Super GT (Autopolis / 7e manche)
Grâce à un Satoshi Motoyama survolté et un Benoît Tréluyer au sommet de son art, l’écurie Motul-Autech signe sa deuxième victoire de la saison et se replace pour le titre. A Motegi, les 15 et 16 octobre prochains, la couronne sera décernée au terme d’un duel singulier…
Super GT (Autopolis / Round 7)
The combination of Satoshi Motoyama’s feisty performance and an on-form Benoît Tréluyer proved unstoppable at Autopolis last weekend as the Motul Autech duo clinched their second Super GT victory of the campaign to bounce back into title contention, ensuring the fantastic season-long duel will be decided at the final round in Motegi on October 15/16.
Photo: P.Seclier
Week-end sous pression !
Disputée dans la Préfecture de Miyagi fortement touchée par le séisme ayant causé la catastrophe nucléaire que l’on sait, la manche du Sugo revêtait un intérêt particulier pour le petit monde du Super GT. Y compris pour Benoît Tréluyer qui fit le spectacle mais qui dut malheureusement composer avec ses gommes…
Tout proche de la ville meurtrie de Sendai, le circuit de Sugo aura, l’espace d’un week-end, été le symbole de ce Japon qui jamais ne baisse les bras. Si les stigmates de la catastrophe sont encore présents, la vie a repris son cours dans la Préfecture comme ne manquait pas de le constater Benoît. « Il y a eu un gros travail de fait. Beaucoup de choses ont été rétablies. Cela fait vraiment plaisir de constater que les gens ont le moral ! »
Du moral, il en fallut également pour affronter les trombes d’eau qui s’abattirent sur la région de Miyagi en fin de semaine. Des conditions météorologiques pas vraiment anticipées par l’écurie Motul-Autech. « Nous nous attendions à des températures plus élevées et comme il faut choisir les gommes un mois avant… On s’est retrouvé à côté de la plaque ! En course, nous n’étions pas trop mal mais les pneus se rechargeaient en gomme en fin de relais. Ils ne montaient pas en pression ! J’ai informé le stand avant mon arrêt, qui a rectifié le tir pour mon équipier mais cela n’a eu aucun effet. Nous n’étions pas dans la bonne fenêtre de température ! »
Fin juin, il était en effet difficile de prévoir que la pluie allait faire fléchir la température et que les possesseurs de pneus Bridgestone allaient à ce point souffrir face aux gommes Michelin de la Nissan GT-R de l’équipage Yanagida-Quintarelli.
« Ce fut une course un peu expérimentale pour les pneus. Nous savions que cela allait être dur, et nous voulions également tester quelque chose en vue de la prochaine course de Suzuka. En plus, pour être honnête, nous nous sommes un peu emmêlés sur les stratégies de qualifs. Il a plu beaucoup et c’était mouillé tous les soirs. C’est aussi ce qui nous a causé de gros problèmes puisque nous avions une nouvelle base de réglages fraîchement mis à jour à Suzuka et qui marchaient bien. Hélas, on a du la « jeter » sur la voiture pour les 10 minutes qualifs sans pourvoir la tester avant… En course, cela s’est un peu mieux passé même si nous espérions la pluie car le warm up avait montré que nous étions bien sur le mouillé. Je suis remonté de la 13e place de grille à la 6e bien que j’étais en délicatesse avec mes pneus comme tous les possesseurs de Bridgestone. Quand j’ai passé le relais à Satoshi, il y a eu un problème lors du changement de pneus et nous avons perdu quatre secondes. Pire, il est resté bloqué sur la voie des stands – très étroite à Sugo – derrière une GT300 arrêtée et il est revenu dernier en piste. »
Si Motoyama était en mesure de remonter, il était confronté au même problème que Benoît : les pneus ne montaient pas en pression et la voiture glissait énormément.
