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Preview
Chaotic
2010 season going into mid-stage!
Will GT-R and HSV strike back at
their favorite track, Sepang?
Mid-engined
cars come under the light in GT300 class
An overseas round
of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series, Round 4 "SUPER GT
INTERNATIONAL SERIES MALAYSIA" will be held on June 19th
and 20th at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. It marks
a memorable 10th event (*) since the inauguration event in
2000, but it also is an important mid-season race of the 2010
competition. Who will claim the conqueror in the brutal battle
held under the blazing sun of Sepang?
*: 8th time as a
series event. 2003 event was alternated to a different venue
due to SARS.
Battle in heat
means an advantage to GT-R?
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No.23
MOTUL AUTECH GT-R
Malaysia, a country located near the equator
and the hosting country of the SUPER GT Round 4 at
Sepang Circuit. It usually turns out to be one of the
toughest races in a season where many drivers get
knocked out from heat stroke or massive fatigue almost
every year. Hence, measures against the heat are
crucial for both cars and drivers. Last year, some
teams of the GT-R squad installed a small
air-conditioner in their cars, which is not a common
device in racing. For that, GT-R's may have some
advantage in the heat compared to others. In addition,
with Sepang's layout being flat with many mid- and
high-speed turns, it is the track that GT-R should
nail a win considering how the car is stable in
braking and turning. Indeed, GT-R has won
consecutively at the circuit last year and the year
before. Especially for No.23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R
(Satoshi Motoyama/Benoit Treluyer) who has yet to
score a win this season, the team has to win here to
stay in the contention for the title. Good news is
that their tires, Michelin, is known to be good in
severe conditions like in heat, and it was the winning
tires of last year. The Nissan team is the first to be
in the center of attention. |
Expectations are high for ARTA HSV-010
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No.8
ARTA HSV-010
Speaking of cornering, Honda's brand new
machine HSV-010 GT is also good in turns. Despite
being left in the dust of GT-R in recent years, Sepang
was one of the tracks that NSX favored. Inheriting all
the know-how from NSX, the HSV-010 GT can be expected
to show good performance at the circuit. Especially,
No.8 ARTA HSV-010 (Ralph Firman/Yuji Ide) driven by
Ralph Firman, who loves the track, and runner-up of
last year No.17 KEIHIN HSV-010 (Toshihiro Kaneishi/Koudai
Tsukakoshi) can be noted as a part of the top
candidates for the win. |
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No.1
PETRONAS TOM'S SC430
Although dominating the podium at previous
round in Fuji, Sepang is not seen as a favorite
circuit for SC430 fleet, to say the least. They also
have to carry a lot of handicap weights this weekend,
so their strategies would be to pick up as many points
as possible. With rather lighter weight on the car,
No.39 DENSO DUNLOP SARD SC430 (Andre Couto/Kouhei
Hirate) would be a hope for a win. Couto and TEAM SARD
have won at Sepang in 2004, so the combination is not
a bad one. To name another, it would be a triumphal
return with champion number on their car for No.1
PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 (Juichi Wakisaka/Andre Lotterer)
as well as its sponsor, Malaysia's very own PETRONAS.
They can no way finish the race with disappointing
result, and, besides, they would get much closer to
consecutive titles if they can finish the race in top
position. Without a doubt, the car is one to follow on
the track. |
Is RX-7 the
favorite? Don't forget Shiden and IS350 either
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No.7
M7 MUTIARA MOTORS AMEMIYA SGC 7
When it comes to Sepang, No.7 M7 MUTIARA MOTORS
AMEMIYA SGC 7 (Nobuteru Taniguchi/Ryo Orime) should
come to the mind of everyone. They have outstanding
track record of 4 wins out of 9 Sepang races.
Moreover, they also have a Malaysian company as their
sponsor. Last year, the team fought strong again and
finished third, but they will not be satisfied unless
they can pull off a win. In rivalry against the
toughest contender must be last year's winner No.2 I.M.
JIHAN CO.LTD・APPLE・Shiden
(Hiroki Katoh/Hiroshi Hamaguchi). Despite their second
driver is a SUPER GT rookie, Hamaguchi, the team
accomplished unbelievable turnaround, winning the race
after coming all the way from the end of the grid.
With Hamaguchi, who grabbed a podium finish in only
his third SUPER GT race, the team should have a fair
chance winning in Malaysia if they can start from top
position in the grid. |
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No.365
365 ThunderAsia MT900M
With Sepang being a track with many turns, mid-engined
machines have a slight advantage. From that, last
year's second qualifier No.11 JIMGAINER DIXCEL DUNLOP
F430 (Tetsuya Tanaka/Katsuyuki Hiranaka) and second
finisher No.19 WedsSport IS350 (Manabu Orido/Tatsuya
Kataoka) also form the group of victorious candidates.
Considering that both teams have not win yet this
season, their thirst for a win must be at maximum
level.
Lastly, there is a team that should not be forgotten,
No.365 365 ThunderAsia MT900M (Melvin Choo/Tim Sugden).
They could not finish the race with a good result due
to a machine problem last year, but they caught many
by surprise when they came so close to the leading
position at one time after starting from 8th position
on the grid. For being a Singaporean team, Sepang is a
familiar track to them and it's not too much to say
their home track. Their expectation must be high for
the race at Sepang, especially after finishing races
with unsatisfactory results up to this point of their
first season of full participation to the series. |
2010 season is
battled out in a total of 8 rounds, a round less than last
year. The Malaysian round is already the turning point of the
season. There were squalls last year, and many teams struggled
with unstable conditions of the tires caused by massive heat 2
years ago. Of course, it is incredibly tough race for drivers
too. What kind of drama awaits the SUPER GT at this year's
Sepang?
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