This is probably old news, but that GT4 promotional race between representatives of Toyota, Volkswagen, Daihatsu, Mercedes, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Ford, and Suzuki was held earlier this month. Heres the link.
Also, heres a brief write-up on my observations of the videos. The nine competitors were separated into three groups that would race at Tsukuba, with the winner of each group moving on to the finals.
The first group pitted a Mazda Altenza against a Suzuki Concept S2 and Mercedes SL500 R230. The SL500 had a power and drive train advantage, but the driver misplaced his break peddle and left the track a few too many times leaving it in third. The Suzuki got sloppy at times, but held it together for second. And the Altenza lead a clean if not conservative race and nailed first.
Next up were the Nissan Cube EX, New Beetle, and Daihatsu Copen. The race was very close into the fourth turn where the quick Copen and powerful Beetle braked late and plowed into the sand. The Nissan, which was trailing, took advantage and the lead. The Copen ran a clean race, but followed the inside of turns like it was on a rail, leaving it in last after the VW which was in the sand for a while, but made up with muscle down the straights. The underdog Cube performed smoothly to earn the win.
The last of the prelims had the Supra RZ with the Impreza Spec C and Mustang SVT Cobra R. The Mustang was all over the place and wound up in third a distant third. Not much better was the Impreza, which seemed handicapped by under steer. The Supra took first early and kept it with conservative laps.
After the semifinals, the losers of each round were given a second chance at victory (by victory, I mean a Nike/GT4 jacket). They were mixed into three groups of two, and each group had additional mystery competitor, probably chosen from the audience.
The first race took place at Seoul with a Ford GT LM Spec II, Suzuki Concept S2, and the guest driving an Impreza Rally Car. The poor Suzuki had no chance on the track dominated by straightaways, but it still drove the best race. The GT and Impreza drivers just had fun with the situation and ran full speed into the walls, but the GT squeaked out the win. Fortunately, the Suzuki driver was awarded for the best performance and given the jacket.
Next, the Mercedes CLK GTR, Mazda RX7 (guest), and Volkswagen R32 battled it out at Motor Sports Land II. The Mercedes appeared to be underpowered, but easily took the win, even with sloppy driving. The RX7 and R32 stayed with each other until the end, but the RX7 finally took second.
The last of the nonsense races was at Clubman Stage Route 5 with the Daihatsu Move Custom, Impreza Spec C, and Clio Race Car (guest). I dont know how it did it, because of how the video was edited, but the 64hp Daihatsu beat the Impreza and Clio with ease. Second and third was too close to call, but it doesnt matter, they lost to a Daihatsu.
Next was the finals, with a Group C race at Fuji (2005), with the Toyota 88C-V, Nissan R89C, and Mazda 787B. The race was a bit out of control, often going onto the asphalt along the sides of the track, but it was pretty close. The Mazda drove terribly, but still managed to keep up. Between the Toyota and Nissan, the 88C-V had better corner exits giving it the win. All three drivers were given trophies.
Also, heres a brief write-up on my observations of the videos. The nine competitors were separated into three groups that would race at Tsukuba, with the winner of each group moving on to the finals.
The first group pitted a Mazda Altenza against a Suzuki Concept S2 and Mercedes SL500 R230. The SL500 had a power and drive train advantage, but the driver misplaced his break peddle and left the track a few too many times leaving it in third. The Suzuki got sloppy at times, but held it together for second. And the Altenza lead a clean if not conservative race and nailed first.
Next up were the Nissan Cube EX, New Beetle, and Daihatsu Copen. The race was very close into the fourth turn where the quick Copen and powerful Beetle braked late and plowed into the sand. The Nissan, which was trailing, took advantage and the lead. The Copen ran a clean race, but followed the inside of turns like it was on a rail, leaving it in last after the VW which was in the sand for a while, but made up with muscle down the straights. The underdog Cube performed smoothly to earn the win.
The last of the prelims had the Supra RZ with the Impreza Spec C and Mustang SVT Cobra R. The Mustang was all over the place and wound up in third a distant third. Not much better was the Impreza, which seemed handicapped by under steer. The Supra took first early and kept it with conservative laps.
After the semifinals, the losers of each round were given a second chance at victory (by victory, I mean a Nike/GT4 jacket). They were mixed into three groups of two, and each group had additional mystery competitor, probably chosen from the audience.
The first race took place at Seoul with a Ford GT LM Spec II, Suzuki Concept S2, and the guest driving an Impreza Rally Car. The poor Suzuki had no chance on the track dominated by straightaways, but it still drove the best race. The GT and Impreza drivers just had fun with the situation and ran full speed into the walls, but the GT squeaked out the win. Fortunately, the Suzuki driver was awarded for the best performance and given the jacket.
Next, the Mercedes CLK GTR, Mazda RX7 (guest), and Volkswagen R32 battled it out at Motor Sports Land II. The Mercedes appeared to be underpowered, but easily took the win, even with sloppy driving. The RX7 and R32 stayed with each other until the end, but the RX7 finally took second.
The last of the nonsense races was at Clubman Stage Route 5 with the Daihatsu Move Custom, Impreza Spec C, and Clio Race Car (guest). I dont know how it did it, because of how the video was edited, but the 64hp Daihatsu beat the Impreza and Clio with ease. Second and third was too close to call, but it doesnt matter, they lost to a Daihatsu.
Next was the finals, with a Group C race at Fuji (2005), with the Toyota 88C-V, Nissan R89C, and Mazda 787B. The race was a bit out of control, often going onto the asphalt along the sides of the track, but it was pretty close. The Mazda drove terribly, but still managed to keep up. Between the Toyota and Nissan, the 88C-V had better corner exits giving it the win. All three drivers were given trophies.