« On finit à la 12e place sans marquer de points, constate le Français. Nous sommes 3e au championnat, mais assez loin de la Nissan qui compte 41 points, alors que nous n’en avons que 26. Entre nous, il y a la Honda de Kaneishi/Tsukatoshi mais ce n’est pas elle qui me dérange le plus. Ce qui m’inquiète, ce sont les Michelin ! »
Inquiet mais pas désespéré, comme tenait à le souligner Benoît en guise de conclusion. « Cela va être serré au championnat ! Nous allons changer de moteur pour la prochaine course – on a droit à trois sur la saison – et c’est un vrai soulagement car nous n’étions pas très content du nôtre depuis le début. Nous avons fait des tests à Suzuka la semaine dernière qui se sont très bien passés. On est assez optimiste pour le reste de la saison ! »
Le 21 août prochain à Suzuka, la pression sera cette fois sur les adversaires de Benoît et de son équipier…
FIN.
Under pressure all weekend
Last weekend’s fourth Super GT round of 2011 at Sugo, in the Miyagi district which was badly affected by Japan’s recent earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, was understandably of particular significance to the championship and Benoît Tréluyer whose race was marred by tyre issues.
Sugo, situated near the quake-affected city of Sendai, is a symbol of Japan’s never-say-die attitude. And although scars of the disaster remain, the rigours of every-day life appeared to be returning to the area. “A lot of work has been done,” noted Benoît. “There’s been a lot of restoration and it is great to see that people’s spirits are high.”
It would be necessary to follow that example at the beginning of the weekend when atrocious weather soaked the Miyagi area. They were conditions the Motul-Autech team had not anticipated. “We were expecting higher temperatures and as you have to choose the tyre compounds one month in advance we found ourselves off the pace,” Benoît confirmed. “Things improved during the race but at the end of my stint we were experiencing a lot of tyre pick-up. I couldn’t generate enough heat to make the tyre pressures work so informed the pitwall before my stop, who made the correction for my team-mate, but there was no improvement. We were not in the right temperature window.”
At the end of June it was difficult to predict that unexpected rain and subsequently reduced temperatures would see those Bridgestone-shod teams suffer much more than the Yanagida-Quintarelli Nissan GT-R running Michelin tyres.
“It was a bit of an experimental race for the tyres. While we knew it would be hard, we also wanted to test a few things before the next race at Suzuka. On top of that, if I am honest, we got a bit mixed up with the qualifying strategies. It rained a lot and was wet each evening. That also caused us major problems because of new base set-ups successfully validated at Suzuka recently. Unfortunately we had to use untried settings during the 10 minute qualifying sessions having not had time to run them before. Things went a bit better in the race even though we had hoped for more rain after warm-up suggested we would be competitive in the wet. In my first stint I fought back from 13th on the grid to sixth despite, like the other Bridgestone runners, being at odds with my tyres. But when I handed the car over to Satoshi there was a problem during the tyre change which lost us four seconds. To make matters worse he then got blocked in the pitlane, which is very narrow at Sugo, behind a stationary GT300 car, meaning he rejoined the race last.”
Although Motoyama was able to climb back up the order, he was still facing the same problem as Benoît: low tyre pressures which allowed the car to slide.
“We finished in 12th position and didn’t score any points,” said the Frenchman. “We are now third in the championship, but quite far off the leading Nissan which has 41 points, whilst we only have 26. Between us is the Kaneishi/Tsukatoshi Honda but that’s not what worries me the most. My biggest concern is the Michelin tyres!”
Despite feeling anxious, Benoît was keen to underline his enthusiasm for the upcoming rounds. “The championship is going to be tight. We will change the engine for the next race – we can use three over the season – which will come as a real relief as we have not been entirely happy with the current one since the start. Last week’s test at Suzuka went really well. We are quite optimistic for the rest of the season!”
Come August 21 at Suzuka, the pressure will be on Benoît and Satoshi’s rivals.
ENDS.
Super GT (Okayama/2e manche)
Vainqueur de la manche d’ouverture à Fuji le mois dernier, Benoît Tréluyer parvient à minimiser le handicap de poids de sa Nissan GT-R Motul AUTECH et à garder la tête du championnat.
C’est avec quarante kilos de lest que le Français arrivait à Okayama, théâtre de la deuxième manche du championnat Super GT 2011. Un handicap consécutif à sa victoire de Fuji et qu’il entendait réduire en misant sur une stratégie audacieuse.
