Super Taikyu: Tomishita, Tsujimoto take back-to-back class wins at Okayama
- MARCO ALBERTINI
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
In the second-to-last round of the Super Taikyu season at Okayama, Riona Tomishita scored her third class win of the season to assert herself in the ST-2 title fight with one race left, sitting only 11.5 points behind first. Also during the weekend, Shion Tsujimoto scored her second consecutive ST-Q class win of the season.
At the sixth round of the Super Taikyu season at Okayama, the trio of Riona Tomishita, Hibiki Taira and Tokiya Suzuki scored their third win of the season to maintain runner-up spots in the ST-2 standings. Meanwhile in ST-Q, Shion Tsujimoto, Yuto Nomura and Hiroki Otsu scored their second consecutive class win of the season as they help Honda develop a racing engine compatible with carbon-neutral fuel.
Unlike the previous round at Autopolis, the weekend was split into two three-hour races, with classes being divided into two groups. Tomishita and her #225 KTMS crew competed in Group 2, whereas Tsujimoto raced in Group 1 as the only representative of the ST-Q entries.
On Sunday morning in wet conditions, Group 2's race took place, with the #6 Shinryo Racing Team Mitsubishi starting on overall pole, while the #225 KTMS Toyota started 11th overall and sixth in the ST-2 class.
After the first six minutes were spent behind the safety car, the race got underway with the #6 Shinryo Racing Team Mitsubishi leading the opening hour. As the track began to dry up in the first hour, the first Full Course Yellow of the race was deployed 47 minutes in, as the #610 Koshido Racing Mazda was stuck in the gravel at Turn 5. Two minutes later, the safety crew was able to get the Mazda out of the gravel, as the Full Course Yellow ended with the Mazda back on track.
At the front, the #225 KTMS Toyota had made its way to second overall as the second hour began and moved into the lead two minutes later after overtaking the #6 Shinryo Racing Team Mitsubishi at Turn 5. During the second hour, the track became dry enough for slick tires and once the leading #225 KTMS Toyota pitted at the half-way mark of the race, Taira swapped with Tomishita for their first stint on slicks.
Tomishita then extended the lead to the chasing #72 Nihon Automobile College Honda, which had taken over second, as she came into the pits with 25 minutes left to give the car to Suzuki for the final stint.
In his 16-lap stint, Suzuki edged out the #95 Spoon Honda to take his and the team's third win of the season to maintain second place in the ST-2 standings, 11.5 points behind the #72 Nihon Automobile College Honda. In third place overall, the #32 Rookie Racing Toyota took top honors in the ST-Q class, while ST-3 was won by the #15 Okabe Jidosha Motorsport Nissan, which crossed the line in eighth overall.
Behind them, #4 Team Bride Honda finished 15th overall and won in the ST-5F class' final race of the season to secure runner-up spots in the standings, 25.5 points behind the #67 Team Yamato Honda. Directly behind the ST-5F winner, the #88 Murakami Motors Mazda rounded out its championship-winning season with its third win of the season, ahead of the #610 Koshido Racing Mazda, which finished second despite its early race trip to the gravel.
Group 1's race then commenced two hours later, with the #666 Seven x Seven Racing Porsche starting on overall pole, while the #271 HRC Honda started 10th overall as the only car to represent the ST-Q class.
On the opening lap, the #31 apr Lexus took the lead, as it pulled away from the rest of the field, as the #666 Seven x Seven Racing Porsche fell to third behind the #81 GTNET Motorsports Nissan. As the #31 apr Lexus led the first third of the race, the only Full Course Yellow of the race was deployed ten minutes before the one hour mark, due to the #19 Birth Racing Project Cupra grinding to a halt on the apex of Turn 2.
Just as racing resumed two minutes later, the #96 M&K Honda and #34 Techno First Audi collided, sending the former into the gravel at Turn 4, but no yellow flags were waved as the Honda got out of the gravel not long after.
At the front, the #31 apr Lexus led the second hour, as the #885 SHADE Racing Toyota hit trouble by first going off course and then retiring in the pits with a mechanical issue. However, apr's lead at the front only lasted a further ten minutes at the #666 Seven x Seven Racing Porsche, which had made its way to second, passed the Lexus at Turn 9 to take the lead.
Over the final 50 minutes, the #666 Seven x Seven Racing Porsche pulled away to take its third win of the season by 37.054 seconds over the #31 apr Lexus and a further 38.691 ahead of the #777 D'station Aston Martin in third. In ST-1, the #47 D'station Porsche finished seventh overall and won in its class, whilst the #26 Team ZeroOne Nissan crossed the line in ninth to win in the ST-Z class.
In sixteenth overall, Tsujimoto drove #271 HRC Honda in the final stint to take her and the team's second consecutive wins in the ST-Q class, 20 seconds ahead of the #98 Waimarama Honda, which scored the ST-TCR class win.