Nissan GT-R Goes Two-For-Two at Super GT

Two Consecutive Wins In Opening Rounds for NISSAN GT-R

April 13th, Okayama International Circuit, Okayama Prefecture, Japan – Sunday April 13th, the 2nd round of the SUPER GT season was held at Okayama International Circuit in Okayama prefecture. XANAVI NISMO GT-R(#23 Satoshi Motoyama / Benoit Treluyer), starting from pole position led the race from the start, accomplishing a pole-to-flag victory, to get their second consecutive win after the first round of the 2008 season. Third in qualifying, Calsonic IMPUL GT-R(#12 Tsugio Matsuda / Sebastien Philippe) finished 2nd, and the NISSAN GT-R took its second consecutive 1-2 finish.

#23 leads from the start, despite an intense attack

Under light clouds and with 29,000 people watching, the 82-lap race began at 14:03. All machines finished the first lap safely, Benoit Treluyer leading in the #23 GT-R, followed by last year’s champion car, the #1 HONDA NSX, and then #12 GT-R. Fourth was the #3 GT-R, and 6th the #22 GT-R. The GT-Rs were leading the race. The #1 NSX was right behind the #23 GT-R, waiting for the moment to take over. For a while mid-race, they were right next to the #23 car, but Treluyer never gave them a chance, and held on to his lead.

Rain destabilizes race

Around the 20th lap, light rain started to fall. It wasn’t enough to make it a wet race, but there were dangerous points such as the painted rumble strips which took grip away from the cars, and spins and collisions occurred on track as a result. On lap 31, the #3 GT-R spun out after getting hit by a machine from behind. To avoid that incident, the #22 collided with another car, damaging its bodywork and suspension. The #22 had to head back to the pits for repairs, losing it a considerable amount of time.

#12 GT-R wins the battle for 2nd position

The highlight of the second half of the race was the intense battle for 2nd place between the #12 and #1 cars. Matsuda, who started 3rd in the #12 GT-R, was right behind the #1 and waiting for an opportunity. The thrilling battle continued for 15 laps, but the #1 car spun out on the 68th lap, concluding the battle. Matsuda pursued Motoyama’s #23 GT-R and caught up, shrinking the difference from 17 seconds to 2.5, but couldn’t overtake. The #23 car crossed the 82nd lap finish line first, followed by the #12, completing a 1-2 finish for the GT-R. It was the first time in SUPER GT history that two of the same cars won a GT race. Motoyama got his 9th GT race win in total and is now tied for the most wins.

The #24 GT-R, starting from 14th, got points for finishing 8th. The #3 finished 10th. The #22 car finished 15th with a 10-lap gap after coming back on track from the previous delay.

- #23 Satoshi Motoyama’s comment:
“ It’s the first time I’ve had consecutive wins. Benoit did really well in the first half to save the lead, so it was a great race. I’m thankful. I’m excited to have the most wins, but I’m more happy that we won here because I haven’t been doing too well in Okayama recently.”

- #23 Benoit Treluyer’s comment:
“Both the tires and the team were perfect. I feel great! I had thought that consecutive wins in GT was impossible so I’m very happy. I knew it would be tough unless I was in the lead by the 6th lap, and that was right. I was very careful so others couldn’t pass me. I used traffic to protect my position.”

- NISMO Team Director Iijima’s comment:
“Thank you for your support. Two consecutive wins from the start, pole-to-win, it all may sound easy, but the weight was heavy and it was a rough race on the tires too. The drivers did a wonderful job of controlling the race, and they ran a brilliant race. The #22 unfortunately had an accident, but we can unload the weight now, so the car will do better at Fuji. Thank you all, and I appreciate your continued support.”

[Race Results] 82Laps

[Championship Points] Drivers’ ranking after Rd.2