In the third round of the 2024 AUTOBACS SUPER GT, held at the Suzuka Circuit, the GT300 class witnessed a thrilling three-hour race under fluctuating weather conditions. Despite the threat of rain, the final day proceeded in dry conditions, showcasing the resilience and strategy of the teams involved.
The duo of Hibiki Taira and Yuui Tsutsumi, representing muta Racing in their GR86 GT equipped with Bridgestone tyres, delivered a stellar performance. Starting from a strong position, they quickly ascended to second place, maintaining their spot throughout the race to finish as the runners-up. Their effort was part of a broader success for Bridgestone, as all their equipped cars scored points in this race.
| PO. | NO. | MACHINE | DRIVER | BEST LAP | TYRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | #2 | muta Racing GR86 GT TOYOTA GR86 |
Hibiki Taira Yuui Tsutsumi |
1'58.501 1'58.682 |
 |
| 6 | #52 | Green Brave GR Supra GT TOYOTA GR Supra |
Seita Nonaka Hiroki Yoshida |
1'59.022 1'59.233 |
|
| 7 | #31 | apr LC500h GT LEXUS LC500h |
Kazuto Kotaka Jin Nakamura Yuki Nemoto |
1'58.925 1’59.369 |
|
| 13 | #65 | LEON PYRAMID AMG Mercedes AMG GT3 |
Takuro Shinohara Naoya Gamou Haruki Kurosawa |
1'59.659 1'59.187 |
|
Qualifying was split into two groups, leading to intense competition. Tsutsumi and Taira, carrying the heaviest success weight in their class at 54 kg, managed to qualify in third place within their group. Other Bridgestone teams also performed well, with several making it to the top ranks of their respective groups and all except one advancing from Q1.
As the race commenced on a drying track, Tsutsumi and Taira showcased their strategic acumen by moving up to second place early on. Their teammates on the Bridgestone roster, including Kotaka, Nakamura, and Nemoto, utilised a no-tyre-change strategy effectively to climb the leaderboard. Despite fluctuating positions, they ended the race commendably with fourth place, narrowly missing the podium.
| PO. | NO. | MACHINE | DRIVER | BEST LAP | TYRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | #2 | muta Racing GR86 GT TOYOTA GR86 |
Yuui Tsutsumi Hibiki Taira |
2'01.318 | |
| 4 | #31 | apr LC500h GT LEXUS LC500h |
Kazuto Kotaka Jin Nakamura Yuki Nemoto |
2'01.913 | |
| 5 | #52 | Green Brave GR Supra GT TOYOTA GR Supra |
Hiroki Yoshida Seita Nonaka |
2'01.971 | |
| 8 | #65 | LEON PYRAMID AMG Mercedes AMG GT3 |
Naoya Gamou Takuro Shinohara Haruki Kurosawa |
2'01.960 | |
Other Bridgestone teams, such as Yoshida and Nonaka, finished fifth, and Gamou, Shinohara, and Kurosawa took eighth place, rounding out a strong performance for Bridgestone-equipped vehicles.
The race was ultimately won by the Fujii/Fagg team, starting from pole position and maintaining their lead throughout.
As the teams look forward to Round 4, the strong showing at Suzuka has set high expectations for continuing success and strategic prowess in the GT300 class.
“In Round 3, Bridgestone tyre users all drove great races with success weights loaded. The tyres we developed in the pre-test were a great match, so Round 3 turned out to be a great result for us. Naturally, our strategy of running two stints without changing tyres also led to an improvement in the rankings, but Tsutsumi/Taira in particular showed great performance with maximum weights. We were able to provide strong support to them."
Takahiko Yamamoto, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Manager
