- Motul Team RJN prepare for Spa 24 Hour
- Super GT returns live on NISMO.tv
- Micra Cup returns to Circuit Mont-Tremblant
Motul Team RJN preparing for Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hour classic
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium: After a strong day at the recent Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup test at Spa-Francorchamps, Motul Team RJN is busy preparing for the upcoming Spa 24 Hour.
One of the classic races on the endurance calendar, the event will be run over July 29 and 30. NISMO factory aces Lucas Ordóñez, Alex Buncombe and Katsumasa Chiyo will do battle aboard the No. 23 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 – entering the weekend after finishing fifth at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The No.22 Nissan will again feature former GT Academy winner Matt Simmons alongside quick Brits Matt Parry and Struan Moore.
“I’m really excited for this year’s 24 Hours of Spa. It’s the big one of the Blancpain Endurance Series, the one that’s the most important in terms of points,” Lucas Ordóñez said.
“If we get a good result there, we can be in the fight for a good position in the championship at the last race in Barcelona.
“We had a good test a few weeks ago there, in Spa. Everything went well. We tried something different from previous years. We tried to be more aggressive in terms of qualifying setup. On long runs, it’s really tough.
“The competition is really hard, so we don’t really know where we are on long-run pace. But, it was positive and I’m looking forward to it, as always.”
The Spa classic will be the second race in a row where teams will compete into the night. The last round at Circuit Paul Ricard greeted the chequered flag at midnight.”
“It’s always fantastic to drive at night at Spa, especially through Eau Rouge,” Ordóñez said.
“These cars are getting faster and faster and it’s really good fun to drive. I’m looking forward to getting a good result for Nissan NISMO with my teammates Alex and Chiyo-san.
“Hopefully we can make good progress during the race and score as many points as possible.”
Super GT action returns to NISMO TV this weekend
Sugo Sportsland, Japan: Super GT action returns to NISMO.tv this weekend when the championship races at Sugo Sportsland.
The entire 2017 season will be streamed live on NISMO.tv with former GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough continuing his debut season aboard the Calsonic Nissan GT-R alongside Hironobu Yasuda.
Nissan claimed victory at Sugo last year with Daiki Sasaki and Masataka Yanagida. This year Sasaki is joined by JP de Oliveira aboard the Kondo Racing entry.
At the last round Satoshi Motoyama and Katsumasa Chiyo finished fourth at Autopolis while the NISMO No.23 GT-R of Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda rounding out the top five.
Micra Cup battle resumes at Circuit Mont-Tremblant
Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada: There are still six drivers eligible for the Nissan Micra Cup championship going into this week’s two-race weekend at Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
Kevin King, despite not yet winning a race this season, holds a commanding lead in the championship. He has amassed 132 points on the season, putting him 14 points ahead of the next closest competitor, Olivier Bédard. Bédard, in turn, sits just five points ahead of his teammate, Xavier Coupal.
Jean-Michel Isabelle, the driver who won the first two races of the season at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, is fourth with 106 points, just four ahead of Valérie Limoges with Australian former GT Academy finalist Keishi Ayukai (99 points) still in the battle for the title.
But there is one other driver that could play spoiler in the quest to take the Summer Classic crown. Stefan Rzadzinski will return to the Nissan Micra Cup at Mont-Tremblant after missing the first two weekends of the championship to race GT cars in South Korea. Rzadzinski has a long history in the series, racking up four wins, five pole positions and 12 podium finishes in two seasons in Micra Cup.
The Micra Cup racer also represented Canada at the Race of Champions staged at Marlins Stadium in Miami earlier this year.
Calendar
July 22-23
Super GT, Sugo, Japan
European Le Mans Series, Red Bull Ring, Austria
Micra Cup, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
July 29-30
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Spa 24 Hour, Belgium
Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
August 5-6
Super GT, Fuji Speedway, Japan
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA
