2015 Japanese Super GT

[TheNo1F1Fan]

Originally Posted by Japanese Samurai

SGT schedule has changed.
http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=62652

Rd1 Okayama Apr 4-5
Rd2 Fuji May 2-3
Rd3 Thailand Jun 20-21
Rd4 Fuji Aug 8-9
Rd5 Suzuka Aug 29-30
Rd6 SUGO Sep 19-29
Rd7 Autopolis Oct 30-Nov 1
Rd8 Motegi Nov 14-15

This results as - without Super GT during the summer break.

[MagVanisher]

Originally Posted by AkioAsakura95

@MagVanisher

But I am curious about the Team Taisan for participating SUPER GT this year for using which chaasis... But I think Team Taisan might use BMW Z4 GT3 for this year or use BMW i8 (the rare chassis and I hoped them to make it) to participation of SUPER GT

Look BMW fanboy, let the winning Z4 car preserve in a museum. And honestly, the BMW i8 is not ideal for a race car!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can't have nice things unlike your username who associated with Nissan!

[AkioAsakura95]

Originally Posted by MagVanisher

@MagVanisher
Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can't have nice things unlike your username who associated with Nissan!

You mean GTA people???
Any opinion here?

[AkioAsakura95]

Originally Posted by AkioAsakura95

@MagVanisher

But I am curious about the Team Taisan for participating SUPER GT this year for using which chaasis... But I think Team Taisan might use BMW Z4 GT3 for this year or use BMW i8 (the rare chassis and I hoped them to make it) to participation of SUPER GT

Originally Posted by MagVanisher

Look BMW fanboy, let the winning Z4 car preserve in a museum. And honestly, the BMW i8 is not ideal for a race car!

@MagVanisher
First let the winning Z4 car preserve in a museum is ok, but for next year will GSR team BMW M6 GT3 instead of using AMG GT GT3???

For i8 race car, i know is not ideal for a race car in BMW i8, but they will make a unique race car exclusive for SUPER GT just like Prius. If you are disagree then they (Team Taisan) can use BMW Z4 GT3 for buying the new chassis there or they can buy BMW M2 for making a unique race car exclusive for SUPER GT (if BMW Z4 GT3 is not satisfied for them)]

Any opinion here??
If you disagree , you can explain why

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by AkioAsakura95

If you disagree , you can explain why

Because there is no reason for BMW to do as you suggest.

Originally Posted by Japanese Samurai

SGT schedule has changed.
http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=62652

Rd1 Okayama Apr 4-5
Rd2 Fuji May 2-3
Rd3 Thailand Jun 20-21
Rd4 Fuji Aug 8-9
Rd5 Suzuka Aug 29-30
Rd6 SUGO Sep 19-29
Rd7 Autopolis Oct 30-Nov 1
Rd8 Motegi Nov 14-15

Ouch, not liking that at all. SUGO and Autopolis were beautiful in Summer, and now the flow is less smooth too with bigger gaps in the first half. Chang/Buriram/whatever basically re-picks the slot Sepang previously used to have, but it's thrown to the 'Le Mans hangover' period...

The only positive thing is that nothing collides with Test Day now, creating more flexibility for the drivers and factories in both series. And I guess there's no weekend conflict with PLM either but the stocks of that event are in downfall anyway so it doesn't really matter

Oh and correction to your table, SUGO is Sep 19-20, not 29

[TF110]

Taken from as-web.jp, pics from the sepang test.

Updated lower bodywork on the RC F


NSX Development car


GTR Development car

[Deleted]

On the RC-F, other than the frontal sides the changes seem extremely mild, but it does make it look less bland. Black color probably has something to do with it

[Bobby_status]

I really hope Honda is competitive this season. Honda found speed in SF to match Toyota, i hope that speed transfers to SGT.

[AoB Special Stage]

Good to see the GT500s for this year. Very aggressive, or would Nissan prefer 'brutal'?

