DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F finishes second in Round 2 of 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 series
18 May 2016
KeePer TOM'S Lexus RC F finishes third to make it two podium finishes for Lexus
The No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate ended Round 2 of the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 series by finishing second to get yet another podium finish for Lexus in the SUPER GT500 class. The No. 37 KeePer TOM'S Lexus RC F driven by James Rossiter and Ryo Hirakawa finished third to make it two podium finishes for Lexus. The No. 36 au TOM'S Lexus RC F and No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR Lexus RC F, which claimed fourth and fifth position respectively, made it a successful outing for Lexus with four positions in the Top 5. The race took place recently at the Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, “The Lexus RC F-powered teams have yet again proven their prowess with their superb performance on the track during the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 series. The demanding environments of competitive racing are a great testing ground for evaluating our vehicles, which in turn helps us enhance our efforts to make ever better cars of the race track as well for the benefit of our customers. We also appreciate the support of our fans who have backed our racing initiatives over the years.”
At the start of the race, the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F car was well behind the initial race leaders but was still competing hard to move up the grid. On Lap 72, a left-side tire burst threw pieces of a competitor race car across the track. To clear the track of the broken parts, the Safety Car was brought in and, as a result, the gaps between the lead machines narrowed rapidly.
The Safety Car left the track on lap 78 and the race resumed, and as soon as it did, several cars that were seriously low on fuel immediately made their routine stops, including the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F (Kohei Hirate) and the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S Lexus RC F (Ryo Hirakawa). Thereafter, the Lexus RC F No. 39 car and Lexus RC F No. 37 car then managed to maintain their fast lap times and avoid any mishaps to finish the race.
Finishing the race in second place was the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F which had continued to run at a strong pace throughout the race. For Kovalainen, this was his first podium finish in his second year of SUPER GT competition. Finishing third after a tough charge from a ninth position grid start was the No. 37 KeePer TOM'S Lexus RC F. Round 3 of the 2016 championship now takes place in Autopolis, Japan, on May 21-22, 2016.
Race Notes:
• No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F (Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate)
o Race: 2nd, 110 laps, Best Lap: 1'31.048
• No. 37 KeePer TOM'S RC F (James Rossiter and Ryo Hirakawa)
o Race: 3rd, 110 laps, Best Lap: 1'30.860
