regardless, I would find it hard to believe that Lexus would order LM Corsa to sacrifice one of their cars to do something as odious as taking out Lexus' lead rival in GT500.

[J Jay]

He's done it again. I think I'll have to concede this one, someone needs to take the driver aside when he pits and have a word.

Let's see (and hope) that the NSX can keep the pace up on slicks. Doesn't help that the pit stop has swapped the lead thanks to a compromised exit for the Raybrig.

Edit - Big off for the SKT EXE SLS on the way to Spoon. Too much debris on the track to not call a safety car.

Could there be a penalty coming for the #1 playing dominoes which led to the SLS crash?

[TheNo1F1Fan]

#8 ARTA NSX slows down!

[J Jay]

The Syntium Lotus gets pinged for stopping when the pit lane was closed. It'll be a lap down after the 90s S&G, and out of the GT300 lead battle.

Edit - Slippery surface flags and the safety car is out again.

[J Jay]

Drive through penalty for the Prius for spinning behind the safety car. That will take it out of the lead.