LEXUS TEAM PETRONAS TOM’S
2009 Super GT Series Round 8, Kyushu 300km
Autopolis International Racing Course, Oita Pref.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Qualifying & Super Lap Weather: Overcast on Saturday, Sunny on raceday
Temperature: 17°C (ambient), 19-25°C (track)
Race format: 4.674km x 65km
|
Car number
|
Car name
|
Qualifying
|
Race
|
|
36
|
PETRONAS TOM’S SC 430
|
4th
|
WINNER
|
It was certainly time to celebrate for the LEXUS Team PETRONAS TOM'S at Round 8 of the 2009 Super GT Championship at Autopolis in the Oita Prefecture on Sunday 18 October. Taking the team's and PETRONAS' first victory at the crucial round, the race had gone according to plan from start to finish. The race win came as a collective effort by the team - a great start by German driver Andre Lotterer, the reliable and quick pit work and cool consistency of Juichi Wakisaka's drive - bringing a much soughted race win to fruition. レースレポート
Taking maximum points from the round, the win also means the LEXUS TEAM PETRONAS TOM'S has reduced the gap to the point leaders from the NISMO team to just five points with one round remaining.
Qualifying
After considerable aerodynamic update from Toyota for the race weekend, the team were immediately on pace with the cavalry of Lexus SC430s clocking in consistent fast lap times. The improved grip levels was an important factor that saw the PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 emerging second fastest in the free practice session and 5th fastest in the first round of qualifying. In the Super Lap session, Andre Lotterer was able to clock a time of 1:14.749mins to earn a second row start in fourth place for Sunday's race.
With only two-tenths of a second separating the top six qualifiers, the race was set to be an exciting affair.
Race
The first to respond to the team's expectations for the round was Lotterer who produced a great start to gain two positions to move up to second into the first lap. Chasing Richard Lyon from the Zent Cerumo team, the German had several opportunities to take the lead from the pole-sitters but opted for a conservative strategy to preserve the tyres and maintained second position through his stint.
Pitting on the same lap as the leaders on lap 28, it was the turn of the pit crew to respond. A quick stop allowed Juichi Wakisaka to rejoin crucially with the lead of the race. Dictating the pace of the race, Wakisaka was able to keep the No. 38 Zent Cerumo car behind him. With the two cars battling it out into the final stages of the race, a spin for the No.38 car gave Wakisaka the much needed breathing space for the run to the chequered flag for the team's first race win of the season.
Collecting maximum points, the win has reduced the points difference between the LEXUS TEAM PETRONAS TOM'S and current points leader, NISMO, with one round remaining.
Juichi Wakisaka (JPN)
"I think this is perhaps our most important race win to date! This was all thanks to Andre and the entire pit crew! Andre was once again able to get a really great start to gain two positions. The pit crew did a fantastic job during the stop that allowed us to rejoin in the lead. By the time I took over, I just had to keep it cool and was basically on cruise-control to save the tyres. I have lost positions before in the other races, but we won this time! This is a great result to motivate us in preparation for the final championship round!"
Andre Lotterer (DEU)
"I am really happy that we were able to win here! Thanks to every single person on the team as we really showed great teamwork and spirit to put everything together for this win. In the first stint, there were half chances for me to take the lead but I felt that it was better to try and control the pace and manage my tyres. When we pitted at the same time as the lead car, there was a real race in the pits between the crews! Juichi also did a super job to keep the Cerumo car behind throughout! Now we are all fired up for the final fight of the season and we are definitely going to put up a good fight for the championship title!
Masanori Sekiya, Team Director
“This has been a long time coming and I am extremely proud of the team and our drivers! It was very special to have won the race to keep us in championship title battle, which will be concluded and decided at the final round at the Twin Ring Motegi next month. Although I am really happy but a race like this can be bad for your stomach with all the stress and consistent strain!! The five point gap to the leaders is not small but we are definitely going to give it our all for the championship title.”
レースレポート
Race Results
Team Standings
Driver Standings
For more on the team, visit the team's site at http://36toms.com/ Gazoo Racing: GAZOO RACING : http://gazoo.com/racing/Top/Top.aspx
For more on the Super GT championship, visit http://supergt.net