Fourth Straight Victory for Lexus in 2017 SUPER GT 500 Series

Lexus stormed its way to a fourth consecutive victory in the 2017 AUTOBACS SUPER GT 500 series as the reigning champions, Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate, in their No. 1 DENSO KOBELCO SARD LC 500, came from seventh position on the starting grid to take their maiden win of the season at the Sportsland SUGO circuit in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Meanwhile, the No. 6 WAKO’S 4CR LC 500, driven by Kazuya Oshima and Andrea Caldarelli, finished third in the race to consolidate Lexus’ runaway lead in the manufacturer’s standings.

Following intermittent drizzles during the qualifying sessions, the race day dawned with rain and occasional cloudiness as predicted. However, the rain only grew heavier and shortly after that, the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN LC 500, running in the fourth position, ran off the track at the first turn in the Formation lap. Later, after just two laps, one of the competitor cars was forced to drop out of the race after its engine cover flew off on the pit straight. Then, at the end of the 46th lap, two GT300 cars collided and ran off the track, bringing out the safety car. This meant the No. 1 DENSO SARD KOBELCO LC 500, having already finished its pit stop, was now on the same lap as the top four cars. As the race restarted at the end of the 52nd lap, the four cars in the lead all made their way into the pits; and taking advantage of the situation, the No. 1 DENSO SARD KOBELCO LC 500 raced ahead into the lead.

With ten laps to go in the race, rain began to fall again on the track. The gap between the No. 1 DENSO SARD KOBELCO LC 500 in the first position and the competitor car in the second position began to grow smaller as the race entered its final stages and before long, the two machines were running nose-to-tail. The heavy rain, however, caused the two machines to run off the track as they were reaching a corner, and then, just as the No. 1 DENSO SARD KOBELCO LC 500 was getting back on the track, it was hit by the second-placed car. Both drivers barely managed to keep their machines from spinning out as they clung to the track, and, of the two cars, it was the No. 1 DENSO SARD KOBELCO LC 500 that was able to recover more quickly, enabling Hirate to pull ahead into the lead and race on to the checkered flag and victory.

“The tough weather conditions added an extra challenge to the race, and I applaud the drivers for holding firm till the end to give Lexus a fourth consecutive victory,” said Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation. “This triumph adds to our proven record in motorsports, and we remain dedicated to continuously building on the experience gained on the racetrack to not only engineer amazing vehicles,but alsocapture our customers’ hearts and minds by igniting their emotions. The fans have been fantastic all season, and we owe a big thank-you to all our fans around the world for their constant support of our racing initiatives.”