SUPER GT Round 3 SUZUKA GT 300km Fan Festival LEXUS LC500 Achieved Third Place
Pole to Win for the LEXUS RC F GT3

GT500 class

KeePer TOM'S LC500 No.1 with drivers Ryo HIRAKAWA / Nick CASSIDY finished third place at the Autobacs Super GT 2018 series at Suzuka Circuit.

LEXUS LC500 achieved three consecutive podiums.

GT300 class

K-tunes RC F GT3 No.96 co-piloted by Morio NITTA / Yuichi NAKAYAMA won their first victory starting from pole position.

Ryo HIRAKAWA (KeePer TOM'S LC500 No.1)

Considering just the pace, it was probably difficult to catch up with the two cars in front, but Nick passed them at the start and after the safety car, so when he came back to the pit we were substantially in second place, with very small gap with the top car. Unfortunately, it took time to warm up the tires after I was out of the pit and got passed. After that, I was able to keep a stable pace but it wasn’t enough to catch up with the rivals. I’m happy with the podium, but personally not happy with the result. I was able to manage the gap other than the two NSX, so that was good. From a weight handicap point of view, next round at Thailand will be tough because of the fuel restrictor. However, we are compatible with the course, so a podium may be difficult to achieve, but hopefully we can finish in front of the two cars ahead of us in the ranking and continue with a good vibe after we are back in Japan. I think we will do good.

Nick CASSIDY (KeePer TOM'S LC500 No.1)

I’m happy with today’s race. This weekend the performance level was high for the rivals, but we both were doing well from qualifying. Today’s race was tough, but we continued to attack and were able to achieve this result. It was risky to pass the rivals at the first corner after the start and the re-start after the safety car, but with no contact, we were able to perform a fair battle and bring up the position. After that, I was able to keep up with the rivals by gaining gap with the cars behind. I thought there would be a chance to overtake the rivals during the last part of my stint, but unfortunately it was not possible. Ryo did a fantastic job. Considering the performance level of the rivals this weekend, third place is a satisfactory result. This season is a tough competition between the three makes. Ryo, myself and the team are doing well, and I feel the strong competitiveness since last year. Rivals are tough and we haven’t been able to win yet, but we will definitely win this year.

Morio NITTA (K-tunes RC F GT3 No.96)

We were performing so well from the qualifying, and were able to start at a great position. I knew that the rivals would go for no tire change, so I concentrated on gaining margin with the cars behind. Unfortunately, the safety car took away all the margin, but I pushed hard to gain the margin again after the re-start and passed the baton to Yuichi. Yuichi showed some nervous battles, but in the end, I am relieved that we were able to achieve the best result.

Yuichi NAKAYAMA (K-tunes RC F GT3 No.96)

I am happy that I could contribute to Nitta san’s equal record for most wins in the GT300 class. It was also a first pole position and a first victory for the team. I am relieved that we were able to bring good results with the new team on the third round. Nitta san kept a good pace at the top position. Although there was an unlucky situation with the safety car, he continued to push the car performance 200%. Pit work was also very good, and I was able to go back to the course with minimum loss. During my stint, although we had a better pace, Taniguchi san’s (GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU AMG No.0) block was tough and I couldn’t overtake him. However, I was able to overtake him at the high speed corner, which Lexus RC F GT3 performs well. Rounds 1 and 2 were tough, but the car was fast all in all including the low speed corners. We will aim for high positions from the next round and onwards with this good momentum.

GT500 Class Result

GT300 Class Result

Drivers Standings (GT500)

Team Standings (GT500)

Pictures will be uploaded here during the event

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