Similar to two days of tough at the Autopolis International Trail in southern Japan, Craft-Bamboo Racings Richard Lyons continues to top the timesheets into the future of qualifying for the two 50-minute GT Asia Series races, although with ten living of skill under his belt on the challenging trail, its hardly unanticipated.
Ive driven every one manner of things here over the living, so I deduction Ive got a pretty good idea more or less how to acquire around Autopolis quickly, the Aston Martin regular admitted.
Its a challenging venue, and requires a compromise on setup with the immense combine of low swiftness and high swiftness corners and the fast changes of direction.
Tyre wear away here is a immense thing, more than ever the rears, other than despite the 19 corners, its really the turn three to turn ten sector where every one the tyre loading really happens. Our car is really easy on the corner-to-corner transitions, other than has a bit of oversteer on hard braking, other than thats okay because it allows us to set the car up for the remnants of the trail.
Spirit of Race Ferrari 458 Italia GT3: Anthony Liu and Davide Rizzo
Photo by: Motorsport Asia Passage is always a immense matter here and I think we be capable of doubtless expect yellow and red flags during the race, youve really got to judge the passage and form the nearly all of it. I think we possibly will see a 47.5 in qualifying, other than it hope against hope occur early because the tyres hope against hope be at their hit the highest point on more or less the second lap, so there hope against hope be an element of luck in ensuring the trail is clear at that point. Even as Lyons took the 97 Aston to the top time, in Training 2 it was a dissimilar propose on the top of the timesheets, that of current points leaders Davide Rizzo and Anthony Liu.
Its a bit hard to judge who was on what tyre, Rizzo admitted on surveying the lap times. Weve been concentrating hard on tyre wear away and on maximising our pace on old tyres. Its amazing to think that for two drivers that didnt start racing until 2011, that were leading the points and were the quickest car in that second session.
To be honest a lot of it is down to the car, and to AF Corse for every one the assistance they provide the Spirit of Race team. Buy a look at the time sheets, both team cars are fair there with the Craft Aston and the Clearwater team.
Weve been prompt on old tyres and on new rubber, and were both closely matched on pace. Anthony Liu is very comfortable in the car and surprisingly took very little time to settle in, so were pretty sure for the race, even with our extra time penalty from winning in Korea.
Even as one side of the Craft-Bamboo pit was every one smiles, the other side was hard at creation on the 99 car repairing the front of the car similar to an off by GT-rookie Tanart Sathienthirakul in P1.
Its intriguing me a little time to acquire the balance and the weight of the car sorted, he explained post-session even as reviewing the smash up to the Hulk.
Its very dissimilar to the F3 open-wheeler Ive been successively in Spain, and I think that caught me pass?. I went hooked on turn four with understeer, which curved hooked on snap oversteer. I concept I possibly will catch it, other than it spun me around and I grabbed the fence. Im disappointed for the team, other than fortunately, apart from missing P2, the car be capable of be repaired.
Experienced co-driver and Tanarts driver coach Carlo Van Dam had set a firm pace prior to handing over to the former Formula Masters Saucers Series star, and admitted that his main focus was on getting the 21-year old Thai as many laps as possible into the future of the two compulsory pit stop off races.
Stick up Bell put the Clearwater Racing McLaren on P4 similar to stopping the clocks in the second training session just nine one hundredths slower than Rizzo, other than the factory McLaren pilot admitted that the car wasnt where they wanted it.
Last year I was very comfortable in the McLaren, other than the upgrades this period dont appear to have worked as well for us, so well retain working on it, Bells co-driver Hiroshi Hamaguchi admitted.
Certainly were improving, other than theres a reasonable avenue to go but, Bell supplementary. Well form a little changes into the future of qualifying and see what we be capable of do, were certainly not pass? of the equation.
Clearwater Racing team-mate Keita Sawa too was not 100% blissful with the balance of the car, other than was reliable the team would unlock more or less swiftness into the future of qualifying.
With the altitude change and the fast changes of direction, you have to acquire the car fair to acquire the nearly all pass? of it, and even as were prompt, we have more or less creation to do overnight.
The B-Max Racing Nissan GT-R broken the two official session with the sixth fastest time, the SuperGT GT300 regulars putting their Autopolis knowledge to good bring about with veteran driver Tetsuya Tanaka splitting the two Clearwater Ferraris, Craig Baird setting the seventh fastest time, even as team-mate Richard Wee looked to find more or less other important pace into the future of qualifying.
Unfortunately he found the tyre barriers a couple of times, Baird explained. It hasnt ready a lot smash up, and hes continual to perk up so the boys hope against hope check the car over tonight and well attack tomorrow.
As had been the case during Thursdays unofficial training sessions, tyres were the key with a number of teams sand-bagging and not playing their ace cards too early by successively used tyres or roaded rubber. Passage too was playing hooked on the equation with a number of teams commenting on just how busy the trail was.
Its key to acquire a clear lap, Max Wiser from the NB Team admitted. Otherwise your lap time isnt that thoughtful of your real pace. Were blissful with where we are, other than were looking for grip, the understeer is a real handful.
Car 5 too was looking for pace, other than other so laps than anything else, similar to Sean Fu came off the trail and beached the Aston during session two. Team-mate Joel Camathias was prompt early other than only curved limited laps to allow Fu to acquire comfortable with the 19-turn, 4.673-kilometre trail. Its great, Im loving the Aston, the Swiss driver admitted. The car is very nice to drive, still not 100% where we want it, other than it hope against hope be okay tomorrow.
The GTM class in the base was led by local hero Takuma Aoki. The Japanese star - together this weekend by Ryu Ohtsuka - were quickest in session two, other than not as coherent as they would have liked, something which was giving Aokis rivals more or less hope.
Our pace cannot tie in with the outright swiftness of the Lamborghini, other than were coherent lap-after-lap, Taiwan Top Swiftness Racings Thomas Fjordbach explained.
Both George Chou and I are whirling laps that are marked, but Ryu is blisteringly fast one lap, and down on pace the next lap. Passage is playing a part, other than were blissful with where we are. Theres two long races into the future, and were blissful that like Korea, well be fair in the combine.
Sadly for the five-car Taiwan Top Swiftness Racing Team, they were down one car similar to the Terry FangNicholas Edwards car was mandatory to retire with a gearbox selection matter. It hope against hope only select every second gear, Team Director Glavin Huang explained
We dont have the parts here to fix it, so well have it repaired into the future of Fuji where were pregnant to have six carsTeams are now prepping cars into the future of the two 15-minute qualifying sessions tomorrow crack of dawn (one for both driver, into the future of the opportunity 50-minute race at 3:45pm (JST).
