Lilou Wadoux has made history in Japanese Super GT, becoming the first woman to climb the podium since the championship adopted its current name in 2005. The French official driver finished second in the Sugo 300 km alongside teammate Kei Cozzolino, driving the number 45 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Ponos Racing.
Cozzolino, who started from fifth place on the starting grid, quickly took the lead by making the most of the grip provided by Michelin wet tyres, gaining up to a 25-second advantage over his pursuers before a Safety Car erased all the progress made by the Japanese driver. With the track beginning to dry but still damp in parts, Lilou Wadoux took the steering wheel and switched to slick tyres, defending the position resolutely but cleanly against attacks from the Mercedes-AMG of Leon Racing, who ultimately won the race.
For the crew of Ponos Racing, this was their first podium of the season, and the runner-up spot allowed Wadoux to add another page to her motorsport legacy, following her achievements as the first woman to secure a victory in the FIA WEC and the first to triumph in the LMP2 class of the American IMSA championship.
It was an unfortunate race for the crew of Yoshiaki Katayama and Roberto Merhi Muntan in the other number 6 Ferrari of Team Le Mans, forced to retire after a race marked by penalties and contact incidents. The next round of the Japanese Super GT, the seventh of the season, will take place at Autopolis from 19 to 20 October.