07.04.2004 THE DOME DEVELOPED TEAM GAINER FERRARI 360 FINALLY FULFILS ITS PROMISE WITH A STORMING GT300 WIN AT THE JGTC OPENER AT TI AIDA

The Team Gainer entered Ferrari 360 of Tetsuya Tanaka and Atsushi Yogo finally fulfilled the promise it had shown during last year's Japanese GT Championship by storming to a clear victory in the GT300 class in Sunday's season opener at the TI Aida circuit.

The team, which has expanded to run two of the Dome developed cars this season, gave a strong indication of its potential during the pre-season tests at Suzuka when the sister Rodeo Drive-backed car of Hideshi Matsuda and Ichijyo Suga had topped the timesheets against stiff factory-backed opposition.

The Matsuda/Suga 360 eventually set the 6th fastest GT300 time during qualifying with a 1:30.731, while Tanaka and Yogo, fractions adrift, lined up two places further back. GT300 pole was claimed by the ultra quick Tetsuya Yamano in the M-Tec ( formerly Mugen ) Honda NSX which set the benchmark with a 1:29.56.

Pole man Yamano held the early race lead in the Honda NSX but he suffered as rain fell, dropping back into the clutches of the no 80 Nissan Fairlady Z. However with the battle for the GT300 lead being closely fought, Atsushi Yogo in the Team Gainer Ferrari 360 emerged from the pitstops in the lead. Yogo, the winner in Aida last year at the wheel of a Porsche GT3R, drove a careful defensive stint to give the Ferrari its first JGTC victory much to the delight of the Ferrari fans among the crowd.

Second in class went to the Team Arta Garaiya which passed the chequered flag a full lap adrift, while Yamano picked up the final podium place. Matsuda and Suga brought the second of the Yokohama shod Ferraris home tenth in GT300, two laps adrift.

Tetsuya Tanaka: "First of all, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the team. They're always enthusiastically working to arrange the team structure, entering two cars for example. Our efforts have been rewarded with this result. In the GT300 class, all of the top teams opted for slick tires for the start.

"Honestly speaking, it was hard to drive with slicks under those conditions. But we were all in the same boat. I was forced to do it."

Atsushi Yogo: "Many thanks to the team owner, manager and sponsors for having a car that allowed us to win the race. I'm really happy to win the race today because the team manager said to me before going out, 'We're going to win the opening race!'

"Even though the one-lap speed for qualifying was not so good, the feeling of the car in race configuration with a full tank was really good. That gave me the confidence. I think Tanaka had to work hard at the beginning of the race due to the wet conditions, and I hope that he'll be able to pass the wheel to me at the next race with a 10-second margin like he did today!."

Meanwhile in the GT500 class an all-new Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello, prepared by British-based Prodrive, was making its Japanese debut in the hands of Hitotsuyama Racing.

The car, essentially the same as the one that raced to major success worldwide last year, a year that included a GTS win at the Le Mans 24 Hours and US Petit Le Mans as well as victory in the FIA GT Championship, had to be tweaked to meet with the JGTC regulations. A host of minor changes included a new rear wing pillar to allow for a lower rear wing, steel brakes, and a resized air restrictor. 

Japanese sportscar regulars Hidetoshi Mitsusada and Tadao Uematsu drove the Dunlop shod Ferrari. They had a torrid debut, struggling during qualifying and lining up at the back of the GT500 field, eventually finishing the race in 15th place, three laps down on the winning NISMO Nissan Z.