All-Japan Rally
Championship
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All Japan GT Championship |
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All Japan GT Championship |
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Rd.7 CP MINÉ GT RACE - CP MINÉ CIRCUIT 10/26 - 27
Cusco Subaru Impreza finish 7th, seeking for upsetting at the Final Round.
JGTC Round 7 was from October 26 to 27 held at Central Park MINE Circuit in Yamaguchi prefecture. Cusco Subaru Impreza with drivers Katsuo Kobayashi and Tatsuya Tanigawa started from 12th place after qualify to finish in 7th to gain valuable 4 points. They pledge their best effort for upset Champion in the Final Round in Suzuka with victory.
Qualify
The weather was constantly unstable at MINE Circuit. Slight shower came early in the morning, but had stopped before the first qualifying session. With only brief moment of sunlight, a cloud started to fill the sky and cold wind chilled the air. Cusco Subaru Impreza recorded the faster lap time than the pole sitter of previous year with 1'29h584. However, many other cars improved their time in GT300, Cusco fell in 14th place.
Quote from Tatsuya Tanigawa
"I knew it would be a struggle since, the speed on the straight was slow, and the car wasn't so good from Thursday's practice. Tomorrow would be a endurance race supposedly."
Race
Sunday was cold with temperature 12ºC and strong wind, but still 44,800 fans rushed to the circuit. The race started with parade lap on 14:00. Immediately after, GT500 cars had multiple crashes on the 2nd corner. Tanigawa, who started the race, lost position here to 16th place.
Further, the speed of the car did not improve, allowing other cars to overtake on the straight and dropped position until 19th place. He then hit a Porche on 2nd corner on lap 9 and had it spin. Eventually, Impreza warmed its tires and improved the position to 2nd place when other cars returned to pit. Impreza returned to pit on lap 42 and the steering was handed to Kobayashi. He then returned to track on 9th place. Being most careful of the rough surface, Kobayashi kept steady drive to receive the checkered flag in 7th place gaining valuable 4 points.
The total points of Cusco Subaru Impreza are now 53 points, whereas the point leader (Vemac) has 69 points. It is not necessary an easy circumstance, but a chance be still there. Many of the rivals face more handicap weight than Impreza, allowing more opportunity for upset victory to be expected. Quote from Tatsuya Tanigawa
"The car was so hard to handle when the tires were cold, and I lost so much position. The accident on the 2nd corner was my mistake, and I'm very sorry for the team and the other car as well. We still remain in the Championship battle until the Final Round. We have nothing to lose. We will definitely co for the victory."
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As the session ended, sudden rain started, and as the forecast for the afternoon remained wet, many suspected the current standing will be the qualifying position. But the rain stopped in the afternoon, and the track was dry by the time the second session started, and everyone was out to qualify again. Tanigawa, who was responsible for time attempt, recorded a time of 1'29h175, 0.4 seconds quicker than the morning. The total qualifying position throughout morning and afternoon was 12th. It was plain to see the qualifying was severe as 15 cars on top filled with in 1 second.