2014 Gran Turismo D1 Grand Prix Series Round 6 Participation Report
■ Date: October 17, 2014 (Fri): Solo Qualifications, 18th (Sat): Solo and Tandem
■ Venue: Odaiba Special Stage
■ Attendance: 5,926 people
[October 17 (Fri) Weather: Clear, Track: Dry]
■ Solo Qualification: 7th place
[October 18 (Sat) Weather: Clear, Track: Dry]
■ Solo Finals: 2nd place
■ Tandem: 2nd place [Overall Ranking]2nd place
[2014 Series Ranking] 6th place
The 6th round of the 2014 Gran Turismo D1 Grand Prix Series was held at the Odaiba Special Stage. For this final stage of the season, aiming for the first victory of the season, we created a course replicating the special stage in advance, focusing on suspension settings and identifying areas for improvement. In Friday’s solo qualifications, we slightly lost our rhythm and finished 7th. However, in Saturday morning’s solo finals, we showed a sharp initiation and took the line to the fullest extent on the outside, demonstrating a bold run and scoring over 100 points, securing 2nd place. In the afternoon tandem battles, having secured a seeded position in the solo run, we started from the Top 16. We showed minimal mistakes and aggressive close-proximity drifting against our Top 16 opponent, Tadokoro from TOYO TIRES with SPEED MASTER, and Top 8 opponent Hibino from Team UP GARAGE with DRoo-P, securing victories. This marked the first time for the GT-R to advance to the finals.
In the finals, we faced Suenaga from Team RE Amemiya SUNOCO. In the first run, Suenaga led. Kawabata tried to take the inside of Suenaga’s machine, but Suenaga’s car suddenly decelerated, causing contact and forcing Kawabata’s drift to straighten out. Although it was a close call, the judges ruled that Kawabata couldn’t match Suenaga’s drift, giving Suenaga the advantage. In the second run with Kawabata leading, he showed an aggressive drive to make up for the point difference, gaining an advantage, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first run’s deficit, resulting in a loss. The final result was a second-place finish.
[Team Manager Shingo Nakagami] Feeling that we hadn’t achieved significant results this season, we approached the final round at Odaiba with the determination to win. Recently, we’ve had no major mechanical issues and the car has been stable, so we focused on suspension settings for this event. During the first day’s practice runs, we identified several issues and made multiple suspension adjustments, but gradually Kawabata regained his characteristically bold driving style, allowing us to consistently secure victories. Although the final result is frustrating, it was a race that showed great potential for next year. [Driver Masato Kawabata] This D1 Grand Prix at Odaiba had a longer course than usual and the judging area was relocated, giving it a layout similar to the Centrair exhibition. In the pre-event GT-R testing, we changed the steering rack and shock absorbers, making the car stronger in angles and improving maneuverability. When the first practice session began, the surface was slippery, traction was poor, and the behavior at the first corner initiation was mild, making it impossible to score high points. With only two runs available for testing, we made significant changes to the rear suspension aiming to improve traction for the second run. Right from the start of the second run, we confirmed a good balance and relatively improved traction performance, with DOSS scores also increasing, so we decided to start the qualifications with the same specifications. In the first qualification run, we drove with slightly reduced entry speed into the first corner and secured a qualifying score. For the second run, we increased the pace aiming for over 100 points, but lost speed coming out of the final corner, finishing with a score in the 98-point range and qualifying. On Saturday, the day of the finals, we changed the front suspension settings during morning practice to make the car even easier to drive. However, this didn’t produce the desired effect, so we reverted to the original settings for the solo finals. With only one run available, we drove with the image of “not too defensive, not too aggressive” and scored over 100 points, securing 2nd place and advancing to the Top 16. In the battles from Top 16 onwards, we gained advantages in the lead runs against Tadokoro, Hibino, and Takayama, and although there were some variations, we advanced by closing in on the opponent drivers in the chase runs. In the finals, we faced Masao Suenaga and started in the chase position, but made contact with the opponent’s car entering the first corner, putting us at a significant disadvantage. Although there was a shift miss claim from the opponent’s team and our mechanics protested, it wasn’t accepted, and we switched to the lead position. Maintaining focus, we entered the first corner and showed a masterful run with a sudden angle increase, but lost by a narrow margin in the judging. After the battle, Suenaga apologized, but as the outcome is determined by the judges, I was satisfied that I had done my best.
[Driver Masato Kawabata] This time, we were able to complete the event without mechanical issues thanks to sufficient pre-event testing, but I couldn’t show the driving I had imagined and couldn’t demonstrate the results of our practice, leading to a frustrating outcome. The next event will be the final round. I want to drive with confidence and aim for victory.
