Less than 24 hours after his chances of winning the first race in the inaugural Super GT x DTM Dream Race meeting were wiped out due to a freak accident on the reconnaissance lap before Saturday’s race, 2010 GT500 Champion and 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Loïc Duval, took a big step towards redemption in Sunday morning’s qualifying session to set the grid for the second 55-minute sprint race.
Daisuke Nakajima was the quickest driver in the 20-minute qualifying session, setting a best time of 1’46.696 on his final flying lap aboard the #16 Motul Mugen Honda NSX-GT, which was replaced after a brutal crash in Friday free practice.
However, he will not start the race from pole position following a decision from Race Control on Saturday after Team Mugen replaced their damaged primary car: “The event stewards will permit the vehicle replacement [Car #16], provided that the car pass the re-scrutineering, 5 grids down for the start in Race 1 and 2.”
With that, Nakajima is set to drop to sixth on the grid for Sunday afternoon’s race, and Duval in his #28 BMC Airfilters Audi RS5 DTM will take pole position with a 1’46.940.
Nonetheless, it is a remarkable feat for Team Mugen less than 48 hours after their entire weekend was almost written off.
And during his post-qualifying interview, Daisuke Nakajima made the stunning announcement that he will retire from Super GT competition after today’s race-ending his top-flight racing career at just 30 years old.
The lifelong Honda factory driver and youngest son of Japanese racing legend Satoru Nakajima had enjoyed less success in the highest levels of racing throughout the years, especially compared to his older brother, Kazuki – scoring only one GT500 podium finish in seven seasons from 2013 to 2019, and only one GT300 podium, in 2012.
Daisuke had also spent two seasons racing in British Formula Three from 2009-10, and took part in this year’s Suzuka 10 Hours, driving for Modulo Drago Corse and car owner Ryo Michigami. It is a stunning announcement that has implications for the upcoming 2020 season, with some suggesting that Daisuke will one day succeed Satoru as the owner of Nakajima Racing.
Despite Nakajima’s grid demotion, a Honda will start on the front row, the number 64 Modulo Epson NSX-GT of Narain Karthikeyan, who moves up to P2 alongside pole winner Duval.
Naoki Yamamoto, who was quickest throughout most of the qualifying session before being displaced off the top spot, will go from 3rd, next to the reigning two-time DTM Champion René Rast in 4th. Koudai Tsukakoshi, who finished 2nd yesterday, will line up 5th next to the younger Nakajima.
Marco Wittmann’s 7th-place effort signals a return to form for a struggling BMW fleet, he qualified ahead of Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller in 8th. Ryo Hirakawa, taking over for Saturday’s winner Nick Cassidy in the #37 KeePer TOM’s LC500, starts 9th, and Hiroaki Ishiura rounds off the top ten in 10th.
The best of the Nissans were Tsugio Matsuda all the way down in 17th, while the other half of the defending GT500 Champions, Kazuya Oshima, will start 20th.
