After the long interruption due to the COVID-19 spread, the Super GT 2020 was finally able to start the season at Fuji International Speedway on July 18th 2020.
Ukyo Sasahara and Nirei Fukuzumi both make a debut in the GT500 class and EXGEL Motorsport continue to support their new challenge.
Nirei Fukuzumi with ARTA NSX-GT broke the track record in Q1, Ukyo Sasahara also showed remarkable speed in Q1 and led Red Bull MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT to the fifth position.
Although the final results were not as expected, the two talented drivers have obviously done impressive jobs in their first race in the flagship event.
Please keep your eye what Ukyo Sasahara and Nirei Fukuzumi will achieve this season.
Ukyo Sasahara
Red Bull MOTUL MUGEN NSX-GT / TEAM Red Bull MUGEN
The season opener of the Super GT finally took place at Fuji International Speedway.
First of all, I would like to thank the organizer for the great efforts to make it happen.
I was pretty happy that I was able to show my debut race to my sponsors, suppliers and supporters even though it was only through the monitors.
Thanks to the warm supports by the team and my teammate Muto-san, I could deepen my understandings on the car through the sessions.
Since Q1 was one of the challenges that we had to get through, I was extremely happy with P5 that I achieved using the full potential of the car, and the result made me feel that I made a great step forward with my “GO! GO!” spirit.
I was so excited to drive for the first stint, but didn’t lose my cool and made a good start, moved up to P6 and kept good pace.
I concentrated on keeping the position until Muto-san’s stint, but unfortunately the continuous tire issues totally ruined our race.
At least we didn’t have fatal damages with the car, and Muto-san led the car to the finish line cautiously, which will bring us valuable data.
It was not the day we wanted because we had the pace to score some points, but I should be happy that I was able to show my speed and competitiveness.
I would like to say huge thank you to the team and Muto-san!
I will dedicate myself for the team for better results, and keep pushing!
Although the track was without an audience, I felt power from my supporters from various places.
Thank you, guys!
Looking forward to showing a great race in the next round.
Nirei Fukuzumi
ARTA NSX-GT / ARTA
The opening round of the Super GT was organized on a different time schedule due to the COVID-19 spread.
We expected that our setup and tire choice would be quite important because qualifying sessions were held on Sunday, that usually takes place on Saturday.
In FP I found some minor issues, but the car felt good and I prepared for qualifying after some adjustments.
I was happy to get P1 in my first Q1 in the GT500 class, thanks to the great initial setup.
Although it was a satisfying session, I was cautious about the race because there were a lot to learn in my first race run in the top category.
The final race started under a clear blue sky on Sunday afternoon.
We chose softer tires, that didn’t feel really good in the warm-up session, so I had to prepare for a difficult stint.
Unfortunately my pace was not good just as expected, so I concentrated on keeping constant laps managing to overtake GT300 cars.
I think I was able to keep consistent laps, learning a lot throughout my first race in the GT500 class.
We were struggling with the pace, but we gained precious data and scored some points, which motivates us for the next round.
Thank you all for your supports.
