GOODSMILE RACING & TeamUKYO RACE REPORT 4
2025 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Round 4 FUJI GT SPRINT RACE
Date: August 2nd (Saturday) and 3rd (Sunday), 2025 Location: Fuji Speedway (Shizuoka Prefecture) Spectators: Race 1 – 24,900 / Race 2 – 27,400 Qualifying: Race 1 – 5th place / Race 2 – 2nd place Race Results: Race 1 – 2nd place / Race 2 – 5th place
Points Earned:
Series Standings:
The 2025 SUPER GT Round 4 was held on August 2nd (Saturday) and 3rd (Sunday) at the scorching Fuji Speedway.
This race marked the first time in the SUPER GT official series that a “sprint race” format was used. Unlike the usual endurance races with driver changes, one sprint race was held each on Saturday and Sunday, with a rule that one driver per day is responsible for everything from official practice to qualifying and the race itself.
The qualifying session this time was conducted using a “timed session” format, where all vehicles run simultaneously to compete for the best lap time, instead of the traditional knockout format (Q1/Q2).
Previously, in the crowded Q1 session, cars were divided into groups to secure clear laps. In this new format, the running time was set longer than usual at 20 minutes, making it easier to get a clear lap.
The race format was different for Saturday and Sunday: Race 1 on Saturday was a mixed field of GT500 and GT300 classes running 35 laps, while Race 2 on Sunday was a 50-minute timed race separated by class. There was, of course, no obligation for tire changes or refueling
during the race.
Additionally, this time all cars raced without success ballast, and although the BoP was set as usual, the competition was designed to focus more purely on machine performance and driver skill.
For this event, the BoP for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was set with a base weight of 1,285 kg plus 50 kg added, totaling 1,335 kg. The air restrictors limiting engine output were adjusted for the characteristics of Fuji Speedway, with two restrictors of φ35mm diameter, which is 0.5mm larger than at other circuits.
August 2nd (Saturday) [Race 1]
Weather: Cloudy / Rain Track: Dry
Temperature / Track Temperature:
Before Start (3:15 p.m.) 34°C / 56°C Mid-race (3:45 p.m.) 31°C / 50°C
Just before Finish (4:15 p.m.) 30°C / 45°C
Race 1 was driven by Tatsuya Kataoka.
At 8:30 a.m., strong sunlight was already beating down on the circuit, with the temperature rising to 31°C and track temperature reaching 37°C as the official practice began. The official practice was shorter than usual, with a schedule of a 30-minute mixed session for GT500 and GT300, a 10-minute FCY test, and a 10-minute exclusive class session, making a total of 50 minutes for running and setup adjustments.
Kataoka entered the track as soon as the session started. On his 5th lap, he ran a 1:38.436 and was 6th, then continued improving his pace, setting 1:38.198 on lap 7, and 1:38.180 on lap
8. However, rivals recorded bigger improvements, and his ranking dropped to 11th. After nine
laps, he returned to the pits once to adjust the setup and quickly returned to the track. He checked the revised setup and, after 16 laps, pitted again.
There, further adjustments were made, including wing settings, and he switched to new tires for the GT300 class-specific session. During this session, a qualifying simulation was done, and on the 21st lap, he set a time of 1:37.520, finishing 5th in the session. The fastest time was 1:37.048 by car No. 56.
At 11:40 a.m., under even harsher conditions with the temperature at 33°C and track temperature at 54°C, a 20-minute official qualifying session started. Many cars aimed to attack in the later part of the session as the track conditions improved. Only four cars were on track at the start, but as the session entered the last 10 minutes, all cars went out to attempt their fastest laps. Kataoka in car No. 4 went out with 10 minutes remaining.