« Comme nous savions qu’il allait être impossible de se battre pour la victoire, nous avons décidé de nous concentrer sur les pneus lors des essais libres avec pour objectif de définir le meilleur équilibre possible en gommes dures », indique Benoît.
Une stratégie directement tournée vers la course au détriment de la qualification que la Nissan GT-R de l’écurie AUTECH terminait au 12e rang.
« Nous avons privilégié les réglages ‘course’ et, évidemment, cela a rendu notre tâche des plus difficiles lors de la qualif. On rate la Q2 pour un dixième… Ce qui est une petite déception car nous pensions être tout de même un petit peu mieux ! »
Si l’équipage Tréluyer/Motoyama devait se contenter de la 6e ligne, il bénéficiait de la possibilité de choisir ses gommes pour le départ. Ce qui reste un avantage non négligeable…
« J’ai pris le départ et je me suis attaché dès les premiers tours à bien préserver mes enveloppes pour aller le plus loin possible… »
Parvenant à adopter un bon rythme tout en évitant de taper dans ses pneus, Benoît parvenait à remonter de la 12e à la 5e place au moment de passer le relais à son équipier Japonais qui, par le truchement des arrêts au stand, se faisait passer par deux concurrents au début de son relais. Concurrents qui, toutefois, ne tardaient pas à être ralentis par des problèmes mécaniques pour l’un et une pénalité de passage par les stands pour l’autre…
« Nous terminons finalement à la 5e place, souffle Benoît avec un brin de soulagement dans la voix. Honnêtement, compte tenu du lest que nous avions à bord et du léger manque de puissance de notre moteur qui nous handicape actuellement, nous redoutions bien pire. De plus, nous conservons la tête du championnat avec 26 points ! »
Le mois prochain, lors de la 3e manche du championnat qui se disputera en Malaisie sur le tracé de Sepang, la partie sera de nouveau difficile pour Benoît, son équipier Satoshi Motoyama et tous les membres de l’écurie Motul AUTECH puisqu’ils devront composer cette fois avec 52 kilos de lest. Un surcroît de poids n’en générant pas moins chez eux un surcroît de motivation…
Super GT (Okayama / Round 2)
Benoît Tréluyer maintained his Super GT Championship lead at Okayama last weekend after overcoming his Motul AUTECH-run Nissan GT-R’s weight handicap to score an excellent fifth place finish.
Following victory in the opening round at Fuji last time out, the Frenchman arrived in Okayama betting on an audacious strategy after being lumbered with an extra 40 kilograms of success ballast.
“We knew it would be impossible to fight for victory so decided to focus our attention on tyres throughout free practice as we searched for the best possible balance on the harder compound,” said Benoît.
Those tactics placed greater emphasis on race pace than qualifying performance so it was no surprise to see the Nissan GT-R end up 12th on the grid.
“Our priority was race set-up which clearly made our task more difficult in qualifying. We missed Q2 by 0.1 seconds which was a bit disappointing as we still thought we might be slightly more competitive!”
But while Tréluyer and team-mate Satoshi Motoyama had to settle for the sixth row, they would at least benefit from selecting their preferred tyre compound for the start which offers a potentially significant advantage.
“I took the start and was careful to preserve the tyres during the opening laps in the hope they would last longer,” Benoît explained.
The strategy worked perfectly and despite managing the wear rate, Benoît still had enough pace to scythe through the field during his stint, climbing from 12th to fifth before handing over to his Japanese team-mate. The pit-stop sequence ensured Motoyama rejoined seventh but he picked up two more places before the finish as those ahead were slowed by a combination of mechanical issues and a drive through penalty.
“We finally finished in fifth place. But honestly, taking into account the ballast we had onboard, as well as the engine’s slight lack of power which is hurting us at the moment, we were expecting much worse. On top of that, we maintained the championship lead with 26 points.”
But if Okayama was tough then next month’s third round at Sepang in Malaysia will be even more testing for Benoît, Motoyama and the Motul AUTECH squad whose Nissan GT-R will instead carry 52 kilos of ballast. That increase is sure to be matched by the entire team’s motivation.
