Lexus Takes Third Consecutive Win in Round Three of 2017 SUPER GT Series

Having dominated the first two rounds of the 2017 AUTOBACS SUPER GT500 series in Okayama and Fuji Speedway, the new Lexus LC 500 displayed its prowess once again at the Autopolis racing circuit in the third round of the championship, making it three wins in a row. This time, it was the turn of the #36 au TOM’S LC 500 driven by Kazuki Nakajima and James Rossiter to keep the Lexus flag flying. The duo raced to victory over a challenging 300-km distance, battling their way from seventh on the grid to the top step of the podium to continue Lexus’ scintillating start to the season and consolidate the team’s position on top of the manufacturer’s standings.

The SUPER GT qualifying employs a unique two-stage knockout format, meaning both drivers of each team must be quick enough to get into higher position. Everyone makes a desperate attempt to clock the fastest lap in qualifying within the given time limit to get a better position at the actual race, making it a breathtaking battle well worth watching. To add to the excitement, weight handicaps (success ballast), which are calculated according to accumulated points the drivers have acquired in all previous races, are assigned to the cars in the next race. Despite the weight handicap, five of the six Lexus LC 500s made it through to the second stage of qualifying.

Following an exhilarating start that saw two cars out of the running by lap five and Heikki Kovalainen in the #1 LC 500 pushing into second place by the halfway point, teams began to make routine driver changes by lap 30. During this period, the #36 LC 500 of James Rossiter pushed incredibly hard and took the lead until lap 35, creating valuable headway that allowed fellow driver Kazuki Nakajima to leapfrog into the overall lead after his own super-speedy pit stop, ahead of the #1 LC 500.

While a six-car scrap ensued for third place, the two lead cars had their own battle, an intense rivalry that ended in an unavoidable collision on lap 51, forcing both cars out of contention. Left unchallenged, Nakajima led his #36 car to the checkered flag with an outstanding lead of 26 seconds – team au TOM’S first win of the 2017 season and the third consecutive victory for the Lexus LC 500.

“This has been another excellent performance from the team, and I congratulate au TOM’S LC 500 for maintaining Lexus’ dominance in the 2017 season,” said Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation.“Participating in motorsports events allows us to gather a variety of data which in turn help us while developing production vehicles. The level of support we received from our fans has been one of the highlights of our 2017 activities so far, and I express my gratitude to them for their constant encouragement of our motorsports initiatives.”