After an out-lap and two warm-up laps, Kataoka made his first attack lap, recording 1:37.642, placing him 6th. Afterwards, rivals improved, pushing him down to 9th, but he kept attacking on subsequent laps. He shaved time in each sector and improved to 1:37.421, climbing to 5th place. He planned to finish the attack there, but since he crossed the control line just before the checkered flag was waved, he made a third consecutive attack lap. He impressed the pits by cutting about 0.3 seconds in sectors 1 and 2, but tire grip peaked in sector 3, and he could not improve further, ending qualifying in 5th place. Pole position was taken by car No. 2 with a time of 1:37.094.
At 2:15 p.m., the start procedures for the race began. Unlike usual events where there is a 20-minute warm-up before the grid opens, this race week had race attendants holding grid boards standing at each grid before a 15-minute reconnaissance lap started. During this lap, cars left the pits and arrived at the grid timing themselves. Cars wanting extra laps could avoid
the grid and pass through the pit lane. There were no tire restrictions for the reconnaissance lap, but the tires used in qualifying had to be fitted for the race start. After three laps, Kataoka’s car No. 4 pitted to change to the start tires and proceeded to the grid.
At 3:15 p.m., after a parade lap led by the Shizuoka police and a formation lap led by the safety car, the 35-lap race started. Although rain was forecast during the race, none appeared at the start, which was under dry conditions at 34°C ambient and 56°C track temperature.
Kataoka started from 5th on the grid and challenged car No. 7 at turn 1, but was blocked by a yellow flag caused by a GT500 crash at the Coca-Cola corner, preventing overtaking. However, after the yellow flag was lifted, Kataoka tried again from 100 R to the hairpin and moved up to 4th place. The safety car was then deployed due to the crash vehicle recovery.
When the race resumed on lap 6, the top four cars fiercely battled within one second. On lap 10, car No. 6 caught up and passed Kataoka at the hairpin and then at Dunlop corner. However, car No. 6 received a drive-through penalty for overtaking under the safety car. After serving the penalty on lap 16, car No. 4 moved up to 3rd place.
Rain began as forecast on lap 18, with some cars activating wipers, but it was not enough to create wet track conditions.
On lap 21, Kataoka dived inside at the hairpin to pass car No. 2 and moved to 2nd place. By lap 23, he closed the gap to the leader car No. 777 to within 0.3 seconds, with car No. 65 catching up, creating a fierce three-way battle at the front. Kataoka repeatedly challenged the lead while holding off car No. 65 but was unable to overtake. On lap 31 at turn 1, he tried an overtake with a cross-line move, pushing his car wide, but car No. 65 also dived inside and prevented the pass. Although car No. 65 briefly gained half a car length, Kataoka held the inside line at the following Coca-Cola corner and defended his position.
The battle widened the gap to the leader, and Kataoka was unable to challenge for the lead again, finishing lap 33 and taking the checkered flag in 2nd place. It was a consecutive podium finish following the previous round, but with a chance for victory, the race ended with some frustration.
August 3rd (Sunday) [Race 2]
Weather: Cloudy Track: Dry
Temperature / Track Temperature:
Just before GT300 start (2:15 p.m.) 33°C / 44°C
Mid-race (2:45 p.m.) 33°C / 45°C At finish (3:10 p.m.) 32°C / 43°C
Race 2 was driven by Nobuteru Taniguchi.
At 8:30 a.m., with the temperature at 30°C and track temperature at 45°C, it was another morning suggesting intense heat, though somewhat cooler than the previous day due to more clouds. Taniguchi started the session using the tires from the previous day’s exclusive qualifying simulation.
Taniguchi entered the track as the session began, but felt a “strangely off” sensation with the brakes that had been changed after Race 1. He immediately returned to the pits, where brake hose bleeding and brake pad replacement were done, causing about 10 minutes of lost time before returning to the track to check the car balance.
On lap 10, he posted a 1:37.693, placing 7th, and kept within the 1:37 range on lap 11. On lap 12, he set personal bests in sectors 1 and 2, but the FCY test started, preventing further time improvement. Returning to the pits after lap 13, he switched to new tires prepared for the day.
