Ishiura: Value of GT GT3 Early Race Debut Already Clear

Photo: Masahide Kamio

Toyota driver Hiroaki Ishiura believes that the value of giving the GR GT3 an early race debut in concept form in this weekend’s Motegi SUPER GT finale has already made itself clear as early as Friday’s opening practice session.

Rookie Racing will become the first team to race Toyota’s new GT3 weapon that is set to be rolled out in various championships worldwide next season, running the car in ‘concept’ form in place of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo it has used until now.

Because the car is considered an ‘open’ entry, it means Ishiura and co-driver Tokiya Suzuki are not eligible to score drivers’ points in either of the 250km races.

Ishiura, who has been one of the GR GT3’s main development drivers through its long gestation period, set the car’s fastest time of 1:49.638 as the car completed 30 laps in Friday morning’s sole, unofficial practice session of the weekend.

That put it 28th and last in the GT300 class, 2.821 seconds behind the pace-setting Subaru BRZ, and around three tenths down on the next-slowest car.

But, despite the car’s apparent lack of competitiveness so far, Ishiura told gathered reporters after the session that the team has already learned a lot by testing the GR GT3 in a real race environment as opposed to normal testing.

“When we arrived at the circuit and began the usual running program that we’ve been following with the AMG, I was reminded just how many things come to light when you actually put the car through its paces in a real race environment,” said Ishiura.

“There have been quite a few moments when I thought it was a really good thing that we have brought the car out to race in concept form.

“One example is the pedals. You need to make sure there is a proper locking mechanism, otherwise it won’t immediately return to the correct setting for each driver. In testing, I had simply been setting it to suit my own preferences without paying attention, but when you’re changing drivers quickly, you realize that you need a mechanism like that.

“Another example is lining up in front of the pit garage. When the green light comes on telling you to go, you have to pull away with the steering already on full lock. We hadn’t previously practised operating the clutch in that situation during testing.

“We’ve also been evaluating things like mirror visibility and overall sightlines while out on the track. Since we’ve primarily tested alone, driving alongside rivals has given me a fresh perspective on how they appear from the cockpit.

“Having completed this first session, I’ve gained a clear sense of what’s working well and what could be further improved. It really highlights the immense value of participating in a race environment, as opposed to just standard testing.”

Asked how the car compared to Rookie’s previous AMG, Ishiura added: “I can’t directly compare, but the sensation while driving is quite different to normal.

“It’s a car built to a different set of rules, for example regarding things like ride height, so the aero performance will change according to the rules. It’s clear this car features the latest state-of-the-art aerodynamics for a GT3 car.

“But there is no sense of discomfort while driving. I have driven many different cars until now, but there’s nothing especially difficult about it.”

Ishiura also said he had no qualms about being ineligible to score points this weekend, effectively bringing his outside title challenge to an end, as he trailed leaders Joao Paulo de Oliveira and Iori Kimura by 31 points with 52 still available.

“We considered that, but it’s our first year as a team in the GT300 class, and we had set ourself a number of goals and we have managed to accomplish those,” he said.

“We have proven we can fight at the front in our first year. Of course, there are still many areas where we are lacking, but we have reached the level we hoped for, so now we are moving on to the next challenge by racing a concept car in the final round.

“Rather than thinking, ‘ah, I wanted to fight for the championship’, being the first in the world to race this car that has garnered so much attention, that for me is a bigger honor, and as a racing driver, chances like this don’t come around very often.

“So, personally, if I had to choose one or the other, I would have chosen this anyway.”

GR GT project manager Takashi Doi also explained why the Motegi weekend was chosen to give the car its race debut, rather than next week’s final round of Super Taikyu, where it is more common for unhomologated cars to run, at Fuji Speedway.

“In consultation with Rookie Racing, we decided this was the right time and place,” said Doi. “Ultimately, we decided that it was better to debut the car in SUPER GT, where there are many GT3 cars running together, after weighing various options.”

Source: Sports Car 365