Super GT Japan: Matsuda and Quintarelli defend GT500 title

Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli in Motul Autech’s #1 Nissan GT-R defend their GT500 titles in the Autobacs Super GT Series season finale at Twin Ring Motegi. The Nismo drivers finished the race in second place, which was enough to secure points for another championship title ahead of Calsonic Impul #12 GT-R of Hironobu Yasuda and Joao Paulo Lima de Oliveira, who finished fourth. For Matsuda this is his second GT500 title, Quintarelli was in the top three times before (2011, 2012 and 2014).

Matsuda and Quintarelli clinched the title in the thrilling race which they started from 12th place, while their main rivals in #12 GT-R started from 5th place. After seven championship rounds Yasuda and De Oliveira had 2-points advantage, so #1 crew had an assigment to finish the race ahead #12. Pole-position was won by Andrea Caldarelli and Ryo Hirakawa in #37 KeePer Tom’s Lexus RC F.

Caldarelli and Hirakawa defended their lead and finished the 53-lap race as the winners, just half a second ahead Matsuda and Quintarelli. Naoki Yamamoto and Takuya Izawa in #100 Raybrig Honda NSX Concept-GT completed the podium. Yasuda and De Oliveira finished fourth, but even if they finished third that wouldn’t be enough to take the title. Third place in GT500 championship standings was taken by Yamamoto and Izawa.

The winners of the GT300 class were Koki Saga and Yuichi Nakayama in #31 apr Toyota Prius, a second ahead of Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka in #0 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim in another SLS completed the podium. The GT300 title was earlier taken by Andre Couto, who finished sixth in #10 Gainer Tanax Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3. His co-driver Katsumasa Chiyo is second in the championship classification, while today’s victory promoted Saga and Nakayama to third place.