In Okayama circuit this morning the rain stop all plans. the nature seems to be still really angry in Japan. I’ll not be able to drive because I have no boat license. Here some pics for the lucky people who couldn’t come here 
Here you see a really nice draw and nice message from a young very good fan.
Thank you Yoma
Vous pouvez voire ici un très beau dessin d un fidèle jeune supporter
Merci Yoma
An emotional victory
The first round of the 2011 Super GT had symbolic value for teams, drivers and fans of Japan’s premier motorsport championship and Benoît Tréluyer scored victory with authority, sobriety and humility during a race that marked a new beginning.
On Sunday, standing on the podium of the ‘Fuji 400kms’, there were no national anthems or champagne. Having come to offer an exciting spectacle and be part of the healing programme for Japanese fans who are just beginning the recovery following the recent terrible tsunami which plunged the nation into mourning, the drivers gave a lot of themselves without expecting anything in return.
As he left the podium, Benoît, who had not won in Super GT since the Sugo 300kms in July 2009, was obviously happy but, as with all the other members of his team, couldn’t avoid having a heavy heart.
“The atmosphere was almost normal this weekend, but the devastation that has been felt by the whole of Japan was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. The minute’s silence prior to the start was very emotional. Normally for the race, which traditionally takes place during the long week of holidays known as the ‘Golden Week’, there are 80,000 people in attendance, but this time only 40,000 braved the elements as, apparently, the rain clouds are also charged with radioactivity. On the podium we dedicated our victory to the victims of the tsunami. We’re happy to have won, but to have been overflowing with joy would have been wrong.”
For Benoît, team-mate Satoshi Motoyama, and all the members of the Motul AUTECH team, the day started with problems as they had to rediscover the Bridgestone tyres after a season with Michelin.
“Due to the cancellation of the private test days, we had only run a little bit using the Bridgestone compounds, and never at Fuji. So the first day was a bit of a step into the unknown. Our objective on Friday was to define a set-up which would be more or less correct. On Saturday morning we were competitive right from the beginning of the session, but then a fuel leak compromised our preparation work. Therefore, I had only done a small number of laps when I approached the first qualifying session. I started with our basic set-up but the wind increased and the car was very unstable. In addition to this, an engine mapping error cost us some horsepower.”
Despite this, Benoît still managed to qualify for the ‘Super Lap’. The AUTECH team were also proactive regarding the change of set-up according to the wind and checked the engine mapping. Not really sure of what behaviour his Nissan GT-R would have, Benoît didn’t tempt fate by pushing too hard on his flying lap.
“I drove cautiously during the first two sectors before producing an excellent third which rewarded us, taking into account the circumstances, with a respectable sixth fastest time. We knew that this first meeting of the season was going to be tough for all concerned. There was a pit of panic and guys had some issues getting back into it and to focus after what they’ve had to face these last few weeks. For us this race was, first and foremost, an extended test.”
However, for the race, ‘Weather News’, one of the team’s sponsors, was to bring major assistance by providing reliable weather forecasts during the critical moments.
“We were able to make the right strategic choices without taking too many risks regarding the tyres as, once again, we were learning the Bridgestones. It was a long time since I drove with them in wet conditions and once I readjusted I found a good rhythm.”
It only took a few laps for the Frenchman, who started on the third row, to climb up behind the similar Nissan of the Impul team in the lead.
“I was faster than him but it started to rain heavily when I got very close behind. I decided to leave a small gap to avoid being caught out by the poor visibility.”
It was a safe decision as De Oliveira ended up going off and Benoît found himself in the lead.
“At that moment the team asked me to attack a bit in order to build the biggest possible margin to the car in second place. I covered the maximum number of laps allowed and then handed over to Satoshi with a 16-second lead. He had 22 laps to the finish, but he caught some traffic and was a bit too cautious. In the end, the Lexus of Ito/Oshima pulled back to within six seconds before another downpour. Cars started to aquaplane off the track everywhere and after a couple more laps the stewards brought out the red flag.”
Motoyama therefore crossed the finish line as the winner and, on the pit wall and surrounded by members of the Motul AUTECH team, Tréluyer could breathe a sigh of relief. Having come to offer some comfort to the Japanese fans who have supported so much in the past, he was able to leave with the joy of having succeeded in his mission.
