STANLEY CIVIC TYPE R-GT makes impressive comeback to take 3rd in Fuji
Fuji Speedway
The second round of the 2025 Super GT series was held at Fuji Speedway and a total of five CIVIC TYPE R-GT 2025 specification cars participated in the 3-hour long race.
On May 3 (Sat), at 3:03 p.m., under the clear sky with ambient and road surface temperatures at 19℃ and 30℃ respectively, the official Q1 session started. The “Q1-2 aggregated time” qualifying method adopted in 2024 was returned to the conventional “knockout” method from this season. In the Q1 session, the #16 car (Hiroki Otsu) marked the 2nd fastest time, #64 (Riki Okusa) 7th, #8 car (Nobuharu Matsushita) 8th, #17 car (Syun Koide) 10th, and a total of four CIVIC TYPE R-GT cars made way to the Q2 session. The #100 car (Naoki Yamamoto) was shown the session-end flag a fraction before its final attempt and failed to advance into Q2 ending up to the 13th grid to start the race.
The 10-minute Q2 session was started at 3:41 p.m., when temperatures both for ambient and road surface significantly lowered as the sun began going down. #16 car (Ren Sato) and #8 car (Tomoki Nojiri) marked the 3rd and 4th fastest times respectively and, the #17 car (Koudai Tsukakoshi) and #64 car (Takuya Izawa) were 9th and 10th.
On May 4 (Sun) at 2:10 p.m., the race was started in the fine weather carried over from the day before. The 3-hour race for this round required at least two stops with each driver having to clear the minimum 1-hour stint.
The opening lap started in the rolling formation and was relatively uneventful, with both the #16 car (Otsu) and #8 car (Nojiri) maintaining 3rd and 4th positions respectively. On Lap-21, a GT300 car stranded on the track brought out the first Safety Car (SC) of the day. On Lap-27, when the Full Course Yellow (FCY) was removed, the strategy of the #16 and #8 cars fighting for the 3rd place were split. The #8 car came in after less than an hour for refuelling and fresh tyres but Nojiri remained in action without a driver change to implement the preplanned undercut, whereas #16 car (Otsu) stayed out and maintained 3rd position which was eventually surrendered.
The #8 car (Nojiri) got his undercut strategy to work well and he climbed to 2nd right behind the #38 GR Supra after all the runners had completed their first stop.
Later on, the #8 car (Nojiri) made its second stop at/around the 2-hour point for refuelling and the driver switch to Matsushita.
Other CIVIC TYPE R-GT entrants that started towards the front of the grid in Q2, specifically the #16 and #64 cars, had a hard time keeping up with the strong race pace even after the driver change. In the meantime, the #100 car that had launched from the lowest grid (13th) among CIVIC TYPE R-GT squad was steadily making up its position. It pitted on Lap-38 for the driver switch from Yamamoto to Tadasuke Makino and the designated pit work, and returned the race in 11th.
The #100 car made its second stop on Lap-74 and Makino stayed at the wheel and continued to gain positions with some aggressive manoeuvres one after another, to place as high as 5th on Lap-88. The #8 car (Matsushita), the foremost runner among the CIVIC TYPE R-GT squad, maintained the 4th place he gained after the successful undercut, but eventually surrendered its position to the #100 comrade CIVIC.
Makino didn’t ease up his pace even in the final laps and chased the #12 car (Z NISMO) extremely hard to snatch its 3rd place. On Lap-106, with some fifteen laps to go, the #100 car dived inside #12 as it changed line into the Dunlop corner to lap a GT300 car, and overtook it on the way out. The #100 car gradually pulled away from #12 car in the rest of the laps, and received the checkered flag in 3rd.
The #8 car took the chequered flag in 9th and earned some series points, as did the #16, #17 and #64 cars in 11th, 12th and 13th respectively at the end of the 3-hour race.
The #100 car rebounded from the low-key performance in the qualifying session and finally reached the podium. That’s one of the most encouraging aspects we saw today. In the race, the #8 and #16 cars couldn’t maintain the steady pace they had in the early phase, which is why they failed to finish in higher positions. We’re going to study the set ups and tyre choices of each car, and try to prepare best for the next race.
