#100 STANLEY claims championship title with pole-to-win victory!
Mobility Resort MotegiOn Sunday 8 November 2026, the SUPER GT Round 8 race was held at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture.
Round 8 Race
With the success weight (SW) reset to 0kg for all cars, four contenders entered the 53-lap (250km) season finale with a chance of claiming the championship title. Among them were the #100 STANLEY HRC PRELUDE-GT (Naoki Yamamoto/Tadasuke Makino), which had taken the championship lead in the previous day’s Round 3, the #36 (Toyota), just four points behind in second, and the #17 Astemo (Koudai Tsukakoshi/Yuto Nomura) in third.
The race got under way at 2pm, with Yamamoto in the pole-sitting #100 STANLEY leading the field and giving the #36 (Toyota) no opportunity to challenge. An incident involving a GT300 car at the start of Lap 2 brought out the safety car (SC), but Yamamoto calmly maintained his lead when racing resumed on Lap 5. At this point, Igor Omura Fraga in the third-placed #64 Modulo closed in on the #36 but was unable to make a move. The #36, meanwhile, needed to overtake the leading #100 STANLEY to secure the championship and pushed hard to close the gap.
On Lap 13, Yamamoto in the #100 STANLEY caught up with lapped GT300 traffic, allowing the #36 to close right onto his tail as he navigated his way past the slower cars. Yamamoto defended his position with skilful driving, using the GT300 traffic to create a buffer between himself and the #36. He then gradually extended his advantage.
With the championship outcome hinging on their finishing positions, the #100 STANLEY and #36 closely monitored each other's moves before pitting simultaneously on Lap 22. The #100 STANLEY completed a quick driver change and a faster pit stop than the #36, sending Makino back onto the track with an increased advantage. While Makino rejoined at the head of the cars that had completed their pit stops, Tsukakoshi in the #17 Astemo, which had pitted one lap earlier, successfully undercut the #36 to gain a position. This effectively put the Honda HRC PRELUDE-GT cars in a one-two position.
By Lap 33, all GT500 cars had completed their pit stops, with Makino in the #100 STANLEY comfortably leading the race. On Lap 42, the #36 drew alongside the second-placed #17 Astemo at the 90-degree corner, but Tsukakoshi managed to hold on to his position. On Lap 44, a full course yellow (FCY) was declared following an incident on track. During the FCY period, the #36 made contact with a GT300 car ahead, sustaining significant damage that forced it to retire. Makino in the #100 STANLEY and Tsukakoshi in the #17 Astemo maintained their positions to the chequered flag at the end of the 53-lap race.
STANLEY TEAM KUNIMITSU, with the pairing of Yamamoto and Makino in the #100, claimed its second series championship, six years after its first title with the NSX-GT in 2020. The #17 Astemo also added to its points tally, moving up to P2 in the championship standings to finish the season.
Across its five cars, the Honda HRC PRELUDE-GT secured a total of six pole positions and five victories, crowning its debut season with the championship title.
We gave it everything we had. At the beginning of the season, I never imagined we would be heading into the final race in this position. We struggled in the early rounds, but we owe this result to all the development staff and everyone in the team who kept working hard to improve the car.
I think Makino's pole position made all the difference today. Our pace wasn't bad yesterday, but with 50kg of success weight and one stage of fuel restrictor fitted, there was a difference in speed. However, the car also needed to be adjusted to run without those restrictions, so he must have been under enormous pressure in qualifying. He delivered exactly what we needed. I simply benefited from that and was able to enjoy my stint.
The #36, which we were fighting for the championship, had won the title three years in a row up until last year. I don't think there could be anything more rewarding than pushing such a formidable rival all the way and ultimately coming out on top.
We gave it everything we had. At the beginning of the season, I never imagined we would be heading into the final race in this position. We struggled in the early rounds, but we owe this result to all the development staff and everyone in the team who kept working hard to improve the car.
I think Makino's pole position made all the difference today. Our pace wasn't bad yesterday, but with 50kg of success weight and one stage of fuel restrictor fitted, there was a difference in speed. However, the car also needed to be adjusted to run without those restrictions, so he must have been under enormous pressure in qualifying. He delivered exactly what we needed. I simply benefited from that and was able to enjoy my stint.
The #36, which we were fighting for the championship, had won the title three years in a row up until last year. I don't think there could be anything more rewarding than pushing such a formidable rival all the way and ultimately coming out on top.
With the qualifying and race formats changing for these two races, I felt a lot of pressure knowing that my qualifying performance could determine the outcome. I knew I absolutely had to qualify near the front. Despite that pressure, the team prepared a perfect car for me, and I was able to take pole position.
In the race, Yamamoto built a gap to the #36 during the opening stint, so I took over knowing that we could win as long as I avoided mistakes. I managed to bring the car home to the chequered flag.
