With only three races left in the 2024 SUPER GT for EDGE driver Charlie Fagg, the stage for round 7 was at Autopolis in Oita Prefecture. It is characterised by a layout with many ups and downs and a track surface that is difficult for tyres, and this round was a long race of 3 hours.
Qualifying day at Autopolis had been raining since the early hours. The weather in the mountains is changeable and there were thick fogs. Visibility cleared as the rain picked up at times, but the fog soon rolled in again, and the official practice session, which started at 9:20 a.m., was canceled after repeated delays.
The weather at Autopolis improved after that, but the weather worsened again just before the official qualifying session, which started at 2:50 p.m. This time it's not fog but a thunderstorm. Due to the rain falling like waterfalls, water ran across the course and soil washed away. Furthermore, due to the risk of lightning strikes, all subsequent runs were canceled during the support race delay. The official qualifying round was scheduled to be contested for 30 minutes starting at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 20th.
Autopolis, the day of qualifying and the final race, was still foggy early in the morning, and the road surface was still slightly wet. Fortunately, the official qualifying session, which started at 8:00 a.m., was held on time. Fujii was in charge of qualifying for D’station Vantage GT3. With the track still wet, he was able to take P3 in qualifying.
Fujii started the race and by the 11th lap, he was in second place, and from then on he was forced to fight to keep up with those behind him. Later on in the race, an accident involving a GT500 car brought out the safety car, but Fujii made a pit stop after the safety car run. He was replaced by Fagg, who was racing at Autopolis for the first time. The safety car was brought in again after the change, but once the race restarted, Fagg was in a fierce battle for 3rd place among about 10 cars. Fagg fought through a magnificent battle that was hard to believe was his first run, and after the third safety car run, he headed to the pits after completing 38 laps.
However, the timing of this safety car run was somewhat disadvantageous for the D’station Vantage GT3. Fujii, who was replaced, was placed in 9th place, but due to overtaking another car's pit stop and a crash, he was forced to move up to 5th place. In the end, the race was still under the safety car for the fourth time due to an accident, but just before the finish, there was a scene where they encountered a slight problem. However, Fujii took immediate action and carried his D’station Vantage GT3 to the finish line. Although things didn't all go in their favor, all team members looked satisfied with their 5th place finish.
Charlie Fagg: "I think it was a good race week overall. I had heard from everyone that the GTA-GT300 standard cars were fast here, so I knew it would be a difficult race. And I had never driven or seen the track before! It was a new experience for me, but the 5 hours I spent in the simdrive simulator was a good preparation."
"Especially since it rained on Saturday and I was only able to run as a warm-up before the race. I was lucky to be able to prepare in the simulator and I'm happy with fifth place. It may not look good because we are fifth after coming from third, but it is the best result for us. I think we have a chance with two races left, so we'll keep pushing!"
