Team Kunimitsu regains victory in Motegi

The pair's latest victory Naoki Yamamoto – Tadasuke Makino en Super GT dates back to the 2020 final in Fuji, where the duo of the Honda NSX-GT – Team Kunimitsu, then flanked by the No. 100, had signed their only success of the season, but the one giving them the Drivers' title.

Since then, an eighth and a fourth place for the crew of the n°1 (separated during the opening of Okayama, Makino having been replaced by Hideki Mutoh), had constituted meager results for the reigning champion car, before this Motegi meeting.

Already authors of the pole, the duettists of Team Kunimitsu, Makino opening the ball in the first relay, will dominate the start of the race, but give way in the traffic facing the return of Yuji Kunimoto (Toyota GR Supra GT500 n°19 – WedsSport Bandoh).

Team Kunimitsu will then make a pit stop earlier than the leading Toyota, allowing Naoki Yamamoto to take control of the event against Ritomo Miyata. Apart from an attack, the latter will never be able to put his No. 19 Toyota back in the lead, nor take advantage of the two brief neutralizations to win, leaving the Yamamoto – Makino duo victorious.

Behind Miyata and Kunimoto, the podium is completed by the No. 36 Toyota GR Supra – Team of Tom's Yuhi Sekiguchi and Sho Tsuboi.

The first Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 n°3 – NDDP with B-Max of Katsumasa Chiyo and Kohei Hirate finished 6th. A probable technical problem prevented Bertrand Baguette and Koudai Tsukakoshi from seeing the finish on their Real Racing Honda NSX-GT.

In GT300, victory went to the No. 2 Lotus Evora MC – Inging and Cars Tokai of Hiroaki Katoh and Ryohei Sakaguchi.

Discover the report of the Motegi Super GT event, in issue 2321 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.