2024 Autobacs SUPER GT

Round 2 Fuji Speedway [GT300 class]

The 2024 Autobacs SUPER GT Round 2 was held at the Fuji Speedway on 3 - 4 May 2024. Hiroki Yoshida and Seita Nonaka, driving the Green Brave GR Supra/Bridgestone, finished 3^rd from the 10^th qualifying position in the GT300 class.

A race that lasted for 3 hours, the number of dry tyre sets allowed was 6, while 7 sets of wet tyres were allowed. It was also mandatory to make two pit stops for refueling for this round.

During the race, Yuui Tsutsumi and Hibiki Taira, who won the opening race, competed for the lead in the early stages but lost ground in the middle and final stages, finishing in 6^th place. Naoya Gamou, Takuro Shinohara, and Haruki Kurosawa aimed for the podium but fell to the bottom due to brake trouble. Yoshida/Nonaka and Kotaka/Nakamura/Nemoto made a strategic decision to change tyres once during their two pit stops, resulting in improved track positions.

QUALIFYING ROUND

PO.	NO.	MACHINE	DRIVER	BEST LAP
4	#65	LEON PYRAMID AMG Mercedes AMG GT3	Takuro Shinohara Naoya Gamou Haruki Kurosawa	1'36.719 1'36.268
5	#2	muta Racing GR86 GT TOYOTA GR86	Hibiki Taira Yuui Tsutsumi	1'36.450 1'36.749
10	#52	Green Brave GR Supra GT TOYOTA GR Supra	Seita Nonaka Hiroki Yoshida	1'37.047 1’36.502
13	#31	apr LC500h GT LEXUS LC500h	Kazuto Kotaka Jin Nakamura Yuki Nemoto	1'36.796 1'36.517

During the qualifying round, the grid for the final was determined by the combined time of Q1 and Q2. The GT300 class was divided into two groups, A and B, and the top eight cars from each group decided the top grid for the Q2 Upper group of 16 cars.

SECOND IN THEIR GROUP

Gamou/Shinohara/Kurosawa finished first in qualifying and second in the finals in the opening race, making them 2nd in their group despite having a success weight of 36kg.

Naoya Gamou/Takuro Shinohara/Haruki Kurosawa (LEON PYRAMID AMG) make an emergency pit stop due to brake trouble.

The 4^th place Yoshida/Nonaka pair advanced to the Q2 upper group of the top 8 cars in 7^th place.

ACTUAL RACE

PO.	NO.	MACHINE	DRIVER	BEST LAP
3	#52	Green Brave GR Supra GT TOYOTA GR Supra	Hiroki Yoshida Seita Nonaka	1'37.927
5	#31	apr LC500h GT LEXUS LC500h	Kazuto Kotaka Jin Nakamura Yuki Nemoto	1'38.620
6	#2	muta Racing GR86 GT TOYOTA GR86	Yuui Tsutsumi Hibiki Taira	1'38.322
26	#65	LEON PYRAMID AMG Mercedes AMG GT3	Naoya Gamou Takuro Shinohara Haruki Kurosawa	1'37.851

In the final race, the Tsutsumi/Taira team got off to a good start and moved up two positions. The Kogure/Motoshima pair was in the lead, followed by Gamou/Shinohara/Kurosawa in 3^rd and 4^th place.

ONE-TIME TYRE CHANGE STRATEGY

Yoshida/Nonaka and Kotaka/Nakamura/Nemoto opted for a one-time tyre change strategy and improved their rankings.

Yoshida/Nonaka and Kotaka/Nakamura/Nemoto opted for a one-time tyre change strategy and improved their rankings. Tsutsumi/Taira's pace did not improve after their second pit stop, making it difficult for them to move up in the rankings. Gamou/Shinohara/Kurosawa had to make an emergency pit stop due to brake trouble and dropped significantly in the order.

Words from the Podium

“A three-hour race is about 500km in distance. It's longer than the 450km races I've experienced so far, so considering the distance covered in each stint. If you choose to do a double stint with one set of tyres, we will inform the team of the maximum distance the tyres can cover without taking any risks, and within that time, each team will decide that two cars will be allowed to do one stint at a time. The two cars moved up in the rankings, but it was unfortunate that the four-car team that supplied them fell to the bottom, as we thought they would be able to finish in the top. We believe that we have been able to supply tyres that can handle two different situations and strategies for each vehicle."

Takahiko Yamamoto, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Manager

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