Super GT Test Day At Suzuka Circuit
January 20, 2010 by Adam Zillin
Filed under Latest Articles
It was all hands on deck for the first of four combined test days for all Super GT manufacturers and teams at Suzuka Circuit and it goes without saying that the Honda HSV-010 GT stole the show.
The first of four test days leading up to the opening round of the Super GT season was open to the public and most of the interest surrounding the 2010 cars was for the HSV-010 GT and what times it would post against Nissan’s mighty GT-R. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly some might say) the HSV-010 GT posted almost identical times to the GT-R despite behaving “like the ultimate cornering machine” through the turns, according to one report. The Dome Honda HSV-010 GT eventually went on to post the fastest time of the day with a 1:54.723, while the Nismo GT-R was very close behind with a 1:54.787. Teams running the Lexus SC430 GT500 car weren’t being timed by the circuit timing equipment so comparisons couldn’t be made with the other cars, however Bridgestone did their own timing and apparently the Tom’s SC430 ran a 1:52.5!
One of the more interesting sights on the day was the special cataylzer mounted in the exhaust tip of the HSV-010 GT and GT-R to ignite excess gases emitted from the car. This is the same catalyzer as used in last year’s Formula Nippon series. The Dome HSV-010 GT seemed to make the most use of the catalyzer in off-throttle situations, even more so than the other cars, but it could be a result of the particular tune of the car or the driving style. At any rate it’s a very visible, albeit small step in the right “eco-direction” for Honda and Super GT.
The first round of the 2010 Super GT season kicks off at Suzuka Circuit on March 20 and 21.
Images: Super GT
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