+ Result: Pre-Qualifying
Bingo Racing’s Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R topped the time charts for the second time in four sessions so far this weekend, with the fan-favorite car leading the way in Pre-Qualifying for Sunday’s Suzuka 1000km.
Ukyo Sasahara reeled off a chart-topping 2:00.469 in the Bronze Cup class entry halfway through the 90-minute session to outpace the latest-generation Chevrolet Corvette, the Johor Motorsports JMR-run Z06 GT3.R of Nicky Catsburg by 0.392 seconds.
Thomas Neubauer made an improvement in the final third of the session to go third quickest in the No. 555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.
Fellow Ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth quickest in the No. 60 LM Corsa entry, while Harry King was quickest of the Porsche 911 GT3 R contingent in the No. 61 EBM GIGA Racing machine, which rounded out the overall top-five.
Patrick Pilet, meanwhile, was sixth in the No. 7 Absolute Racing Porsche.
As was the case in Friday’s action, rain impacted running in the final 30 minutes, with race control declaring it a wet track.
A number of cars ventured back out on wet-weather Pirelli tires, but did not see any improvements in terms of lap times that were set in full dry conditions.
Prior to the arrival rain, the No. 45 Ponos Racing Ferrari of Yusuke Yamasaki spun at the high-speed 130R corner, making slight contact with the barriers that required the Pro-Am class entry to make a trip to the garage for repairs.
It returned to action later in the session.
Qualifying, which will set the grid based of the average of three individual sessions from each driver, begins at 17:05 local time.
Report: Sportscar365