- NISMO Athlete Global Team finishes second at Mount Panorama today
- Impressive pace from the drivers in the #1 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 after 13th place start
- Heroic charge from Katsumasa Chiyo just falls short at checkered flag
BATHURST, Australia – The NISMO Athlete Global Team secured a hard-fought second-place finish at today’s Bathurst 12-Hour endurance race, held at Australia’s famous Mount Panorama circuit.
Team drivers Katsumasa Chiyo, Rick Kelly and Florian Strauss powered their Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to the finish line a mere 1.276 seconds behind the winning Tekno Autosports McLaren 650S GT3 after 12 grueling hours of racing, which was more akin to a sprint than an endurance race.
The NISMO trio battled an intensely competitive field of exotic sports cars and skilled drivers from Australia and overseas, impressing with their consistent speed and trouble-free running throughout the long day of racing and leading for a total of 107 laps.
Nissan Motorsport V8 Supercar ace Rick Kelly started the race in the 5:45 a.m. darkness and advanced strongly through the field from the team’s 13th-place grid position.
Former Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner Florian Strauss, who co-drove to victory in last year’s race, helped push the #1 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 further forward during the course of the day, again displaying impressive pace and consistency at one of the world’s most challenging circuits.
But it was in the final hour that the race’s tension really rose, with Japanese driver Katsumasa Chiyo chasing the leading Tekno Autosports McLaren piloted by Shane van Gisbergen. The fast-finishing Chiyo showed incredible skill and daring as he closed the gap in the final laps.
Chiyo, who has fast-built a reputation with Australian fans for his daring abilities in the thrust of wheel-to-wheel combat, wowed on-lookers and viewers with a series of courageous moves as he pushed the rapid GT-R closer to the lead.
After 12 hours and 297 laps, and an impressive show of tremendous effort and skill, the NISMO Athlete Global Team crossed the finish line less than two seconds behind van Gisbergen’s McLaren.
Driver Quotes
Katsumasa Chiyo (Japan)
#1 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
“We were not the quickest car yesterday, but we had a very strong race today,” said Katsumasa Chiyo.
“The team was working very well and the car was just fantastic. It is such a great team and my co-drivers were great. We were doing really well until the last few minutes, but the McLaren was so fast.
“I tried to catch up but I had slower traffic to avoid; it was pretty scary at times. We really wanted to win again this year and come back with it, but winning at Bathurst is not easy. The race was very much like a sprint this year, without many safety cars and not much traffic, which made it quite tough.
“I want to say thank you to everyone in the team and to my teammates. And thank you for such a great car. I want to come back again next year.”
Rick Kelly (Australia)
#1 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
“It was an exciting day for us and we led a lot of laps which was good fun. We had a lot of straight line speed which, for me, was quite exciting,” said Rick Kelly.
“We could check people up the hill and then pull away. It was really good. First thing, congratulations to the Tekno guys; they had an impressive car all weekend so we had that to try and catch and unfortunately today we just couldn’t match the pace that those guys had.
“I came into the weekend with my eyes wide open – just trying to learn as much as I could and support these guys who won it last year in such nice style. We weren’t able to do it today but, nevertheless, I learned a lot, especially from this fella (Chiyo). He can drive that car – I can give you the tip. I have been looking at his data all weekend and learned a lot from him, and Florian as well, so for me it was a great opportunity.
“I think (Chiyo’s driving at the end) was really impressive. The pace at the start of the race when the track was nice and cool was very strong and I think everyone was just getting settled in. And then during the mid-part of the day, as always, the track got quite greasy and at the end his pace was quicker than what I got out of the car during qualifying, which shows the capabilities of both the car and Chiyo.
“I don’t think there would have been another hundredth in the car from what he got out of it. I think we need to check the mirrors for some paint! He was that close in some places, which is really impressive. The high-risk places around here he has nailed and the same for the low risk. He definitely has the track under control, and I think that goes for a lot of the field.
“You can see how strong a lot of the great overseas teams and drivers are. They come here, get the track nailed pretty quickly, and the same with the cars. A few years ago in our V8 Supercar this wasn’t really the case. So I think it really opens our eyes to overseas drivers for the 1000km race here in October because the quality of international drivers is outstanding. Now they have experience at our home track they could certainly be assets for us in the future.”
Florian Strauss (Germany)
#1 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
“I think (the day) was just incredible. Everyone at the team was a little bit disappointed yesterday, but we were pretty sure our race pace should be much more in front than our qualifying lap showed,” said Florian Strauss.
“But of course it is always difficult to win here; a lot of green running this year.
“As Rick said, it was impossible to catch the fast guy (currently standing) next to me (at this press conference), but Chiyo tried every single thing. I am sure next year we will have another attempt and try to win again.”
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