Lamborghini closes on Super GT points lead as JLOC takes third win of the year at Motegi

Kogure and Motojima charge from 17^th on the grid to cut the deficit to just 11 points ahead of season finale

JLOC’s Yuya Motojima and Takashi Kogure claimed Lamborghini’s third Super GT300 victory of the season and second in as many races after another sensational drive through the field from 17^th on the grid in the penultimate round at Motegi.

Motojima and Kogure, at the wheel of their #88 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, again combined a bold strategic call and strong race craft throughout the 63-lap race and now have a realistic chance of winning the drivers’ title, having reduced the deficit to the top to just 11 points, ahead of the season finale at Suzuka next month.

Much like it had last time out at Autopolis, rain affected Saturday’s qualifying session which left bittersweet feelings in the JLOC camp. While the #87 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 of Kosuke Matsuura and Natsu Sakaguchi finished inside the top 14 in Q1 and therefore securing its place in Group 1 (which determined the first 14 places on the grid for the race) for Q2, the #88 missed out.

As conditions got worse, the #88 was only 11^th fastest and a spin for Motojima just before the session was red flagged all but destroyed its chances of making it into the top 14. Relegated to Q2 Group 2, Kogure salvaged the third-quickest time in the session, albeit leaving the #88 a lowly 17^th.

In stark contrast to qualifying, race day was dry and sunny which gave the #88 machine the best opportunity to work its way up through the field. A strong start from Motojima allowed him to make up six places in the early stages before decisively slicing down the inside of the Mercedes at turn two on the fourth lap.

The speed of the JLOC Huracán was evident in the opening laps as Motojima breezed through the field to enter the top 10. Two more overtakes in quick succession, around the outside of the D’Station Aston Martin at the downhill braking zone of turn 11 and to the inside of the #45 Ferrari at turn one took the #88 car into eighth place after just six laps.

Having gained valuable track position, the #88 followed the different strategy as the leaders by electing to change the rear tyres versus a no-tyre change for those in front, thus conserving its hard-earned third place. Now with a tyre advantage over the leading two cars, Kogure took over from Motojima and closed the gap before diving to the inside of the #65 Mercedes [JLOC’s main title rivals] to take second place at turn 11.

Two laps later, Kogure produced a superb and daring manoeuvre around the outside of turn one to pull alongside the #31 Lexus. Despite some slight contact on the exit, Kogure then had the inside line for turn two and completed the #88’s climb to the lead which it held until the end.

The #87 Huracán GT3 EVO2 of Matsuura and Sakaguchi had a clean run and had been in the hunt to make it a JLOC one-three but had to make do with fourth place at the end after falling behind the #18 Honda late on.

For the #88, however, its third victory of the season – after triumphs at Fuji and Autopolis – means that Kogure and Motojima are now just 11 points adrift in the drivers’ title standings, heading into the final round of the campaign at Suzuka on the weekend of December 7-8.

Takashi Kogure, #88 JLOC Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, said: “Motojima-san was really fast in the first half [of the race], and he moved up through the field so well that I thought we could make it into the lead group. When I got out of the pit and into the race in 3^rd place, I was thinking that this was a chance [to get the win]. I had some worries about the brakes along the way, but I reminded myself as I drove that it had been the same last year [when we got our first win]. And this time it was our first consecutive win, so I am very happy.”

Team-mate Yuya Motojima added: “I myself am very surprised that a thing like this could happen. In the first half of the race, I felt that the pace was good, and since [our rival for the title] the #65 was within reach, I talked about the tyre change with the team in the radio and we proposed that we could make it by changing just two tyres. And the team accepted that suggestion and things went well. It was a change of just the two rear tyres, but until the end Kogure-san was faster than anyone. This is a race that we won thanks to the people at Yokohama Tires, the team that worked on the car set-up and Kogure-san, so I am truly happy with this.”