Daily Slideshow: Lexus Takes First Place in 3rd Round at Super GT Series

Taking Home the Gold

Lexus' return to the motorsports fold is still relatively young, but the brand has made significant strides over the last two Super GT seasons. That hard work paid off recently as Lexus took home the pole and the win in the third round of the GT300 class at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan’s Mie Prefecture. The automaker has been red hot in the 2018 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series as of late, and this latest win keeps the momentum in their favor.

Margin of Victory

This time around, it was the No. 96 Lexus RC F GT3 K-tunes, driven by Morio Nitta and Yuichi Nakayama, which claimed victory. And the duo never let up, widening its lead to 10 seconds by the 10th lap.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus in Super GT Series right here in the ClubLexus forum.

Strategic Push

In fact, the only thing that slowed Lexus down was a crash and subsequent safety car entrance on the 13th lap. But a little bit of smart strategy mitigated this loss later on in the race.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus in Super GT Series right here in the ClubLexus forum.

Patience Pays Off

Most teams took an early pit stop, meaning they were reentering the fray shortly after the race was restarted. But the No. 96 Lexus RC F GT3 K-tunes team waited until lap 26 to pit, and they changed all four tires when they did.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus in Super GT Series right here in the ClubLexus forum.

Battle to the Finish

That bold strategy paid off, even though the team temporarily lost their lead because of it. With fresh tires, they were able to close the gap quickly and eventually reclaim the lead on lap 36 following a fierce five-car battle.

>>Join the conversation about Lexus in Super GT Series right here in the ClubLexus forum.

Breeze to Victory

From there, the No. 96 Lexus simply cruised to a 15.885-second margin of victory. The win tied Morio Nitta for most career victories in GT300 and bumped the duo up to fourth place in the current standings. Now the Lexus-driving pair look to carry that momentum into the next race on the docket! 

>>Join the conversation about Lexus in Super GT Series right here in the ClubLexus forum.

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