[Deleted]

So apparently the three races that got moved around in the calendar are all because of Thailand saying they wanted a new spot? So rather than to schedule that to some other weekend in fall they threw that to early summer... well okay, that explains Autopolis switch to ease logistics, but why did they have to switch Sugo too? Suppose they didn't want ~ two month break between 1000kms and RD7, but still.

[Japanese Samurai]

Autosport web Sepang test Day 1 report
http://as-web.jp/photonews/info.php?c_id=2&no=69802
GT500
Nissan
#230(MI) (Matsuda, Quintarelli, Motoyama, Yanagida)
#12(BS) (Yasuda, Oliveira)
#24(YH) (Sasaki, Krumm, Ordóñez)
Lexus
#19(YH) (Wakisaka, Sekiguchi)
#36, #37(BS) (Nakajima, Rossiter, Ito, Caldarelli, Tachikawa, Oshima)
Honda
#32(DL) (Nakajima, Baguette)
#99, #100(BS) (Izawa, Yamamoto, Kogure, Mutoh, Kaneishi, Turvey) No Tsukakoshi

GT300
#35(GTR GT3/YH) (Hoshino, Wolfgang Reip, Mitsunori Takaboshi)
#61(SUBARU BRZ/DL) (Iguchi, Yamauchi)

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Japanese Samurai

Autosport web Sepang test Day 1 report
http://as-web.jp/photonews/info.php?c_id=2&no=69802
GT500
Nissan
#230(MI) (Matsuda, Quintarelli, Motoyama, Yanagida)
#12(BS) (Yasuda, Oliveira)
#24(YH) (Sasaki, Krumm, Ordóñez)
Lexus
#19(YH) (Wakisaka, Sekiguchi)
#36, #37(BS) (Nakajima, Rossiter, Ito, Caldarelli, Tachikawa, Oshima)
Honda
#32(DL) (Nakajima, Baguette)
#99, #100(BS) (Izawa, Yamamoto, Kogure, Mutoh, Kaneishi, Turvey) No Tsukakoshi

GT300
#35(GTR GT3/YH) (Hoshino, Wolfgang Reip, Mitsunori Takaboshi)
#61(SUBARU BRZ/DL) (Iguchi, Yamauchi)

I thank you for this, because there was talk that Ordonez was testing the gtr-lm at Austin. But the pics of that may be older. Some debate on that as well.

[Deleted]

If Honda ramps up their numbers to six NSXs with HRD Sakura replacing Dome + Mugen switching from GT300, and Lexus obviously brings their six cars again, is Nissan really wanting to stick with four entries again and hope for the best? LMP1 and GT3 might be taking some of their attention away

[BBSB]

Originally Posted by Japanese Samurai

Autosport web Sepang test Day 1 report
http://as-web.jp/photonews/info.php?c_id=2&no=69802
GT500
Nissan
#230(MI) (Matsuda, Quintarelli, Motoyama, Yanagida)
#12(BS) (Yasuda, Oliveira)
#24(YH) (Sasaki, Krumm, Ordóñez)
Lexus
#19(YH) (Wakisaka, Sekiguchi)
#36, #37(BS) (Nakajima, Rossiter, Ito, Caldarelli, Tachikawa, Oshima)
Honda
#32(DL) (Nakajima, Baguette)
#99, #100(BS) (Izawa, Yamamoto, Kogure, Mutoh, Kaneishi, Turvey) No Tsukakoshi

GT300
#35(GTR GT3/YH) (Hoshino, Wolfgang Reip, Mitsunori Takaboshi)
#61(SUBARU BRZ/DL) (Iguchi, Yamauchi)

No Tsukakoshi?
But he is there at sepang for these tests, isn't he?
The guy wearing the blue shirt in this asweb pic from yesterday looks to be him: http://as-web.jp/photonews/info.php?c_id=2&no=69763

I hope he remains in the Honda camp!! Honda would be even worse without him... he's one of the few remaining quality drivers they have. Mako is gone... forever. Am I correct?

Originally Posted by Chiana

If Honda ramps up their numbers to six NSXs with HRD Sakura replacing Dome + Mugen switching from GT300, and Lexus obviously brings their six cars again, is Nissan really wanting to stick with four entries again and hope for the best? LMP1 and GT3 might be taking some of their attention away

What? HRD Sakura? what's that?