He then ran a qualifying simulation in the GT300 class-specific session starting at 9:10 a.m. After an out-lap and three warm-up laps, he initially recorded 1:37.632, then improved significantly to 1:37.224 on the next lap, rising to 3rd place. He continued attacking and marked 1:37.090, finishing 2nd in official practice. The top time was set by car No. 777, the only one to break into the 1:36 range. At 11 a.m., the 20-minute timed qualifying session for the GT300 class began. Following the previous day’s 2nd-place podium and the 2nd fastest time in this practice, many media gathered around Taniguchi at the pits as he was considered a top contender for victory.
Like the day before, only three cars were on track at the start, but after seven minutes, more cars began to join. Taniguchi in car No. 4 went onto the course with 11 minutes and 11 seconds remaining. After three warm-up laps, he started his attack, recording 1:37.828 and placing 6th. Continuing his attack, he improved to 1:37.477 and moved to 4th. Finally, he pushed to 1:37.225, securing 2nd place.
Pole position was again taken by car No. 777, the only car to run in the 1:36 range during practice and qualifying.
At 1:20 p.m., a 10-minute reconnaissance lap combining warm-up and grid entry started.
Car No. 4 completed two warm-up laps, then changed to the start tires in front of the pits before moving to the grid.
On the starting grid, usually GT500 cars line up at the front with GT300 cars behind. Since Race 1 was a mixed-class race, this arrangement remained unchanged. However, Race 2 was a class-segregated race, so except for pole sitter No. 777 being on the inside, No. 4 in second was on the outside with a clear line of sight to turn 1. This was short-lived as media and fans crowded around during the grid walk, blocking the view of the cars.
At 2:20 p.m., after two formation laps behind the safety car, the 50-minute race started. The temperature was 33°C with a track temperature of 44°C, over 10 degrees cooler than the previous day.
Starting from 2nd place on the front row, car No. 4 was quickly challenged by car No. 2, which started 3rd. Car No. 2 got off to an excellent start and overtook No. 4 going into turn 1. Because of the way the tires warmed up, the leader, No. 777, and No. 2 pulled away early, building a
2.2-second gap by lap 4.
After five laps, with No. 4’s tires warmed up and performing well, Taniguchi increased his pace to chase the front. By lap 7, he reduced the gap to 1.9 seconds, and on lap 8 set the fastest lap of the race at 1:38.098, closing to 1.7 seconds. However, the cooler track temperature caused “pickup” issues, and his lap times began to drop.
Car No. 65, also a contender from Race 1, started closing in, and on lap 19, a nose-to-tail battle began. Car No. 65, faster by 2-3 km/h on the straights, launched attacks throughout the track. Taniguchi skillfully blocked multiple attempts, maintaining 3rd place. However, on lap 21, coming out of the final corner, No. 65 got right behind, then passed on the inside at turn 1 on lap 22, dropping Taniguchi to 4th. Car No. 5, also fast on the straights, pressured Taniguchi too. On lap 26 at turn 1, No. 5 drew side-by-side and then passed at the Coca-Cola corner, pushing No. 4 back to 5th.
Later, car No. 7 closed in, and cars No. 52 and No. 18 joined a fierce battle for 6th place among three cars. Taniguchi managed to build a gap during this fight. After 50 minutes and 31 laps, the checkered flag came out, with Taniguchi finishing 5th. Following the previous day, car No. 777 took a pole-to-win victory.
Although aiming for the podium and victory, it was a frustrating race. However, Taniguchi gained 16.5 driver points over the two days, rising to 4th place in the standings. The team ranking dropped to 3rd, overtaken by car No. 777, which won both races, but the team remains in the top ranks.
■Comments from the Team
Race 1 went well because Viktor’s challenging setup worked, resulting in a fast car for the final.
Seeing that result, expectations for Race 2 were very high. I feel the team’s ongoing efforts this year are starting to pay off, and I thought these two days would fit together well.
