The Autopolis race noticed the highest 4 positions in each qualifying and the race monopolised by so-called JAF GT300 automobiles (formally GTA-GT300), as Saitama Toyopet Toyota GR Supra pair Hiroki Yoshida and Kohta Kawaai scored their second win in succession to all however clinch this yr’s title.
Better of the FIA GT3-spec automobiles was the Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 of de Oliveira and team-mate Teppei Natori in fifth, however the consequence was not sufficient to maintain de Oliveira in competition for a 3rd GT300 title within the area of 4 seasons.
De Oliveira mentioned it was no shock that the ‘JAF’ machines dominated at a observe famend for being robust on tyres, as he and Natori ended up a lap down on the end.
“Contemplating the observe structure, particularly the technical final sector, when the JAF automobiles are 150kg lighter they are often very simple on the tyres,” de Oliveira informed Motorsport.com.
“They’ll preserve their lap occasions far more simply than the GT3s, that are punishing their tyres. It’s one thing that may be checked out, and I’m certain the opposite GT3 groups really feel the identical approach.
“When the scenario is so apparent, prefer it was this weekend, it’s pure that folks begin fascinated about this.”
De Oliveira and Natori recovered from a lowly seventeenth on the grid with an uncommon technique of creating each necessary pitstops simply two laps aside, solely altering tyres as soon as earlier than making a ‘splash’ on the second cease.
The Brazilian driver mentioned that the workforce made the choice to keep away from having to cross automobiles on-track, one thing he feels has been made troublesome by an absence of straight line pace.
“We would have liked to do one thing totally different as a result of we don’t have high pace,” defined de Oliveira. “I can’t overtake anybody on the straight, and I can’t even keep within the slipstream of the Mercedes or the Audi.
“This was the GT-R’s energy, however this has been taken away from us. In comparison with the opposite GT3 automobiles, we’re 8-10km/h down.”
De Oliveira was sanguine about the best way he and Natori’s title bid got here to an finish, the duo having scored only a single level within the two races previous to Autopolis at Suzuka and Sugo.
That was after the Kondo Nissan shed a wheel at Suzuka earlier than Natori was concerned within the crash that took out Honda GT500 driver Naoki Yamamoto at Sugo, incomes a penalty that left he and de Oliveira tenth.
“If it wasn’t for the accident at Sugo and the failure at Suzuka, we may have been up there as a result of we might have good outcomes at each tracks and had a margin,” he admitted. “We might be preventing head-to-head with the #52 [Saitama Toyopet car].
“However that’s the best way issues go typically – we’ll do our greatest to complete second total, after which we’ll attempt once more subsequent yr.”
For subsequent week’s season finale at Motegi, the GT-R has been given an elevated minimal weight of 1370kg, up 35kg from Autopolis, but additionally a turbo enhance improve, bringing it again in step with the degrees it had for final yr’s finale.
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