Two-time SUPER GT GT500 Champion Naoki Yamamoto has been checked back into a hospital after his crash at the Sugo GT 300km Race on Sunday, according to an official release from Team Kunimitsu published today.
The 35-year-old Honda factory driver crashed out on lap 38 of Sunday’s race after a collision with a GT300 class vehicle sent Yamamoto’s #100 Stanley Honda NSX-GT into the guardrail, inflicting severe damage to the car as the rear-end slammed into the barriers. Yamamoto was able to radio to his team that he was okay as safety crews arrived on the scene.
Following the accident, the GT Association (GTA) confirmed that Yamamoto reported pain in his body but was able to move his limbs. As a precaution, he was airlifted to a hospital in Sendai. Team Kunimitsu confirmed through Japanese publication auto sport that Yamamoto was released from the hospital in Sendai that evening after the conclusion of the race, and had not suffered any broken bones.
Since that update issued at 7:40 PM on Sunday, Yamamoto has been taken to a different hospital with a “proven track record” of treating his undisclosed condition.
Yamamoto was negotiating slower GT300 traffic and battling for position in his class. The #100 Stanley Honda NSX-GT moved to the right-hand side of the GT300 class #56 Realize/Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R of Teppei Natori, just as both cars were exiting the final 110R Corner and Natori was heading into the pits for a routine stop.
Natori initially moved to pit lane on his right but hit the brake pedal to avoid colliding with the #14 Eneos X Prime Toyota GR Supra. Without realizing that Yamamoto was passing him on the same side, Natori moved right again and struck the left side of Yamamoto’s car. The collision pitched the Stanley NSX-GT off to the left and into the guardrails past the crest along the front stretch.
The impact caused the car to flip over at least once, and ripped away most of the car’s front-end body panels and the entire rear of the car; but the carbon-fibre monocoque remained intact. The race was red-flagged almost immediately.
Natori was given a drive-through penalty for causing the collision, which ended up being served by co-driver João Paulo de Oliveira following the red flag. Natori and team owner Masahiko Kondo immediately came to Team Kunimitsu’s garage to apologise.
Video footage captured by YouTube user Nenkatsu shows the initial collision from the exit of 110R Corner – it does not show Yamamoto’s impact with the guardrail.
This is the third scary accident this year involving a GT500 car. In pre-season testing at Suzuka Circuit, TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE driver Kenta Yamashita crashed head-on into the barriers at 130R corner and spent nearly two months rehabilitating a back injury sustained in the crash. During the third round of the season at Suzuka, NISMO driver Tsugio Matsuda tangled with slower GT300 traffic, and his car blew over into the catch fence at the exit of 130R.
Feature image © GTA
