Real Racing Wins Chaotic Sugo Race as Honda Prelude‑GT Strengthens Its Hold
Sunday’s result highlights the Prelude‑GT’s rising pace, with safety‑car restarts and early pit stops reshaping the Sugo 300km outcome.
Overview
- Real Racing’s Koudai Tsukakoshi and rookie Yuto Nomura won the Sugo 300km on Sunday, giving the team its first SUPER GT victory since Autopolis in 2022 and Nomura his first GT500 win.
- The race began behind the safety car on a damp track and saw a second safety‑car period after contact between Tomoki Nojiri and Hiroaki Nagai, incidents that compressed the field and changed pit timing.
- A lap‑32 restart prompted several teams, including Real Racing, to pit immediately and those early stops delivered a net advantage that allowed Tsukakoshi to take and hold the lead to the finish.
- Nakajima Racing’s Riki Okusa set a new Sugo lap record in qualifying with a 1:09.050 to take pole, but he and co‑driver Igor Fraga fell to 12th after an off and a second pit stop during the race.
- TOM’S retained the championship lead by 13 points over Tsukakoshi and Nomura as Honda’s Prelude‑GT recorded its third straight strong weekend, signaling continued manufacturer momentum before the remaining rounds.