I bet the most we will see is 5 cars from Honda in GT500.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by BBSB

What? HRD Sakura? what's that?

I bet the most we will see is 5 cars from Honda in GT500.

It's one of their technical research/side/whatever departments (look to be doing units for McLaren) that got the NSX job from Dome for next year. Well at least it looks like they got - I had already forgotten it too as there's been nothing about it since couple of months ago when it was announced. But I guess it's still happening as it's basically just Honda.

Six NSXs is more probable IMO, where else would Mugen realistically go now after dropping CR-Z yet still fielding entries in SF and other domestic series. They're already involved in GT500 engine service support so why not run car as well. Assuming they want to have actual team in Super GT and not just run background Honda 'helpdesk'

[TF110]

More pics from as-web

Brz looks different this test, the fenders definitely


Closer picture of the RC F side update, change to diveplanes also

[TF110]

From twitter, comparison times at Sepang-

2007 Qualify - 1: 54.306
2013 Qualify - 1: 55.456
2014 test - 1: 53.196
2015 test - 1: 51.792

Times from as-web over the test http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=62687 Already near 1.5 seconds faster than this time last year!

[Japanese Samurai]

According to Autosport web,
Today is one day break.
Team Gainer (#11) and Yuji Kunimoto join in the rest of the test.
http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=62686

[TheNo1F1Fan]

Originally Posted by BBSB

I hope he remains in the Honda camp!! Honda would be even worse without him... he's one of the few remaining quality drivers they have. Mako is gone... forever. Am I correct?

+1. No Tsukakoshi no life. :P

[Racing in Japan]

Dutch media says, Nobuharu Matsushita (Japanese F3 champ) almost certainly the teammate of Stoffel Vandoorne in ART.
http://autosport.nl/klasse/nieuws/24...sfermarkt-2015

If this rumor true, Tsukakoshi will remain Japan(SGT and SF).

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by TF110

From twitter, comparison times at Sepang-

2007 Qualify - 1: 54.306
2013 Qualify - 1: 55.456
2014 test - 1: 53.196
2015 test - 1: 51.792

Times from as-web over the test http://as-web.jp/news/info.php?c_id=2&no=62687 Already near 1.5 seconds faster than this time last year!

And five seconds up from the Oak LMP2 pole month ago, in testing

[J Jay]

It'd probably be faster than any privateer LMP1 around Sepang as well. Weather/temperature depending, the P1-H/GT500 sector times from Fuji will make for interesting comparison.

[Deleted]

If you can actually get the separate sector times for SGT somewhere, P1 is easy.

Not that there are many privateers to choose from, but they were already faster than Rebellion last year at Fuji so with improved 2015 pace the difference should continue to grow, even if R-One continues to develop / get ACO breaks.

Anyhow, there will be Honda press conference early Feb regarding the 2015 programme so we should soon know the precise amount of NSX, five or six.

[J Jay]

I'm rather hoping the combined efforts of Nismo/RLM/RCE will help with that, eventually..... Just for fun, here are the qualifying times:

#8 TS040: 1:26.473 (fastest lap)
#12 GT-R: 1:28.799

I know that GT500 were already faster than LMP1-L last year, but I thought another 1.5 seconds would put them rather close to last year's factory cars. Call it a 1.2 second improvement - yes I know this ignores the characteristics of each track - and in theory GT500 would have been on the pace of the Audis, with Lotterer's fastest qualifying lap at 1:27.605.

Actually, the sector times won't be much more informative because of the way the LMP1-H used their hybrids (that fastest lap for Davidson recorded a top speed of 274.8 km/h compared to "over 300 km/h" for JP in the GT-R). It would probably tell us what we already know, that dumping the hybrid energy on-track ASAP and therefore having a higher average speed over the acceleration period produces the best lap times.

[Speed-King]

IIRC the DTM/GT500 chassis is "hybrid ready" as well.... just imagine where their laptimes will be once they get to plug in the hybrid components!