31 August 2017
Maranello, 31 Aug 2017 - ARN Racing, in its first year with the Ferrari 488 GT3, will be after a big haul of points at Fuji to consolidate the top spot in the standings gained after victory at Autopolis. The other Ferrari customer team, HubAuto Racing, wants to repeat the podium won in the last race and gain further satisfaction.
Situation. ARN Racing with its drivers Kota Sasaki and Hiroaki Nagai has a 6-point lead in the standings over the Nissan of Kondo Racing. This is a minor advantage given that a win is worth over 20 points. However, it is no fluke that ARN Racing is out in front. The 488 GT3 of the Japanese team has been consistently fastest in qualifying, with four pole positions in four races, and in the four rounds of the championship so far it has recorded two thirds and one fifth. The final two races, at Fuji on Sunday and then at Okayama, will be very open. However, the 488 GT3 of HubAuto Racing has had a tough season. With Morris Chen, Hiroki Yoshimoto, Yuya Sakamoto and Kono Shunsuke at the wheel, the 488 GT3 will try to repeat the podium at Autopolis after two fourths and one fifth in the first three races.
History. Ferrari has taken the winners laurels 15 times at Fuji. The first dates back to 1970 with the 512 S of Scuderia Picchio Rosso, driven by Giampiero Moretti. The latest triumphs came in 2016, when Kantasak Kusiri and Bhurit Bhirombhakdi won twice in the GTM class in the GT Asia Series at the wheel of a 458 Challenge EVO of Singha Plan-B Motorsport.