The fast and furious
action of grand touring car racing returns to the Sepang International Circuit
in June 2013 with Malaysia playing host to round 3 of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT
Series.
Organised by JPM
Motorsport, the Malaysian round of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series from 15-16 June
2013, is regarded as one of the world’s fastest and most exciting GT racing
series. The 2013 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series features eight rounds, and is divided
into the GT500 and GT300 classes, gathering what is traditionally the largest
ensemble of the latest Japanese manufacturers the likes of Lexus, Honda,
Nissan, Toyota and Subaru, as well as continental marques that include Porsche,
Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, Mosler, Chevrolet, Audi, Aston Martin and
Mercedes-Benz.
Round 1 of 2013 AUTOBACS
SUPER GT Series opened in dramatic fashion at the Okayama International Circuit
on 6-7 April 2013 in which a drastic change in weather produced an exciting
race.
In the GT 500 class, the
MOTUL AUTECH GT-R team secured pole position during a wet qualifying but a
completely dry track on race day produced a three-way battle which eventually
resulted in the RAYBRIG HSV-010 (GT500) driven by Takuya Izawa and Takashi
Kogure clinching the victory for Honda.
MOTUL AUTECH GT-R’s
Masataka Yanagida led the race until it began to drizzle and with 10 laps to
the finish he struggled for grip and was eventually caught by two Hondas. With
five laps to go, RAYBRIG HSV-010’s Takashi Kogure shot ahead to claim a slim
victory for the team’s very first win since 2006 ahead of team KEIHIN HSV-010’s
Koudai Tsukakoshi, with Yanagida settling for third place.
Meanwhile, despite
claiming their first ever pole position, SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT’s Kota Sasaki
and Tetsuya Yamano had to be contented with fifth place finishing the 300km
race one-lap behind race winners Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim in the
GAINER DIXCEL SLS Mercedes-Benz SLS car.
Starting from third on
the second row of the grid, GAINER DIXCEL SLS gained the lead in the early
stages of the race to drive to an unchallenged victory ahead and its first ever
victory since its debut last season. GSR HATSUNEMIKU BMW’s Nobuteru Taniguchi
and Tatsuya Kataoka in a BMW Z4 finished second 11 seconds adrift, with the LA
SEINE Lamborghini Gallardo of Hideki Yamauchi and Hiroki Yoshimoto in third
place one lap down.
Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy alongside Japanese Yuki Iwasaki, racing
for team APR Audi R8 LMS Ultra in the GT300 class meanwhile, valiantly
converted a disastrous qualifying session from 23rd on the
grid, to finish 14th in the race.
Round 2 of the Series
moves to the Fuji Speedway at Oyama in Shizuoka from 28-29 April 2013, famous
for its 1.5km straight and will be run over a distance of 500km, before teams
head for Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit for round 3 on 15-16 June
2013.
Fans can purchase their
tickets, priced at RM100, for the Malaysian round of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT
Series by logging on to www.supergt.com.my, or
tune in to the entire season’s updates on www.facebook.com.my/supergt.my.
MALAYSIAN SUPER GT QUEEN
HEADS FOR JAPAN
Beauty Julie Tan will
have the honour of joining a line-up of Japanese GT Queens when she travels to
the Fuji Speedway at Oyama in Shizuoka, Japan for round 2 of the AUTOBACS SUPER
GT Series from 28-29 April 2013.
Tan, winner of the 2012
Malaysian SUPER GT Queen Search Pageant, will join representatives from JPM
Motorsport with the objective of promoting the Malaysian round of the series as
well as the country as a popular tourist destination.
The 2012 Malaysian SUPER
GT Queen Search Pageant was organised by JPM Motorsport with the objective of
promoting the sharing of knowledge, expertise and talent between Malaysian and
Japanese GT queens.
If you have what it
takes to be the next Malaysian Super GT Queen, do try out the 2013 edition
Pageant. Aspiring candidates can log on to the SUPER GT’s Facebook at www.facebook.com/supergt.my to obtain
updates about the event, as well as to read about Tan’s Super GT experience
during her trip to Japan.
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