BURIRAM, Thailand – Nissan has taken its first GT300 Super GT victory of the year with the 2018-spec Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 victorious in Thailand.
The No, 11 Gainer Tanax GT-R of Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Hironobu Yasuda won at the Chang International Circuit and grabbed the championship lead.
Starting fourth on the grid, the No. 11 machine made its way up to second place before the pit stops with Yasuda at the wheel, using the quick work by the Gainer Tanax pit crew to leapfrog into the lead. Hiranaka also enjoyed a strong stint to cross the line with a 3.5-second margin at the checkered flag.
🎬 🏁🏆 We've got all the highlights from @hiroyasuda and Katsuyuki Hiranaka's @SUPERGT_JP GT300 class #OMGTR victory in Thailand. #NISMOnation pic.twitter.com/KWAkk7TOmU
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) July 2, 2018
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In GT500, top honors went to former GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough and teammate Daiki Sasaki in the No. 12 Calsonic Impul GT-R. The duo finished sixth on the Thai circuit, overcoming damage from an incident earlier in the race.
"Although there was damage to the car it was able to maintain its speed," said Mardenborough. "We will be heading to Fuji still carrying a relatively light handicap weight, so in order to remain in the championship fight, we will be aiming to take a lot of points there. We've earned points in the last three races, so next time I want to make it to the podium."
Mardenborough impressed last year in Thailand as well, starting second on the grid and running in podium contention for most of the race before an issue in the latter stages dashed his hopes.
Championship contenders Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda entered the race weekend second in the standings and subsequently carried a large weight handicap during the weekend. The Italian/Japanese pair finished 12th.
The Super GT series will next be in action at Fuji Speedway for the Fuji 500 Mile on August 4-5.
📸 A GT300 class win and a top six for young stars @Jannthaman and @daikiwolf23. Take a look at the @SUPERGT_JP pics from @ChangCircuit. ➡️ https://t.co/X5B5KzBoSt pic.twitter.com/gBI4ASv0kM
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) July 1, 2018
NISMO Calendar
July 3
Spa 24 Hour test day, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
July 7-8
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, ON, Canada
Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
July 21-22
Blancpain GT Series Asia, Fuji International Speedway, Japan
European Le Mans Series, Red Bull Ring, Austria
Michelin Le Mans Cup, Red Bull Ring, Austria
Contact
Anna Teslik
Global Motorsport Marketing and Communications Manager
Phone: +33 7 7614 7286
ATeslik@nissan-europe.com
Paul Ryan
Global Motorsport Marketing and Communications Manager
Phone: +1 678 644 0404
paul@nismosupport.com
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