Lexus RC F powered cars get 4 positions in the top 5 Of 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series

The No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus RC F driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate came a creditable second in Round 4 of the 2016 AUTOBACS SUPER GT to make it yet another podium finish for Lexus in the GT 500 class. The No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F driven by Yuji Tachikawa and Hiroaki Ishiura finished third to make it two podium finishes for Lexus. The No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR RC F came in fourth followed by the No. 19 WedsSport ADVAN RC F thereby making it a very successful race for Lexus with 4 positions in the top 5. The race took place recently at the Sportsland SUGO (Miyagi Prefecture) in Japan.

At the start of the race, the No. 6 WAKO'S 4CR RC F (Andrea Caldarelli) was in pole position. However, Andrea lost the lead when his car became involved in a collision in the sixth lap. By lap 16, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F moved into the lead, and approaching it from behind was the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F (Heikki Kovalainen) that had been moving up steadily from its 8th-position grid start. However, the Lexus RC F cars lost their grip on the lead soon afterwards.

Midway through the race, the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F (Kohei Hirate) had made its way into second place. As the race entered the 72nd lap with not much time remaining, the gap narrowed even more between the top five cars. On the 76th lap, in the midst of this battle, the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F succeeded in passing the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F. There were five laps remaining and it looked as if the battle for the lead was intensifying. However, on the last turn of that 76th lap, one of the competitor cars crashed. For this reason, the Red Flag was displayed to control the race, and the decision was made to end the race as of the running order of the 74th lap. As a result, the 2nd place went to the No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F and the third spot on the podium went to the No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F. Places 2nd to 5th all went to LEXUS RC F cars.  Round 5 of the 2016 championship now takes place in Fuji on August 6-7, 2016.

According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation. “It was an impressive performance by the Lexus RCF powered teams who have come up with great performances to stamp their class on the 2016 season. For Lexus, motorsports has played a vital role in giving us significant insights into our cars and their performance in extreme conditions, thereby helping us make ever better cars. We sincerely appreciate the support of our fans who have backed our racing initiatives over the years.”

Race Notes:

• No. 39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RCF (Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate)
  • Race: 2nd, 74 laps, Best Lap : 1'13.665
• No. 38 ZENT CERUMO RC F (Yuji Tachikawa and Hiroaki Ishiura )
  • Race: 3rd, 74 laps, Best Lap : 1'13.212