SUZUKA, Japan – Former GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough and Japanese teammate Daiki Sasaki led the charge for Nissan in the latest Super GT round at Suzuka.
The No. 12 Team IMPUL entry qualified sixth fastest and Mardenborough gained another spot on the opening lap of the race.
The young duo had a strong, trouble-free run with Sasaki taking over after 24 laps from Mardenborough, who was up to third place as pit stops commenced.
The iconic Calsonic-sponsored machine eventually crossed the line in fourth place, but not before Sasaki fought off a last corner lunge from the No. 36 Lexus that out-braked himself, causing contact and forcing both cars off track.
Former @GTAcademy winner @Jannthaman and Japanese teammate @daikiwolf23 led the charge of four @Nissan top 10s at the latest @SUPERGT_JP round at Suzuka.https://t.co/hWKVTAu4JM pic.twitter.com/FVaCFINeia
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) May 21, 2018
🎬 Traffic? Not a problem for "Rocket Ronnie" @R_Quintarelli! Check out how the @Nissan ace charged through traffic at @suzuka_event! #OMGTR indeed! pic.twitter.com/ccrve7vKPt
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) May 21, 2018
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"The pass on the opening lap might have looked easy, but it was actually a really tough fight," said Mardenborough. "I managed to raise us up a few positions and our pit stop, along with Daiki's stint were really good. It's disappointing that we only just missed out on a podium but I think the team is in really good form, so we will be aiming for even better in the next round."
Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda pulled off a strong comeback drive to finish sixth after starting at the back of the grid. Battling with a heavy weight penalty and fuel flow restriction as the championship leaders, the No. 23 Motul NISMO machine climbed as high as fifth place in the late stages.
Both drivers were impressive in traffic with Quintarelli making a move around the outside of both the No. 3 NDDP Racing with B-Max and Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R's at the Suzuka hairpin.
"Today, the opening lap was really good. I just had two chances in the first lap and could overtake two cars," said Quintarelli. "With the fuel restrictor, the pace was not good, but in the traffic I managed to overtake two cars. I enjoyed the stint even if it was very tough. To finish the race in P6 is really amazing. Honestly, I'm happier than the victory in Fuji. Now, we will have more than one month before Thailand, so we can prepare ourselves and put ourselves in the best position to score points because our target is the championship."
The Satoshi Motoyama/Katsumasa Chiyo and JP de Oliveira/Mitsunori Takaboshi combinations both completed top tens for Nissan in seventh and ninth place respectively.
Super GT will head to Thailand next month for round four of the championship on June 30-July 1.
🎬 They came from the back of the grid with extra weight penalties as the championship leader but @R_Quintarelli and @TsugioMatsuda still came away with a sixth-place finish at @suzuka_event. #NISMOnation #OMGTR pic.twitter.com/xcn9csGLM3
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) May 21, 2018
🎬 Check out all the action from @suzuka_event with the @SUPERGT_JP highlights. @Jannthaman and @daikiwolf23 led the way for @Nissan in P4. pic.twitter.com/653yyHxqV3
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) May 20, 2018
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NISMO Calendar
May 26-27
Pirelli World Challenge, Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, CT, USA
June 2-3
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, Circuit Paul Ricard, France
Le Mans Test Day, Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Belle Isle, Detroit, MI, USA
Nissan Micra Cup, Calabogie Motorsports Park, OT, Canada
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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