SuperGT season review - how Nissan and the new Z blew open Honda and Toyota's Class One equilibrium:
For the last two years, SUPER GT fans have become spoiled with unthinkably dramatic title-deciders in the GT500 class - first Ryo Hirakawa's TOM'S Toyota running out of fuel practically within sight of the chequered flag in 2020, and then Naoki Yamamoto's Kunimitsu Honda being eliminated in a crash with a Honda GT300 car last year.
In the end it was Baguette and Hiramine who got the job done for Team Impul, but it just as easily could have been the NDDP Racing duo of Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi who came away with the title. Heck, without such poor reliability, even Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda might have had a sniff in the #23 NISMO car.
“The main strength of the NSX was the downforce. They focused on that a lot, they did a lot of wind tunnel testing. Maybe the Z has a bit less downforce, but it’s still cornering just as well, so maybe the mechanical grip is higher.”Certainly the straight line superiority of the Z was clear for all to see at Motegi when Baguette was engaged in battle with the Real Racing Honda of Nobuharu Matsushita, who along with teammate Koudai Tsukakoshi went into the final round still in title contention.
Honda SUPER GT project leader Masahiro Saiki added: “The [Nissan] fuel consumption is also surprisingly good. I think we still have a slight advantage in terms of fuel efficiency, but they are catching up. I had heard from Nissan drivers that it wasn't easy to drive, but considering their results, I think they must have an engine with good driveability.
Combined with the fact the Toyota camp appears to have fallen behind in the engine department compared to its rivals, and the ingredients were in place for an average season that featured wins at Okayama and Fuji , but not much else to brag about.
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