SUPER GT Round 7 THAILAND Chang SUPER GT RACE LEXUS LC500 and LEXUS RC F GT3 Achieves Double Victory

GT500 class

KeePer TOM'S LC500 No.37 co-piloted by Ryo HIRAKAWA/Nick CASSIDY won their second victory with the all-new LEXUS LC500 at the Autobacs Super GT 2017 series at Thai Chang International Circuit.

WAKO'S 4CR LC500 No.6 finished second place with drivers Kazuya OSHIMA/Andrea CALDARELLI.

GT300 class

JMS P.MU LMcorsa RC F GT3 No.51 with drivers Yuichi NAKAYAMA/Sho TSUBOI achieved their second victory this season in the GT300 class with the all-new LEXUS RC F GT3.

Ryo HIRAKAWA (KeePer TOM'S LC500 No.37)

We achieved the best result. Honestly, I was very nervous before the start and worried which tire to choose, but the pace of the car in the rain was good. The timing to change to dry tires determined the race. With maybe some luck, we were able to get in the pit at the perfect timing, out laps were great and Nick expanded the gap even more. The pit work was quick when I went back in the car and my out laps were nice and clean. After that, I never looked back and focused on not making any mistakes and to keep the rank we were in. It was a great race, which put us on a good pace towards the final round. All cars will lose the weight handicap at the next race in Motegi, so hope to do a race like the 1st round this season.

Nick CASSIDY (KeePer TOM'S LC500 No.37)

I am overwhelmed. Today was an amazing day. I can‘t thank enough the team and other related parties. Today‘s result was important but at the same time, I think this was one of the best GT races I have ever done. I could manage the wet tires, and gave me enough gap to manage the cars from behind. I didn‘t need to take risk in traffic. The power was really really good. I handed the car to Ryo (Hirakawa) and as expected, and as always, he did an amazing job. He has not just begun but all year done a great job. I am now really looking forward to Motegi, especially with no weight.

Yuichi NAKAYAMA (JMS P.MU LMcorsa RC F GT3 No.51)

It was a very difficult condition because of the rain before the start, but we were able to demonstrate the performance of the tires. It also rained during yesterday‘s qualifying but I went with confidence. Tsuboi and I both recorded good lap times and we were able to start from a good position. The road condition was wet at the start of the race, so we started with the same tires as yesterday. The track dried up faster than I thought but I finished the minimum lap, and left the rest to Tsuboi. He had to do 40 laps but kept a good pace while keeping the tires in a good condition. Many thanks to him. We were 16 points behind the leading team, so victory was the only choice we had. It was good that we were able to achieve victory under that condition but we are still 9 points behind, which is still a tough situation. We also need victory at Motegi, so I am going to do my best.

Sho TSUBOI (JMS P.MU LMcorsa RC F GT3 No.51)

It was a really long stint. Nakayama drove great during the early battle with the wet tires. I had to drive 40 laps with a good pace but also keeping the tires in a good condition, so I drove with talking to the tires but also pushing. I was in second place when the car in front went in the pit, so I pushed hard. After I became top in the position, I looked at the gap with the cars behind and tried to maintain the tires. I want to thank the great tires, and also Nakayama who did a great job in the beginning. It was my first race in Thailand, but with our second victory this season, the momentum is good. We need to fight under the same condition with no weight handicap at the last race in Motegi, but I think we have a good chance of winning and will never give up.

GT500 CLASS RESULTS

GT300 CLASS RESULTS

Drivers Standings (GT500)

Team Standings (GT500)