MUGEN

2014.10.9

Achieved steady results in the first event in Thailand to move up in the series ranking!

Series name: 2014 AUTOBACS SUPER GT SERIES ROUND 7
Event name: BURIRAM UNITED SUPER GT RACE
Course: 4.554km × 66laps (300.564km)
Qualifying: 2014-10-04 Sat / Fine / Attendance 42,597 (Announcement from the organizer)
Race: 2014-10-05 Sun / Fine / Attendance 75,168 (Announcement from the organizer)

#0 MUGEN CR-Z GT(Yuhki Nakayama, Tomoki Nojiri, Ryo Michigami) entered the SUPER GT SERIES Round 7, which was held on October 4th and 5th at Chang International Circuit (Buriram Province, Thailand). The Round 7 was the first overseas event in this season. In addition, it was an inaugural event for the newly-built Chang International Circuit in Buriram Province in Thailand.

Since the circuit was completed just recently, there was no opportunity to make a test run in advance. Participating teams had to plan strategies on the course without available data. Besides, it was expected that conditions would be tough such as strong sunlight, temperature over 30°C, track surface condition which was still unstable, etc.

TEAM MUGEN added setting-related refinements to the specification for the previous 1,000 km race at Suzuka Circuit to run the race at Chang International Circuit.

October 4th (Sat)

■  Qualifying session: 4th position (Q1: 9th position / 00:01:35:622, Q2: 4th position / 00:01:34.524)

The qualifying was held at three on the sunny afternoon. The starting grid is determined using the two-step knockout-based qualifying format, with which all drivers run Q1, and then only the top 13 drivers in Q1 will be able to run Q2.

The team took the strategy of putting Nojiri in Q1, and Nakayama in Q2. Nojiri clocked 00:01:35.622 on the lap 8 and was in 8th place, but in the end, he finished 9th and made it to Q2.

Nakayama ran Q2. He clocked 00:01:37.509 on the lap 3, continued the race to clock 00:01:34.524 on the final lap, and finished 5th in Q2. However, a penalty imposed to a driver made him to be formally in grid 4.

October 5th (Sun)

■  Final race: 9th position (60 laps / 01:39:02.566, Best record: 00:01:34.831)

It was getting cloudy when the race was about to start, and they even said it might rain. However, after the start of the race, the sun came out and we did not have rain fortunately. The temperature was 30°C when Nakayama ran the race as a starting driver and made the first curve turn while keeping the position we had got in the qualifying.

However, he was increasingly distanced from cars ahead, and was chased by cars behind at the same time. Though Nakayama kept his position until the 10th lap, he got overtaken on the lap 11 and 12, and he dropped to the 10th. It was a tough race for #0 MUGEN CR-Z GT to compete FIA-GT3 cars, which had superior acceleration performance in straight sections after making curve turns. However, since we could confirm the car's performance to provide faster lap time as it got lighter by consuming fuel, the team changed the strategy to get Nakayama run as many laps as the remaining fuel allowed.

While competitors made pit stops after lap 25, which was halfway, #0 MUGEN CR-Z GT kept on driving and gradually moved up to the apparent top on the 38th lap. Nakayama made a pit stop when he finished lap 41. The team put the minimum amount of fuel to complete the remaining laps and replaced four tires, and Nojiri took over.

#0 MUGEN CR-Z GT went back on the track, and was in the 10th position on the lap 42. The car weight was lighter than usual when Nojiri started driving. Though he kept pace with FIA-GT3 cars and the race was nip and tuck, cars ahead were too distant to overtake them.

Nojiri chased a car ahead, which was driving about two seconds faster than he. On the 54th lap, he overtook it, moved up to the 9th position, and kept the position until he finished the race.

As a result, TEAM MUGEN added six team ranking points in total, and the cumulative points were 41. The team was ranked 8th in the series. Nakayama/Nojiri pair added three driver ranking points, and the cumulative points were 26. They were ranked 9th in the series.

■ Comments from the team director, Junichi Kumakura

For reasons of the hybrid system characteristics, I did not expect that we could keep the position we had got in the qualifying in the final race. In qualifying races, you can record instantaneous high speed, however, that is not the case in finals. As we expected, difference in speed between FIA-GT3 cars and us was over 10 km/h in straight sections, and we could not keep up with them.

But I evaluate our car as having been put in a good condition. In the previous race at Suzuka Circuit, we did not complete the setting for the race completely, and this caused unexpectedly early tire wear. We could not make better time even after the car weight was reduced by using fuel, and that made the race very tough for us. However, we planned various measures to take for this race. They worked well, and the CR-Z could deliver its performance.

That was why we decided to get Nakayama drive for a while, and he drove two-thirds of the race distance eventually. As a whole, the race went on in a less spectacular way. However, we could see the settings in a positive light, and I think we had much to gain through the race.

We are going to enter the grand final at Twin Ring Motegi next. We will make further improvement to the car for it. We would like to ask for your continuous supports.

♦ Photo Gallery (Round7)