However, regarding Race 2, there was a bit of a brake problem at the start. Rather than fully resolving it, we made adjustments to a level where we thought, “This should be okay.” Even in qualifying afterward, the car did not feel perfect, but since it was a solo run, it was possible to set lap times, so it was not too bad up to that point.
I thought if the conditions and tires matched like in Race 1, the pace would be good, and the car had overtaking potential, so I believed, “We can go all the way.” But for various reasons, the pace just did not come. There was a moment when the tires were fully warmed up and performing well, but then performance steadily dropped, and I think there was some cause, like brakes or something else.
I believe we are now able to get quite a bit of the power that the AMG GT3 has, and the data shows that Yokohama tires in hot weather are not worse than other brands. So first, we want to investigate the causes of the pace drop and trouble, then use that knowledge for the next race.
We really wanted to deliver a long-awaited pole-to-win for everyone supporting us, but it was
close. Racing with some trouble was probably not ideal, but it could not be helped. This format was a very busy race, and there were some frustrations, so we want to take this experience and challenge the next race.
While I am happy with the 2nd-place podium in Race 1 on Saturday, it is frustrating because I think it was a race we could have won. We aimed for pole position in Race 2 with that momentum, but finished 2nd instead. Still, the times were good, so expectations were high that today we could win the final race, continuing on from Race 1. But it was extremely unfortunate that the car had trouble. That is the bottom line.
Though we earned points with 2nd and 5th places overall, I feel that the car’s true performance might have taken 1st and 2nd places. So, it is not the time to be complacent; we need to properly identify the causes. Because the sprint races were split over two days this time, we were able to respond, but in a usual race, these troubles during the race might have led to retirement. Considering this, it was a race week with some good aspects and some bad.
I was in charge on Sunday, and on Saturday, Kataoka put on a great race, battling from 5th place to finish 2nd. He said it was a race where “there was a chance to win,” so for me, it was both raising the bar for Sunday and confirming that this is a car that can fight hard. I tackled the day with a strong determination.
I aimed for pole in qualifying but just missed, finishing 2nd. Watching the previous day, it seemed we could keep up reasonably with car No. 777, and the pace of the top group was clear, so I set my sights on the win. At the start, car No. 2 passed me, and while I was slightly left behind by No. 777 and No. 2, I was pacing myself to wait for the tires to warm up.
Car No. 65 caught up, and I thought maybe I should hold it back or cut losses early and try to maintain 4th place. But I also did not want to let it pass easily, so I pushed a bit. Still, I could not hold it back.
Then car No. 5 came, and rather than trying to hold it back, the conditions became tough enough that it was hard to keep running in the 39-second lap range. So, I gave up trying to defend aggressively and focused on finishing as high as possible for points — if not 3rd then 4th, if not 4th then 5th — switching strategy early.
More rivals were catching from behind, but balancing that with the remaining laps, I drove while doing my best to hold position until the checkered flag.
While the tires and brakes were strong, I felt I could run as well as the top group; not maintaining that long-run potential was very frustrating. The weekend’s momentum was good, so I am filled with disappointment.
From practice, I felt the car’s performance was promising, but in qualifying, the car didn’t turn as I had hoped, so my attack was not as satisfying. Finishing 5th by a narrow margin shows that with better circumstances, I could have fought for the front row.
In the race, I was confident in my race laps and aimed to start within the top three rows and make the podium. I made a good start, gaining positions, and then passed cars whose tires were deteriorating to improve my position. While 3rd place was the target, I realized mid-race that my pace was better than the leader’s, so I pushed hard, wanting to win at all costs.
However, in the last six laps, battling with car No. 65’s Gamou behind me forced me to simultaneously defend and attack — chasing the front but also blocking from the rear. I could not make the decisive move ahead and finished 2nd.
The 2nd place result is not bad and I am happy, but since it was a race with a strong chance
to win, not getting the victory is a bit frustrating as a driver.
