Following the team’s switch from Yokohama to Dunlop tyres, Mugen’s #16 Honda NSX-GT had the best qualifying average of any GT500 team last year, taking pole at Autopolis and two other front row starts.
However, the team struggled to convert its qualifying prowess into race results, with Sasahara and Toshiki Oyu managing a best finish of fourth at Motegi en route to 14th out of 15 crews in the drivers’ standings.
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Mugen topped the combined timesheets during last year’s Okayama pre-season test, but last weekend was a low-key 11th-fastest across the two days, around four tenths off the pace set by the TOM’S Toyota team.
Sasahara believes this may be because Dunlop has shifted its focus towards creating a tyre with stronger race pace.
“This time I didn’t feel any massive one-lap pace,” Sasahara told Motorsport.com. “So I am a bit worried about the one-lap pace.
“Of course our weak point is the race distance, so maybe we’ll have a bit less one-lap pace than last year,…
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