We struggled at the beginning of the season, but HRC, the team, Yamamoto and I worked together, trying different approaches and gradually making improvements. As one of the development drivers for the HRC PRELUDE-GT, I was also involved in its shakedown, and I understood that my role now was different from when I won my first championship. That's why I feel relieved that we were able to turn things around after such a difficult start.
There will only ever be one debut season for the HRC PRELUDE-GT, so I'm really pleased that we managed to win the championship.
With the qualifying and race formats changing for these two races, I felt a lot of pressure knowing that my qualifying performance could determine the outcome. I knew I absolutely had to qualify near the front. Despite that pressure, the team prepared a perfect car for me, and I was able to take pole position.
In the race, Yamamoto built a gap to the #36 during the opening stint, so I took over knowing that we could win as long as I avoided mistakes. I managed to bring the car home to the chequered flag.
We struggled at the beginning of the season, but HRC, the team, Yamamoto and I worked together, trying different approaches and gradually making improvements. As one of the development drivers for the HRC PRELUDE-GT, I was also involved in its shakedown, and I understood that my role now was different from when I won my first championship. That's why I feel relieved that we were able to turn things around after such a difficult start.
There will only ever be one debut season for the HRC PRELUDE-GT, so I'm really pleased that we managed to win the championship.
The Honda HRC PRELUDE-GT has won the championship in its debut season. I would like to thank both drivers and all the staff at TEAM KUNIMITSU for making this achievement possible.
Our role at HRC is to provide cars capable of winning, and I'm pleased that one of them has secured the championship. The #17, which finished P2 today, also ended the season P2 in the championship standings. As part of the development team, it gives us a tremendous sense of achievement to see these two cars outperform a rival package that has been the strongest in recent years.
Our other Honda customer teams also delivered strong performances in various rounds throughout the season. The HRC PRELUDE-GT struggled with performance at the beginning of the season, but thanks to the tremendous efforts and cooperation of all the drivers, engineers and staff, we were able to improve its competitiveness to this level. I'm deeply grateful to everyone who contributed.
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our fans for their support throughout the season.
The Honda HRC PRELUDE-GT has won the championship in its debut season. I would like to thank both drivers and all the staff at TEAM KUNIMITSU for making this achievement possible.
Our role at HRC is to provide cars capable of winning, and I'm pleased that one of them has secured the championship. The #17, which finished P2 today, also ended the season P2 in the championship standings. As part of the development team, it gives us a tremendous sense of achievement to see these two cars outperform a rival package that has been the strongest in recent years.
Our other Honda customer teams also delivered strong performances in various rounds throughout the season. The HRC PRELUDE-GT struggled with performance at the beginning of the season, but thanks to the tremendous efforts and cooperation of all the drivers, engineers and staff, we were able to improve its competitiveness to this level. I'm deeply grateful to everyone who contributed.
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our fans for their support throughout the season.
GT500 Race Result
Pos. | No. | Team | Drivers | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 100 | STANLEY TEAM KUNIMITSU | Naoki Yamamoto / Tadasuke Makino | 1:34'32.115 |
2 | 17 | Astemo REAL RACING | Koudai Tsukakoshi / Yuto Nomura | +1.705 |
3 | 12 | TEAM IMPUL | Kazuki Hiramine / Bertrand Baguette | +17.759 |
4 | 38 | TGR TEAM KeePer CERUMO | Toshiki Oyu / Rikuto Kobayashi | +22.130 |
5 | 14 | TGR TEAM ENEOS ROOKIE | Nirei Fukuzumi / Kazuya Oshima | +24.573 |
6 | 16 | ARTA MUGEN | Tomoki Nojiri / Ren Sato | +27.455 |
7 | 8 | Team HRC ARTA MUGEN | Kakunoshin Ohta / Hiroki Otsu | +33.559 |
12 | 64 | Modulo Nakajima Racing | Riki Okusa / Igor Omura Fraga | +1:25.530 |
GT500 Team Ranking
Pos. | No. | Team | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 100 | STANLEY TEAM KUNIMITSU | Naoki Yamamoto / Tadasuke Makino | 108 |
2 | 36 | TGR TEAM au TOM’S | Sho Tsuboi / Kenta Yamashita | 84 |
3 | 17 | Astemo REAL RACING | Koudai Tsukakoshi / Yuto Nomura | 84 |
4 | 12 | TEAM IMPUL | Kazuki Hiramine / Bertrand Baguette | 78 |
5 | 38 | TGR TEAM KeePer CERUMO | Toshiki Oyu / Rikuto Kobayashi | 72 |
6 | 8 | Team HRC ARTA MUGEN | Kakunoshin Ohta / Hiroki Otsu | 70 |
7 | 16 | ARTA MUGEN | Tomoki Nojiri / Ren Sato | 64 |
13 | 64 | Modulo Nakajima Racing | Riki Okusa / Igor Omura Fraga | 32 |
