The racing version of Subaru’s new BRZ sports coupe made its motorsports debut during the opening round of Japan’s 2012 SUPER GT that took place on Sunday, April 1, at the Okayama International Circuit.
With Tetsuya Yamano behind the wheel, the BRZ GT300 started the final race from 8th place on the grid as the team had advanced to Q3 in the knockout qualifying the previous day.
Before the final race, Yamano commented: “We have changed the setting of the car since yesterday’s qualifying, and the car’s behaviour is now slightly more stable. We are still looking for the right setting and it’s not perfect yet, but we are trying what we can do at the moment to collect data. In the race, it might be better to get back to the pit earlier so that we can drive with more space around us and avoid congestion”.
In the final race, while Yamano was able to hold 8th place until he handed over the car to Subaru’s other driver, Kouta Sasaki, right after the changeover, Sasaki felt that there was something wrong with BRZ GT300 and made an emergency pit stop.
Subaru’s engineers discovered a problem with the rear differential and were forced to retire the car from the race.
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