With the weather being neither too hot nor too wet like how Sepang usually is, the GT500 race machines of the 2013 AUTOBACS Super GT blitzed across the Sepang International Circuit at tremendous speeds, all aiming to set the fastest time for the Round 3 Qualifying session. Running in a new two-session “knock-out” format for this season, seven cars were knocked out in Q1, leaving the other eight to battle it out for the pole position.
The HSV-010 was once a great weapon to attack Sepang, but the first one only appeared from the fifth position with the RAYBRIG HSV-010 piloted by Takuya Izawa and Takashi Kogure setting a time of 1:55.886 in the first qualifying session.
Although the Lexus SC 430 is the longest running model in the GT500 class among the three, it is still a potent weapon as it grabbed the second, third and fourth position on the grid. DENSO KOBELCO SC 430 qualified in fourth position with a time of 1:55.751 set on the second session of the qualifying.
Following closely at the back is KeePer TOM’s SC430 with a time of 1:55.688,…
…while ZENT CERUMO SC 430 qualified second on the grid with just a 0.1 second difference separating them.
But perfectly displaying that it is still a force to be reckoned with, the CALSONIC IMPUL’s GT-R driven by J.P. Lima De Oliveira charged forward to the pole position with a blistering time of 1:55.456. This is De Oliveira’s second time in pole position, with the last time was back in 2012’s Round 6.
Will De Oliveira be able to hold the lead and take home the win for Round 3, or will the SC 430s show that with age, comes serious speed? Stay put as we will bring you the results of the race day happening moments from now!
| 1 | 12 | CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R NISSAN GT-R / VRH34B |
Tsugio Matsuda J.P.Lima De Oliveira |
1’55.456 | |
| 2 | 38 | ZENT CERUMO SC430 LEXUS SC430 / RV8KG |
Yuji Tachikawa Kohei Hirate |
1’55.589 | |
| 3 | 37 | KeePer TOM’S SC430 LEXUS SC430 / RV8KG |
Daisuke Ito Andrea Caldarelli |
1’55.688 | |
| 4 | 39 | DENSO KOBELCO SC430 LEXUS SC430 / RV8KG |
Juichi Wakisaka Hiroaki Ishiura |
1’55.751 | |
| 5 | 100 | RAYBRIG HSV-010 Honda HSV-010 GT / HR10EG |
Takuya Izawa Takashi Kogure |
1’55.886 | |
| 6 | 1 | REITO MOLA GT-R NISSAN GT-R / VRH34B |
Satoshi Motoyama Yuhi Sekiguchi |
1’55.844 | |
| 7 | 8 | ARTA HSV-010 Honda HSV-010 GT / HR10EG |
Ralph Firman Kosuke Matsuura |
1’56.185 | |
| 8 | 18 | Weider Modulo HSV-010 Honda HSV-010 GT / HR10EG |
Naoki Yamamoto Frederic Makowiecki |
1’55.709 | |
| 9 | 23 | MOTUL AUTECH GT-R NISSAN GT-R / VRH34B |
Masataka Yanagida Ronnie Quintarelli |
1’56.336 | |
| 10 | 17 | KEIHIN HSV-010 Honda HSV-010 GT / HR10EG |
Koudai Tsukakoshi Toshihiro Kaneishi |
1’56.468 | |
| 11 | 36 | PETRONAS TOM’S SC430 LEXUS SC430 / RV8KG |
Kazuki Nakajima James Rossiter |
1’56.552 | |
| 12 | 6 | ENEOS SUSTINA SC430 LEXUS SC430 / RV8KG |
Kazuya Oshima Yuji Kunimoto |
1’56.562 | |
| 13 | 32 | Epson HSV-010 Honda HSV-010 GT / HR10EG |
Ryo Michigami Daisuke Nakajima |
1’56.618 | |
| 14 | 24 | D’station ADVAN GT-R NISSAN GT-R / VRH34B |
Hironobu Yasuda Michael Krumm |
1’57.245 | |
| 15 | 19 | WedsSport ADVAN SC430 LEXUS SC430 / RV8KG |
Seiji Ara Andre Couto |
1’57.427 |
