LEXUS TEAM PETRONAS TOM'S
SUPER GT Round 6
Pokka GT SUMMER SPECIAL
22 August 2010

Weather:
Weather: Sunny and dry | Temperature：32 - 33ºC (ambient)  47 - 48ºC (track)

Circuit ： SUZUKA Circuit　5.807km　
Format ： 5.807km×121Lap

Car number & Driver Car name Qualifying Race Series Ranking (Driver / Team)
1 (JYUICHI WAKISAKA / ANDRE LOTTERER) PETRONAS TOM’S SC430 11th 10th 4th(42) 3rd (59)

The LEXUS TEAM PETRONAS TOM’S No. 1 car managed to score a point at the recently concluded Super GT Series at the Suzuka circuit last weekend despite the hefty weight handicap imposed for the round. The 6th round of the championship at the summer special 700Km race was also the season's longest race. 

The weekend was made even more special for team driver, Juichi Wakisaka who celebrated his 100th GT race at Pokka GT Summer Special Suzuka 700.

Saturday , 21 August 2010 - Qualifying
The weekend's schedule kicked off with a long free practice session in the morning. Getting off to a good start, the TOM'S was able to set the 7th fastest time in the session, suggesting a top ten form for qualifying. However, the afternoon qualifying sesssion turned into a disappointment when the heavy handicap weight became the team's achilles heel, with the team unable to get through the first qualifying knock-out session. The team qualified in 12th for the race but was given 11th when another car was penalised for an engine change.

Sunday , 22 August 2010 - Race
Sunday's race turned out to be an eventful one for the team. Starting driver, Andre Lotterer was able to gain a place to move up to 10th in the initial stages of the race. Though he was able to gain yet another place, the German was hit and ran wide dropping him back to 10th. Juichi Wakisaka was also able to gain a place to move up to 9th place during the 2nd stint of the race driving a defensive race to keep a pursuing Honda HSV. Both cars provided fans with a spectacular battle from the start of the stint through to the end of his stint. Taking over for the third stint

Andre Lotterer once again drove a steady race before once again being hit by a GT300 class car. Having to make up ground in the stint, the race moved to the pits with the crew having to make a quick and accurate stop to help gain the team's position in 9th place for the final stint. Driving the final stint, Wakisaka was once again locked in another battle with the same and lighter HSV. Despite conceding ninth to the Honda, the team were able to finish in the points in 10th.

Juichi Wakisaka (JPN)
“As everyone knows, we have been struggling since the Sepang round. For sure, the performance was compromised compounded by the fact that we have a significant weight disadvantage. Nevertheless, I think we produced a very solid race one again given the situation we are faced with. For me personally, this weekend was a special one. I enjoyed my 100th GT race with the same HSV in both of my stints and we managed to come away with a point. For the next race at Fuji, we will have a fresh engine so I am hopeful we can regain our footing with a strong performance.”

Andre Lotterer (DEU)
“Given the conditions and the disadvantage of the weight handicap, I think we did a reasonable race at the longest race of the season in Suzuka. I was pushed twice and I got really mad. I guess they were not watching their mirrors and did not see me. Naturally, I am not happy about this situation as we were out to gain as much as possible given our obvious disadvantages. Anyway, I am really looking forward to the next race at Fuji with a fresh engine!”

Masanori Sekiya, Team Director
“I think we have done a reasonable job at what was very tough conditions at the longest race of the season in Suzuka. Andre unfortunately was pushed twice during the race, which really took away chances for a much better finish. Juichi's stint saw him spend most of the time engaged in a tough fight fending off the Honda HSV. Given the differential in performance, particularly with this year's Honda, Juichi did a good job! At Fuji for round 7, we hope we can do a much better job especially with the new engine application and weight revisions. We hope we can turn the next few rounds into a strong offensive to give ourselves a much better chance.”

For more on the PETRONAS Team Tom's, visit the team's website at http://36toms.com/
For more information on the Super GT Series, visit the official site at: http://supergt.net/

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