In GT500 qualifying, Riki Okusa and Igor Omura Fraga dominated both sessions in the Modulo Nakajima Racing #64. The pair set a 1:32.550 in Q1 before improving to 1:32.414 in Q2 to secure pole position. Yamamoto and Makino qualified fourth in Q2, behind Koudai Tsukakoshi and Yuto Nomura in the Astemo Racing #17 and Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi in the WedsSport BANDOH #19.
The race produced a different order at the front. Yamamoto and Makino took the win, with Toshiki Oyu and Rikuto Kobayashi finishing second in the KeePer CERUMO #38, 1.363 seconds behind. Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi completed the podium for Nissan in the MOTUL Niterra Z #23, 7.972 seconds back. Despite starting from pole with only 2kg of success weight, Okusa and Omura Fraga finished 12th, 1:14.624 behind the winners. The Astemo Racing #17 fell to 14th and finished two laps down.
GT300 also saw its pole-sitters struggle to convert qualifying pace into a race result. Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi secured pole in the R&D SPORT #61, setting a 1:42.677 in Q2 after leading Q1 Group A. Yuui Tsutsumi and Kazuhisa Urabe qualified second in the HYPER WATER RACING #2, while Hiroki Yoshida and Seita Nonaka placed third in the Green Brave #52.
Nitta and Takagi made the most of their seventh-place qualifying position to win the 93-lap GT300 race in the K-tunes Racing #96. Rin Arakawa, Yu Kanamaru and Atsushi Tanaka finished second in the RUNUP × SOL GT-R Tomei Sports #360, 25.828 seconds behind, while Naoya Gamou, Togo Suganami and Haruki Kurosawa took third in the LEON PYRAMID #65. Tsutsumi and Urabe finished fourth, while pole-sitters Iguchi and Yamauchi dropped to 15th, one lap down.
The Autopolis round highlighted the importance of race pace and success-weight management across both classes. Honda took the GT500 victory, with Toyota and Nissan completing the podium, while K-tunes Racing claimed GT300 honours. With Round 7 complete, the championship moves towards its next round, with success weight continuing to shape the competitive picture.
Header image credits: Sho Tamura [@shotamuraphotographer]
