Polesitters Oshima and Yamashita repeated their 2021 victory in the 82-lap contest at the former Pacific Grand Prix venue, despite a scare in the final stages when their #14 GR Supra suddenly slowed after a late Full Course Yellow period.
What had been a 10-second advantage quickly disappeared in the four-lap dash to finish, giving two-time GT500 champion Naoki Yamamoto a whisker of opportunity in the Kunimitsu Honda he shared with Tadasuke Makino.
Ultimately, Yamashita had enough of a buffer to keep Yamamoto at bay, taking the chequered flag with just over a second in hand to take an early lead in the championship.
Yamamoto had got himself in position to challenge after a thrilling battle that culminated in a brilliant double move on Kazuki Hiramine’s Impul Nissan and Hiroaki Ishiura’s Cerumo Toyota. As Ishiura tried to pass the struggling Hiramine with 10 laps to run, Yamamoto sensed an opportunity and launched his Honda up the inside into Turn 5, passing both cars in one…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Autosport.com – All – Stories…