The #100 car rebounded from the low-key performance in the qualifying session and finally reached the podium. That’s one of the most encouraging aspects we saw today. In the race, the #8 and #16 cars couldn’t maintain the steady pace they had in the early phase, which is why they failed to finish in higher positions. We’re going to study the set ups and tyre choices of each car, and try to prepare best for the next race.
If I think about the stagnant qualifying times and the consequent lower grid start, finishing 3rd was not at all bad, I should say. I knew I was helped a lot by Makino’s speed and team’s effort. We’ll have to do better next time, I promise.
If I think about the stagnant qualifying times and the consequent lower grid start, finishing 3rd was not at all bad, I should say. I knew I was helped a lot by Makino’s speed and team’s effort. We’ll have to do better next time, I promise.
I had the fuel consumption in my head all the time, but the team taught me when to stop. I think I could gain a position or two at that pit-in including the time we took for refuelling. On my last stint, I felt I had some edge over the car in front for my tyres were very quick in warming up. My opponent was quicker in the straight, but the balance of our car was good enough to play on braking. It was a tough situation but I thought I had the only chance there, and I lunged inside. The catch up game like this is kind of our forte. It was a race that’ll serve next one.
I had the fuel consumption in my head all the time, but the team taught me when to stop. I think I could gain a position or two at that pit-in including the time we took for refuelling. On my last stint, I felt I had some edge over the car in front for my tyres were very quick in warming up. My opponent was quicker in the straight, but the balance of our car was good enough to play on braking. It was a tough situation but I thought I had the only chance there, and I lunged inside. The catch up game like this is kind of our forte. It was a race that’ll serve next one.
GT500 Race Result
Pos. | No. | Team | Driver | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 38 | TGR TEAM KeePer CERUMO | Hiroaki Ishiura / Toshiki Oyu | 116 Laps |
2 | 1 | TGR TEAM au TOM’S | Sho Tsuboi / Kenta Yamashita | +11.969 |
3 | 100 | STANLEY TEAM KUNIMITSU | Naoki Yamamoto / Tadasuke Makino | +24.178 |
4 | 12 | TEAM IMPUL | Kazuki Hiramine / Bertrand Baguette | +25.289 |
5 | 39 | TGR TEAM SARD | Yuhi Sekiguchi / Sacha Fenestraz | +29.628 |
6 | 14 | TGR TEAM ENEOS ROOKIE | Kazuya Oshima / Nirei Fukuzumi | +31.508 |
9 | 8 | ARTA #8 | Tomoki Nojiri / Nobuharu Matsushita | +47.641 |
11 | 16 | ARTA #16 | Hiroki Otsu / Ren Sato | 3:02’20.824+40s |
12 | 17 | Astemo REAL RACING | Koudai Tsukakoshi / Syun Koide | +1 Lap |
13 | 64 | Modulo Nakajima Racing | Takuya Izawa / Riki Okusa | +1 Lap |
GT500 Team Ranking
Pos. | No. | Team | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | TGR TEAM au TOM’S | Sho Tsuboi / Kenta Yamashita | 41 |
2 | 14 | TGR TEAM ENEOS ROOKIE | Kazuya Oshima / Nirei Fukuzumi | 26 |
3 | 100 | STANLEY TEAM KUNIMITSU | Naoki Yamamoto / Tadasuke Makino | 25 |
4 | 38 | TGR TEAM KeePer CERUMO | Hiroaki Ishiura / Toshiki Oyu | 23 |
5 | 39 | TGR TEAM SARD | Yuhi Sekiguchi / Sacha Fenestraz | 23 |
6 | 37 | TGR TEAM Deloitte TOM’S | Ukyo Sasahara / Giuliano Alesi | 16 |
8 | 8 | ARTA #8 | Tomoki Nojiri / Nobuharu Matsushita | 12 |
10 | 17 | Astemo REAL RACING | Koudai Tsukakoshi / Syun Koide | 7 |
11 | 64 | Modulo Nakajima Racing | Takuya Izawa / Riki Okusa | 6 |
13 | 16 | ARTA #16 | Hiroki Otsu / Ren Sato | 3 |
