Filed under: Motorsports, Japan
Super GT 2008: XANAVI NISMO GT-R starts season with two consecutive wins
Click either image for a high-res gallery of Round Two of SuperGT.
The second round of the SuperGT Championship wrapped up over the weekend, and for the first time in ten years, one team sat atop the podium for two consecutive wins. The XANAVI NISMO GT-R, piloted by Benoit Treluyer and Satoshi Motoyama, took the GT500 class win in Okayama, despite being saddled with a 100 kg weight penalty after winning the first race of the season. The last time a team was able to land first place two races in a row was in 1998 when the another Skyline GT-R won the first and third race of the season (the 2nd race was cancelled due to poor weather).
In the GT300 race, the No. 43 team running the ARTA Garaiya took its first win with a new chassis design, followed by the Yunker Power Taisan Porsche and in a surprise 3rd place finish, the No. 77 Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza made its first appearance on the podium after struggling with reliability issues after utilizing a new all-wheel-drive system.The top three race results in both the GT500 and GT300 classes are posted after the jump and we've assembled a gallery for your perusal below.
Gallery: 2008 SuperGT Round 2 - Okayama
Complete race results are available here.
OKAYAMA International Circuit | 3.703km x 82Laps = 303.646km
Weather: Cloudy / Wet | Course: Dry
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RACE RESULTS TOP 3
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Po.No.Machine Driver LAPS Time
[GT500 CLASS]--------------------------------------------------------
1 23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R S.Motoyama/B.Treluyer 82 2:01'56.605
2 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R T.Matsuda/S.Philippe 82 2:01'59.111
3 1 ARTA NSX R.Firman/T.Izawa 82 2:02'27.525
[GT300 CLASS]--------------------------------------------------------
1 43 ARTA Garaiya M.Nitta/S.Takagi 76 2:02'32.682
2 26 YUNKER POWER TAISAN PORSCHE N.Taniguchi/S.Yamaji 76 2:02'38.872
3 77 CUSCO DUNLOP SUBARU IMPREZA T.Yamano/K.Sasaki 76 2:02'48.844
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Allan 3:42PM (4/14/2008)
So how much of a weight penalty do they get for the NEXT race?
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tim 3:43PM (4/14/2008)
Surely isn't as pretty as the road car. But the fact that we care says something about the long-term image OUTSIDE of Japan for the GT-R, which wasn't exactly hurting previously.
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James 6:23PM (4/14/2008)
Not as pretty? Oh yeah, I hate race cars with widebody kits, that as a a consequence are able to withstand g-forces more often associated with aviation.
Gab 3:44PM (4/14/2008)
XANAVI NISMO GT-R had a weight penalty for winning a race? How come?
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Damon Lavrinc 3:47PM (4/14/2008)
That's the rules. For each race won, they penalize you with a certain amount of weight. Up to three times, if I recall correctly.
Gab 3:50PM (4/14/2008)
I see now. Thanks for the info, Damon.
Temple 6:20PM (4/14/2008)
Also should be mentioned that the weight penalty is for all cars going down to 4th place with each place down having less penalty. The cars below 7th place get a -20kg weight advantage. Its designed to mix the field up a bit, so that less well funded teams might have some time in the sun. It evens out throughout the season since the handicap applies to everyone.
Also should be mentioned that in Super GT points are paid out all the way down to 15th place, and you get some points for getting pole position during qualifying, also you get points for fastest lap in the race.
The series is designed to get some of the quirkier/ lower end cars like the AWD Subaru (as is the case with the GT300) a chance to shine (the Impreza as modified to be RWD until recently in GT300).
spdracerut 3:58PM (4/14/2008)
100kg penalty! Wow... that's a lot! Gab, a few of the different racing organizations use weight penalties on the winnig car to level out the playing field and make for closer racing.
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TrueDis 4:58PM (4/14/2008)
Auto racing definitely has some of the most arbitrary rules in the "sporting" world.
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Chris 5:04PM (4/14/2008)
They're gonna have to hook a school bus to the back of that car to even the playing field.
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Ian 5:58PM (4/14/2008)
I wish the series was available on US TV.
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Kayne001 12:42AM (4/15/2008)
I don't understand why not, I think there should be a racing channel.
No not speed, just racing anything. Even bicycle, horses everything
Law 6:39PM (4/14/2008)
It does look exciting doesn't it? These are cars that I really love in "civilian" trim, would love to see them going at it on a racetrack. I do follow NASCAR, (yeah yeah, Asian guy watches NASCAR) but this series looks like it takes a fat dump on Sprint Cup. Looks like the fans are very passionate out there!
nissanfreak87 7:24PM (4/14/2008)
agreed
hey Law, you wouldn't happen to be on maxima.org would you, a guy there has the same name
PirateTaco 4:46PM (4/15/2008)
Law you do know that the GT500 cars are just silhouette racers don't you?
Law 7:42PM (4/14/2008)
Nissanfreak - No, I'm an STi guy.
Pirate Taco - Of course I know, but the manufacturer association, development and technology are from the same place aren't they? What top-level racing ISN'T silhouette?
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DRFS Rich 12:18PM (4/15/2008)
If you guys like the look of SuperGT, check out Australian V8 SuperCar, my favourite touring car series.
www.v8supercar.com.au
- R
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Vo0Ds 6:04PM (4/15/2008)
Does anyone know the channel this series aires on? I'd like to see a Super GT race, im sure the plethora of TV streaming sites could come up with the goods?
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